Merv's Politically Incorrect Audio Blog

Discussion in 'SBAF Blogs' started by purr1n, Dec 26, 2018.

  1. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    A slight turn to the east with Beryl as one model suggested is happening, which should track it toward Bay City. Perhaps a bit less impact for Corpus, yet still a bunch of rain. Not fun that landfall might be in the middle of the night like 2am or so.

    Stay safe Marv and other friends in south TX.
     
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  2. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    Anecdotes of a Canadian living in the US for the past 6 months, first Florida, now Indiana.

    • Florida is a beautiful state. There is an air of entitlement among the general population, which makes sense given how easy life is there. All amenities are a short drive away. The weather is always nice. Outside of tourist traps, the beaches and parks are not crowded.
    • On average, people in Florida are nicer than people in Toronto. I chalk this up to additional sunlight exposure.
    • In general, driving in the US is much more dangerous. People drive as if there is no risk of being reprimanded by police for speeding and other belligerent behaviour. Turn signals are considered optional. Yellow lights mean speed up instead of slow down. I was on I-75 during Memorial Day weekend and feared for my life. In Ontario, people drive much more respectfully and mindfully, especially on freeways.
    • I went to a range in Florida to do some shooting and once I told a gentleman I was Canadian he immediately went on a 10 minute rant about Trudeau, communism and how I need to stand up for my gun rights. I smiled and nodded.
    • On the same visit, a middle-aged woman approached me asking for advice on purchasing a handgun and then went on a 10 minute rant about how she fears for her safety in the upcoming election cycle and that people get very dangerous in 'post-apocalyptic scenarios'. I smiled and nodded.
    • Indiana is a beautiful state. I immediately got passes for both the national and state parks which I visit several times a week.
    • People in Indiana are very friendly. When I came unprepared, the clerk at the UPS store was willing to print me a label AND give me free tape. This is unheard of.
    • The political discourse in the US is very fear-based and involves viewing those with differing political beliefs as 'others'. Fiscally or socially conservative individuals support fascism. Fiscally or socially liberal individuals are communists or radical ideologues.
    • Canada has its own political divide which is starting to intensify with the new Conservative party leadership and their rhetoric. However, what is striking to me is the amount of fear and worry both moderate and politically camped US citizen have about the coming election. I would go as far as to describe it as hysteria. Fear for personal safety, family safety, abolishment of rights (property, guns, social liberties).
    • I am surprised at how expensive everything is and I don't understand how someone on a median income affords groceries or self-care items. Prices for things like fast food, soap, and most groceries are 1:1 or 1:1.2 with what I would pay in Canada, except that the Canadian dollar is 0.73:1 with the US dollar. My monthly expenses have increased dramatically.
    • It is cool to get free shipping on online purchases
    • This is an amazing country and it is a privilege to be able to live here. I am fortunate to have a clear path to a green card and I prefer it here overall to Toronto, which I would describe now as a frozen overcast depressing shithole.
     
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  3. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    I can’t disagree with anything you said about Florida :D. Seems like there is a gun range and a Publix every 2 blocks. We also have the longest traffic lights I’ve ever seen. I think this is 50% of the cause of the insane driving. People don’t want to get stuck at a light! They almost never honk their horns either. Probably scared of getting shot (j/k).

    My favorite part is all the good food and breweries so close to me!
     
  4. Kernel Kurtz

    Kernel Kurtz Friend

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    Even the rest of Canada thinks that.
     
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  5. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Can't disagree either. However, I will say depending on where you are in FL, amenities can be super far away like an hour plus (this is true if living in the more rural parts of the state). In my city of 100k people, some amenities are far out due to limited services where I live.

    Keep in mind FL is the #1 state of highest car insurance cost and highest amount of uninsured drivers, not surprised at all.

    Except for some wackiness, FL is not a bad state. However, it is turning into another version of California with crazy overdevelopment (less tress and more overpriced houses) and steep COL increases. The political stuff could be another reason for some, but for the majority of people that isn't the reason to hate the state.
     
  6. Velomane

    Velomane Acquaintance

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    And that's said by a Winnipegger.
     
