🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Just an observation from afar: I was trying to recall the election night percentages in the state of Texas...and I cannot recall exactly--> hoping someone can help: Are these UTx protestors speaking for the majority of Texans? Dont recall which candidate won that state--so are these protests with the majority grain, or are they counter-grain?

Maybe any of our jayhawk bucketeers who live or lived in TX can shed light on this national news?

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@ralster

They could represent the majority, since there are 26.96 million documented citizens of Texas and only 8,874,735 voted for one of the four top candidates, and only 4,681,590 for Trump. Who can say? We can speculate. They have a First Amendment right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances, as well as their right to freedom of speech. I think the majority of them have been peaceably assembling, so I wouldn't want to deny them their Constitutional rights.

Meanwhile, Trump has been hastily backing away from his more incendiary campaign trail rhetoric and fingering good old boy Washington insiders for his cabinet, so if these protesters just sit tight, soon they might get a brand of exclusionary Washington politics they're more used to.

If that happens a majority will probably feel they didn't get what they wanted.

Thanks to you both for the info, hadnt seen the breakdowns yet. I was born about 5hrs west of Amarillo, but moved to KS when I was 3, so I certainly dont have any 'feel' for the vibe in TX or the Southwest...

The sad thing about this election, is that no matter who won, the other side would have had protester factions, it seems. Polarized nation.

@ralster

Austin, Texas is the most liberal ciy in that state in the same way that Lawrence is in Kansas, I understand that KU provided therapy/comfort dogs to distraught students. ↗. I don't believe Austin is representative of Texas any more than Lawrence is of Kansas.

@ralster Not all of Austin is liberal, once you get away from the downtown/UT area into the suburbs, Austin gets red really quickly like most other suburban areas in the south.

I think the real truth is that Trump only won a state as deep red as Texas by 10 points shows that many people, even those that would normally support the Republican candidate, do not/ did not support the President-elect. Mitt Romney won Texas by 16 points. McCain won by 12.

This is a difficult thing for many people, as the President-elect campaigned on a certain brand of fear, anger and disrespect. Maybe he will change that tone now that the election is over and he is faced with the task of governing a large, diverse country and having to work to build coalitions not only with those on the other side, but also within the Republican party.

This is unlike anything that Mr. Trump has ever had to do. He has always been able to force his will because he owned the company. Now he must truly work with people rather than simply give orders because Congress can tell him no. He cannot simply walk away from a project or obligation. He must carry through, even if his initial decision was in error.

For our nation's sake, I hope that he abandons and condemns hate, and leads with dignity and respect.

@justanotherfan

You are not considering the huge number of illegal...and no, they are not "undocumented" they are illegal...Hispanic voters that have come to Texas in the last 8 years and voted for Hillary, obviously encouraged by President Obama that told them they could, a statement that left every law abiding citizen speechless.

@JayHawkFanToo If not for executive privilege, that would be considered as encouraging voter fraud ..?! Like our ole' bud @wissoxfan83 says, we're qualified with a tongue in cheek "FU". :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

@globaljaybird

In a perfect world he should have gotten a visit from the Attorney General indicating that he s is breaking the law...yeah, right. The Bar Association would normally get involved but both, he and his wife, surrender their law licenses a while back.

@ralster Not even an educated guess here, but just a hunch that a substantial % of the unhappy "voters" are simply riled because they may have real fear of losing govt subsidies with a republican controlled congress & Presidency both. JMO

@globaljaybird

Yep. Many millennials will have to stop playing video games in their parent's basements and get real jobs.

@JayHawkFanToo There have been countless rumors for a half dozen or so years why they surrendered their licenses - like legal problems from previous court proceedings, falsifying docs, blah, blah, but never any evidence why, other than they did not want any problems while in Washington & had no further plans to practice law, & no potential conflicts of interest going forward. Good pre-emptive strategy considering the untimely comments he's contributed in ongoing legal matters, which in my memory I don't ever recall a sitting president doing so on local levels of prosecution unless it involved mass murderers or military or political repercussions. The timeliness involving hisTrevon Martin & Michael Brown quips,were extremely unethical with reference to a potential defendants receiving a fair & just trial. And that's not to mention any of the social impacts of the comments with rioters & protesters in the streets doing what they seem to do best. I'm still shaking my head at so many of his mistakes & thinking Hillary reallydidn't lose this thing all by herself. Bill & BO had their hands in this also.. Now those 2 both have some baggage likeDT. In fact his nasty ass campaign just beat the Clinton's at their own damn game IMO...