  7. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    I have been spending for the last few years the best part of my year in West Coast Florida and now my son moved there permanently from
    .
    Yes my cost of living there is going up and up and up, particularly after Ian, but it is worth it.
    But the people, live quality, roads, amount of time I can spend outside it is all fantastic.
    And I am delighted that Trump picked Vance because that means that Florida can keep DeSantis, at least for a while.
     
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  8. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Conversation I had with a friend the other day regarding our Canadian election choices...
    me: this is the worst timeline, it's like the choices are: fkboi, hatemonger, the forgotten French guy, three nazis in a trenchcoat, and I don't even count the last one because there's no way Canada will elect a brown guy
    friend: I voted Green in the last election
    me: wait we still have a green party?
    friend: yeah sort of they couldn't even cover all the ridings
     
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Florida drivers are the worst. I immediately know when there is a Florida driver from a distance based on how they drive, only for this to be confirmed by the license plates. The Florida method to driving is a free for all. It's the ultimate self-centered expression of classical liberalism which is kind of like "I can do whatever the f**k I want as long as I remain (somewhat) with the bounds of rule of law". Heading back home the other day, I saw a truck (FL plates) with literally a 15" platform extending from the driver door, presumably to make it easier for the driver to step into the truck, but being a danger to everyone else on the road. (This would not have passed TX annual inspections). Also, if there is a truck plastered with MAGA, f**k Biden, Beware Adrenochrome, Infowars stickers etc., then it's absolutely from Florida. Everything @YMO says is true.

    In Texas, at most maybe a truck flying a Trump flag, but even those are getting rare, rarer than the Don't Tread on Me or Come and Take It flags. Also in Texas, we generally don't talk politics. It's considered rude to do so with neighbors. There's a understanding that talking politics means no one wins. Corpus is slightly Red. San Antonio is slightly Blue. Both can go either way. So why piss off neighbors, acquaintances, or even friends?

    In California, it's the opposite of Florida when it comes to politics. Anyone even slightly right leaning tends to STFU, nod, and smile. It's to the point where people in California actually think people in Texas are racist ("you moved to a racist state") or say stuff like people in the South are only "nice to your face" (referring to Southern hospitality and manners). This is basically the state of the country right now.

    Life is generally harder (stuff is more expensive) in the USA compared to Canada (I lived in Toronto, but that was way back). However, things have changed in Toronto as a result of massive immigration. Housing is out of control in Toronto today, debatably even worse than Los Angeles. The upside in the USA is more opportunity, more rewards. I had job offers in Toronto way back. I declined because the companies felt like old "illuminati Scotsmen" / white guys who went to third-tier colleges in charge of smarter younger browner people. The downside to the USA is that we work our asses off and basically never take a vacation. It's competitive in the USA, so race, whatever color, in the long run doesn't matter as much compared to other countries. In the multi-nationals that I have worked for, the USA guys always get frustrated that the Canadian guys are taking time off for vacation, extended paternity, or sick during critical migrations (the French just disappear for the summer). The joke is that Americans will still take calls the minute we are about to undergo anesthesia before kidney transplant surgery.

    With respect to speeding, it depends upon the state. The punishment in Texas for speeding is lax. It's not uncommon for there to be small conveys of cars going 95-105mph on the highway during non-busy times. Sure we get pulled over, but most of the time, we get hit for dumb stuff like not having a front plate. And when we do get hit for speeding 15-20 mph over the limit, it's a dismissed case (for first time offenders in that city) with merely a $175-$250 fine. Florida is somewhere in the middle but on the tougher side. Georgia can be tougher than Florida. I bet Toronto is probably like California (one of the toughest) with hefty fines. They give out drivers' licenses in the USA as a long as you can kind of read road signs. We don't have working public transportation in most cities outside of the upper East Coast, so it's imperative that everyone has a right to drive. Driving isn't a privilege. It's a goddamn right.
     
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    Last edited: Jul 15, 2024
  10. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    Chuckled when I saw this tweet right after reading the Florida content above. From a woman who lives in Ft. Lauderdale and has been world-traveling on a private yacht for a couple of weeks

    [​IMG]
     
  11. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    That's libertarianism (of both the left or right, difference being emphasis of this or that issue) in modern form, not classical liberalism. Locke made a big deal about the difference between liberty and license, as did early American thinkers ("Founding Fathers") and even most politicians up until the middle of the last century. Scruton and others tried to remind everyone of this, to no avail.