@JayHawkFanToo my boys aren't in my basement and I can't think of one of their friends that don't work. In fact they are quite impressive!

There are quite a few young men on this site that are rather impressive too!

@JayHawkFanToo Don't let the real facts bother you! Check out Snopes and you will find out your snippet has been truncated to mislead those of you who want to believe this stuff:

http://www.snopes.com/obama-encouraged-illegal-aliens-to-vote/ ↗

Read the transcript. The question, poorly phrased, expressed the fears of several groups about whether someone who could vote might endanger undocumenteds in their families, friends, etc, by drawing attention to them. The part left out of your video included Obama's specific statement that non-citizens could not vote. Your outrage on this is misdirected.

@Crimsonorblue22 I'm tired of the millennials getting crapped on as a generation. Theyre an easy target, just like saying the baby boomers screwed it up for everyone!

@Crimsonorblue22 Sorry for the salty lingo-just a small mind trying to express itself. I swear, :speak_no_evil: some days this thing on my shoulders is nothin but a hat rack & a visor.

@globaljaybird I don't think you said that.

@mayjay

No, this are the real facts. From the Snopes transcript you cited:

RODRIGUEZ: Many of the millennials, Dreamers, undocumented citizens -- and I call them citizens because they contribute to this country-- are fearful of voting. So if I vote, will immigration know where I live? Will they come for my family and deport us?

You can easily read that she is referring to Illegal aliens which this administration had decided to call them undocumented citizens. I am sorry but this is BS. A person that has entered this country illegally or is staying illegally is not and undocumented citizen, he or she is an illegal alien. Even a person that has entered this country legally, is here legally and has a green card is not allowed to vote, that privilege is reserved for American Citizens. It does not make a difference if they are here legally and "contribute to this country", if they are not "citizens" they cannot vote, period. If they want to vote they need to become American citizens or else not vote. This is the law of the land and as far as I know we are still a country of laws.

There are now reports that as many a 3 million illegal aliens voted in this election making a mockery of our laws. Apparently the Government thinks that you need to show ID if you need to drive, cash a check, write a check, get food stamps, collect welfare, buy liquor or even cigarettes but you do not need one to do the most important thing we do a citizens, vote and elect public officials. What is wrong with this picture?

I am sorry about the rant but this is an issue that hits close to home and I have little tolerance for people that want to jump in front of the line and get rights they are not entitled to or have not earned. My last word on the subject and now back to KU basketball.

@JayHawkFanToo

Gina Rodriguez is a citizen. When Obama answered her question, he said the following:

Not true. And the reason is, first of all, when you vote, you are a citizen yourself. And there is not a situation where the voting rolls somehow are transferred over and people start investigating, et cetera. The sanctity of the vote is strictly confidential in terms of who you voted for. If you have a family member who maybe is undocumented, then you have an even greater reason to vote.

He is specifically in this answer addressing Gina Rodriguez. He says "You" when he refers to voting. At the end he follows up by saying:

"But they're counting on you to make sure that you have the courage to make your voice heard."

That refers specifically to the undocumented individuals counting on legal citizens to vote. Nowhere in President Obama's statement does he encourage illegals to vote. This is the type of misinformation that is dangerous and misleading. Too many groups on both sides have circulated misinformation and it makes it nearly impossible to cut through the insanity.

President Obama never encouraged illegal aliens to vote. He encouraged citizens to vote to represent their community.

Furthermore, there is no proof that any illegal aliens voted in this election. Kansas' own Kris Kobach passed voter ID laws and got prosecutorial power to ferret out this sort of thing. Do you know how many illegal aliens Mr. Kobach has located and prosecuted - ZERO. Don't you think that if Mr. Kobach had found illegal aliens voting, he would have splashed that across every headline from Goodland to Pittsburg?

This misinformation has to stop. Democracy depends on an informed electorate. Right now we have a misinformed electorate. That must stop.

@mayjay You appear to be addressing the wrong poster ??

@justanotherfan Thank you! I was hoping, obviously incorrectly, that we would find someone open-minded to realizing a clear misunderstanding and might just say, like Emily Litella, "Never mind!" (Footnote)

*Needed (foot)note of levity (from Wikipedia):

Emily Litella is an elderly woman with a hearing problem who appeared 26 times on SNL's Weekend Update op-ed segment in the late 1970s. Attired in a frumpy dress, sweater and Lisa Loopner glasses, Litella was introduced with professional dignity by the news anchors, who could sometimes be seen cringing slightly in anticipation of the malapropisms they knew would follow.

Gilda Radner (as Litella) would peer through her reading glasses and, in the character's trademark high-pitched, warbly voice, would read a prepared statement in opposition to an editorial that the TV station had supposedly broadcast. These sketches were, in part, a parody of the Fairness Doctrine, which at the time required broadcasters in the United States to present opposing viewpoints on public issues. Litella would become increasingly agitated as her statement progressed. Midway in her commentary, it would became apparent that she had misheard and/or misunderstood the subject of the editorial to which she was responding. A typical example:

What is all this fuss I hear about the Supreme Court decision on a "deaf" penalty? It's terrible! Deaf people have enough problems as it is!

The news anchor would interrupt Litella to point out her error, along the lines, "That's death penalty, Ms. Litella, not deaf ... death." Litella would wrinkle her nose, say, "Oh, that's very different...." then meekly turn to the camera and say, "Never mind." 

Other misheard topics to which Litella responded included "saving Soviet jewelry" [Jewry], "endangered feces" [species], "sax and violins on television" [sex and violence], "presidential erections" [elections], "conserving natural racehorses" [natural resources], "firing the handicapped" [hiring], and "making Puerto Rico a steak" [state]. About the last of these topics, she complained, "Next thing you know, they'll want a baked potato with sour cream!"

@mayjay loved Gilda! Loved SNL back then.

@globaljaybird You are correct! I misread your post to crimson. Intended for @JayHawkFanToo! Deleted my post to you. Not appropos anymore. Sorry!

@Texas-Hawk-10 but those suburbs are getting bluer as the millenials move in and the old ones die off.

http://conservativetribune.com/disturbing-detail-anti-trump-signs/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=WesternJournalism&utm_content=2016-11-15&utm_campaign=manualpost ↗ ↗

@justanotherfan He wont change. He is incapable of it. He's proven that to me already.

I hate posting on this stuff. I really do. But, this is by far the worst direction this country could have taken. Its truly a sad and dark time.

That being said, I give him one year, maybe two at most, at the most, until he gets booted from the White House.

@approxinfinity I agree, we shouldnt point fingers here. We are ALL a part of this embarrassment.

But I really feel like it is up to Gen X ( my generation ) and younger to turn this around.

Hey, Folks, don't we experience enough sports divisiveness on this site to keep everyone on edge and sometimes orgasmic? I had hoped we could stay away from this political bull hockey.

@Crimsonorblue22 I think i'm rather impressive. I'm a millennial getting my master's while working for one of the largest healthcare IT companies in the world and have another work from home job just for tattoo, travel, video game and KU game money lol. Work hard, play harder!

@HawkInMizery Quite impressive! But with 2 jobs, can't you get out of Mizery? Call 911 and say you were abducted?
:scream:

@mayjay HAHAHA! Well I would move out of Mizery if most of the cities right on the other side of the state line didn't have pit bull bans.

@HawkInMizery I assume they are for protection since we know the Zombie (read: Meth) Apocalypse will begin nearby? Good luck!

Incidentally, I have read your signature saying over a thousand times and still laugh every time. Thanks for that. Once in a while I try it on my wife--still works! Well, in that it makes her chuckle, too...

@HawkInMizery I think so too!

@mayjay My wife wanted to go someplace different to eat the other night, so I took her to the kitchen.

@brooksmd and since she works I'm assuming you are cooking for her!

@mayjay HAHA they'd make awful protection dogs. My biggest one is 80 pounds and she'd lick you to death before she'd bite you. Everyone that walks in the house she tries to make her new best friend. Glad you get a kick out of my signature! Still makes me smile too

@Crimsonorblue22 thank you!!!

@HawkInMizery I have a pit too and she is exactly the same. Sweetest thing ever.