    Damn straight :D

    edit: "Share the Road" is amusing - 99.99% of libertarian drivers in 3 ton machines vs. .01% of libertarian riders on wispy carbon fiber...like it's even a contest.
     
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    Last edited: Jul 16, 2024
  12. Bowmoreman

    Bowmoreman Almost "Made"

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    Well, having driven extensively cross country dozens of times; and lived for years in MIchigan, Arizona, Colorado, California, Texas, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire:

    1. Worst drivers by far - Connecticut, though FL is also terrible
    2. Worst Roads - near tie: Connecticut and Massachusetts
    3. Best roads by far - New Hampshire (it’s weird, but instantly noticeable within 5 feet of crossing the MA border)
    4. Best *skilled* drivers - Massachusetts (it’s that or be dead on the semi-paved, cratered cow paths dating from 1700’s)
    5. Most insane police for speeding: Virginia (anyone ever try to drive lengthwise up/down I81 will more than agree)
    6. Fastest to fix/pave roads and bridges - tie: CO and NH
    7. Slowest to fix/pave roads and bridges - MA (not even close; still have STATE highways that are restricted to one lane because can’t prioritize fixing a bridge for 12+ years now for one near where I used to live
    8. Most easily/able to seriously violate speed limits with no repercussions: TX (antithesis of VA)

    My experiences
     
  13. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    When I first drove in MT the speed limit was 'Safe and Reasonable'. Not sure how that was enforced though, because the drivers mostly weren't.
     
  14. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Just going to say - driving in the different parts of FL I've driven in - even with LA, NYC, NJ, or other "bad" traffic in the US, it more or less still feels like you're driving in America. Driving in most of FL that I've been to feels like you're driving in another country.

    A few years ago some friends and I were going around various parts of (mostly southern) FL for a wedding. Let's just say some of us in the group have either "traveled to and spent enough time in" or are originally from what enough people would consider "barely graduated from third to second world status" countries / places. There was unanimous agreement amongst our sub-group that driving in FL was stressful non-sense until we realized that "wait, this place is like driving in the third world but with better roads". We proceeded to put on our third world country driving hats and driving became completely stress-free, easy, and normal again. Legitimately took me a few minutes to mentally adapt to "normal traffic" once I was no longer in FL.

    This anecdote may sounds like a semi-insulting politically incorrect joke - but this was dead serious what all of us said and concluded with each other. Also, won't lie, this would drive me crazy if it were the norm, but it was pretty fun to drive like this for a few days.
     
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    Last edited: Jul 16, 2024
  15. dsavitsk

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  16. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    You guys don’t know shit about FL. South FL is bad but other parts of the state is not bad. But @penguins is scared to come back to FL because he knows I’ll find him.

    Driving 110 mile round trip from my house to the office within an hour is not bad since everything is on I95.
     
  17. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    I don't think I'd go that far!
     
  18. roshambo123

    roshambo123 Friend

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    Unlike here in LA where Culver City bought a gun store and shut it down because the idea of a pewpew mart within walking distance of a school upset them.

    It would be a nice changeup from only doing it on the internet?
     
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  19. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Don't tell my parents, but 17-year old me borrowed the rental jelly bean Ford Taurus while we were visiting family in MT during the "reasonable and prudent" times and I had it bouncing off the governor at 124mph. I learned a valuable lesson that day: 124mph in a Ford Taurus is exactly as exciting as it sounds (both literally and figuratively).
     
  20. Tchoupitoulas

    Tchoupitoulas Friend

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    I don't know, having driven a shitbox Taurus once myself, back in the 90s, this sounds like it could be thrilling, what with the steering balance being all skewed, every piece of plastic vibrating like it's about to snap off, and the rattles and screams from the engine making it seem like an explosion's imminent.

    [​IMG]

    Back in the 90s, my buddy's first car was one of these immortal examples of superlative Italian design and engineering (a Fiat, of course, that close relative to Ferrari). He managed to get it to 100 mph, downhill and with the wind behind, and for a few seconds we thought it'd disintegrate like it was on re-entry from outer space.

    (not a pic of his actual car; his didn't have the tasteful seats)
     
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