@approxinfinity @Crimsonorblue22 Thanks for sticking up for us Millennials. We get a bad rap for what I feel like is no reason a lot of the time. Older generations see laziness, but I am lost as to what they are talking about. Our generation has had to work a lot harder to get a job than any other generation. You can't even earn a decent living anymore without doing extremely skilled labor or getting an education. An education that puts the average student $30k in debt to start out in the "real world" and that is just at a state school. And in order to only be in debt that much many of us have to have a job that pays our rent, utilities and food WHILE going to school. I worked nearly 35 hours most of my college career just to be able to afford my living expenses and have some walking around money.

If you look at the cost of school compared to the inflation of salaries, Tuition has risen 200% since 1990-1991 to today and salaries have only risen 63%.

If you do just since 1980, than tuition has gone up 521% and salaries have increased by 175%.

And then they wonder why there are a record number of people signed up for social programs... Imagine being a college dropout. 3 years into school you realize it's not for you or you have a kid or something in your life happens and you just can't finish. And all of a sudden you have $25k in loans. An insurmountable debt for someone without a degree.

And then you have to think about how many private school kids that happens to. Or how many kids go out of state and they have over $100k in debt. Or medical school students who's whole life has been dedicated to becoming a doctor and they have $200k+.

In today's world where getting a college education is so important AND so expensive, any mistake someone makes can literally cause them a lifetime of problems. It wasn't the same just 25 years ago. So yes, when you raise the qualifications to earn a decent living and add a very large expense at the same time, welfare and social programs will increase. I can only hope my generation is the first to quit being the ones to "pass the buck" on the debt and can lower the cost barrier to be able to enjoy a good life.

@Kcmatt7 I'm with you man.

@Kcmatt7 Finally came back to this thread and going thru the posts certainly gives a nice reflection on the diversity of opinion we have in the country...right here amongst Jayhawk nation. @Kcmatt7 I wanted to thank you for breaking down exactly why the educational debt issue may have drove many, many millenials to Bernie's message. Unfortunately, my understanding of that issue from a personal perspective was limited due to my graduating mostly prior to that "25yrs ago" timeframe you mentioned. I grad H.S. in 1984 at age 17, college in '88, and KU grad/prof school in 1995. Going thru on loans and scholarships is what we did, it was expected (back then). My son is looking to play small college tennis in central KS, and is a 3.8gpa in h.school, thus is getting athletic+academic offers--> which if he wasnt, would be very scary figures ($27k/yr tuition&dorm). So THANK you to @Kcmatt7 for showing us those stats. Its a real problem. I remember Hilary commenting on Bernie's campaign that what he was promising "just isnt possible to promise so much free." and "he's promising them (millenials) something that will be almost impossible to deliver". These are almost verbatim quotes.

So I agree it is a terrible conundrum. A major issue. But I'm not sure the solution. Almost every aspect of life is privatized or run as a business, even most public universities. To totally "reform" (dismantle) any 1 system, like education or healthcare, one would be shutting down an entire industry, which would have repercussions throughout the economy. As a general idea, my thought is, since the American economy is a unique engine, any tuning and solution must come from within its own foundations, in order to mesh properly. What I mean is, that other experiments from Europe or the EastBloc may not be applicable to American society because of American systems, diverse society, and always the business principle of someone trying to out-do or outcompete someone else's product or service. Competition is at the core of how many models operate. We get that as sports fans, or as anyone in the biz sector would get. But can that apply in the educational and healthcare sectors? So far, the attempts at it have not flourished.

A lot to consider for sure. Again, thanks to ALL for contributing on this subject! All perspectives valued!

@ralster I'm not even complaining about it as much as just trying to defend millennials.

But thank you for your kind words.

It really is a huge problem. A good start would be a reduction in interest on student loans. They are roughly 5-6%, even from the feds. What other investment would you expect to pay 5% interest on? I am a 2016 grad and could get a car loan for 1-2% right now. Maybe even 0% if I bought at the right time. With that, I'd like to see a longer grace period than 6 months, and for loans to gather no interest while in school or during the grace period. Shit happens. Clunkers kids had from high school break down. Some people have kids. Some people get married. Some people can't find a job right when they graduate. Giving everyone a solid 18 month grace period with no added interest would allow them to put real money in the bank before they started paying. Another helpful change would be for students to have their debt forgiven if they didn't finish school. While that sounds crazy, again, shit happens. I work at a Med School. And I see students drop out after 3 years of Med school who definitely took out undergrad loans as well. They are literally $175k in debt with nothing but a biology degree. They have nowhere to go. Except maybe back to school to push off the inevitable debt that they will never be able to pay back. And finally, in order to make up for the lack of funds, I would just not give out any need based grants anymore. Just hold on to that money or loan it out and collect interest on it. These changes would make it more affordable to the masses and give EVERYONE a chance a college.

But I am just a simpleton from a small town in Kansas. I could be very very wrong. I'd have to look at the financials much much closer in order to really do the math on this. I am just bringing up things that seem to be flaws in the current education system, and that would be reasonable changes.

@Kcmatt7 Very interesting. I like the idea of an extended grace period.

I see several problems that need to be addressed, these being the high levels of debt, the high interest rate, the low rate of pay (and lack of jobs) available to new grads while facing high loan payments, and the high default rate. A bigger problem over time has been the ridiculously high rate of inflation of college costs.

Addressing some of these in no particular order, I have a couple of ideas of the wild-hair variety:

-- reducing the next year's payments by 5% if all payments in a year are made on time.

--federal tax deduction of the interest paid, even if the payer does not otherwise deduct.

--set up a program by which half of a student's loan interest paid every year is credited to a health savings account, or maybe an education savings account for their future kids, or perhaps a restricted savings account that they receive only when the loan is paid..

--prohibit any school receiving grants or federal money from increasing any educational costs (tuition, fees, housing, even freaking parking tickets) more than 3% or the rate of inflation, whichever is higher.

--require any school paying more than one fired football coach to provide to graduating students funds for their loan payments totalling an amount equal to 5 times the combined salaries.

That last one is just a fantasy....

@mayjay I like it!

@mayjay Absolutely fantastic ideas!!

I couldn't disagree with a single one of those points. There needs to be an incentive to pay the loans. Small reform over time will lead to big results...

That is the big problem with Obamacare and Bernie's education ideas. You can't just snap and implement a complete overhaul on such a large scale without having major negative effects. A 20 year plan where making education affordable is the goal is something I would hope everyone would support.

Start by extending the grace period. Then add incentives to make payments. The less defaults on loans the more revenue is generated without a negative effect. As revenue increases, the money can be allocated back to universities and tuition can stay at a constant level and as salary inflation continues, education can once again be affordable.

Seriously love your ideas.

@Kcmatt7 Thanks! One goal hidden in some of those ideas is to give parents or others a sense of providing real long-term help and some stability by making a payment or two if needed. Anything to avoid a default, because that is what the banks use to justify the high rates. And when you miss one payment, gosh, it just seems so easy to miss another one.

I was lucky. No undergrad loans because my parents saw it as a given to pay for college through a PhD or equivalent at KU. I borrowed Federally Guaranteed Student Loans to pay the difference for law school out of state. Payments were deferred automatically for 9 months after graduation, then deferred for my 3 years of Army service, then finally began coming due some 10 months after my discharge, so I started paying back my loans some 4 and 1/2 years into my career. Interest was deferred, too, and I think some of the current programs don't have that feature during grace periods.

@mayjay Federal loans collect interest during school and the grace period... My mom was nice enough to make 1 or 2 payments while I was in school on the interest, but other than that it will be all me.

I was also fortunate enough to only have two 8 am classes my last semester and so I started my Full-Time job in December. My employer was nice enough to let me start that early and was willing work around my school schedule. So I was lucky enough to be able to have money in the bank and even start making payments early.

I do like the hidden gem as well! I mean really really good ideas. The current incentive for parents, unfortunately, is the fact that they are cosigners on all the loans. My Uncle that married into my family is paying student loans for his son from a previous marriage. They are $800 a month and the principle is barely moving. His son got an art degree at the Art Institute in Chicago, but has been a total burn out since. So he just quit paying on his loans and because my Uncle cosigned, he has to make the payments so that his credit score doesn't get destroyed. Parents are definitely not immune to the current system either.

Also, thank you for your service!

@Kcmatt7 So many things were in my generation's favor but we didn't have some basic modern necessities: smart phones, dvr's, microwaves (most of us), Super Glue, remote car openers, massage shower heads, mulching lawn mowers.....

Plus, you will live long enough to see someone go to Mars. We had the moon for 3 years! Sigh--44 years has gone by in a flash.

@mayjay great ideas!