Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Republicans Don’t Give a Damn About Americans
REPORT: The House could vote as soon as Tuesday night on a $40 billion package of military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Trump wanted $4 billion for his Wall and the GOP couldn’t come up with it. The GOP has had massive power time and time again over the last 40 years and hasn’t secured our border. But they can get behind giving 10 times that amount to a country it isn’t in our interest to worry about.
Why don’t conservatives move as swiftly to stop the endless fentanyl killing Americans? The child molesters destroying our children? How about the murderers and gang members infesting our streets and terrorizing our communities? The GOP will win and they’ll do nothing to stop any of it but fundraise and beg for the White House. A curse on both parties. They’re all trash.
Ben Sasse has spoken up more for Ukraine in the last 24 days than he did for Americans getting forcibly locked down, choked out, and experimented on for 24 months. And he's hardly alone among Republicans. I had almost forgotten he was actually a U.S. Senator.
— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) May 10, 2022
.
Published in General
There is nothing intelligent about having so many got-a-ways. Force it into other areas and let the church’s handled it.
I’m sure you’re right as it devastates lives and families and has ripple effects. I just don’t see how our incompetent and bloated government is able to do anything about it. There are plenty of good reasons to secure the border, and you can add the interruption of drugs to that list, but this administration isn’t going to do it (and as I’ve said before, I think the cartels will just find new ways). I think churches can help, but I doubt the government can.
This administration wasn’t going to secure our borders long before Ukraine was just a glint in Putin’s eye. The two aren’t related. We are not ignoring the border because – your choice of word – of Ukraine, we’re ignoring the border because the country is not unified on the subject, and Biden is obviously against securing our borders. Ukraine has nothing to do with it.
The border was plenty secure under Trump. Fentanyl was not compounding law enforcement and other public services problems like it is now. It wasn’t causing massive heartache in families like it is now. The hard drug problem on society–which I fully understand some people don’t give a damn about, I get it, fooling with hard drugs is something that you can logically not care about except as a collective issue — was not as big a deal.
What you are saying about churches is nonsense. They aren’t going to proactively improve this like government policy would. People act like you can get free therapy in church basements. This is complete BS outside of alcoholics anonymous, which obviously isn’t psychotherapy or anything else except what it is.
No, pretty sure the citizen class is unified. Congress doesn’t give a rat’s ass about issues that are important to the citizen class. Hence this thread.
The Democrats control the White House, the US Senate and the US House. Hence, border security is being neglected.
The Republicans did jack/squat when they had all three. Stop telling me how the Republicans care about such things. They don’t.
I thought we were discussing the border as it is, and the claim that helping Ukraine is keeping us from doing anything about it. Drew claims that we aren’t doing anything about the border because the ruling class care more about Ukraine. I don’t agree, and don’t think the two are related. I’m all for securing the border, for a list of reasons, but it’s not going to happen with this president, and it has nothing to do with helping Ukraine.
As for my statement that churches could help: I was not referring to specific church-run programs, but rather was indicating that at least some of the demand problem was a spiritual problem. Spiritual guidance is free at churches – just show up on Sunday and listen.
Correct. Some Republican politicians, but not all of them, want to secure the border. The result is that the border does not get secured even when Republicans are in the majority.
There is widespread, bipartisan support for helping Ukraine defeat Putin’s invasion. Hence the lopsided vote in Congress last night.
The fact that there are majorities of the “citizen class”, as you call them, who support helping Ukraine (Right and Left) suggests that the politicians are indeed reacting to what the citizens think is important. I’m not claiming it’s the most important issue, but it enjoys the support of most Americans.
As far as I’m concerned, you have been saying that harder border enforcement and reversing the laxity of the Biden administration on border policy isn’t going to change the increased complications from the illicit import of fentanyl. You are saying this because we both agree that people like hard drugs. I am saying that fentanyl creates increased complications that drains resources extra and creates all kinds of heartache. I don’t agree with your position at all and it’s obvious that I’m right.
I get it. This country was set up for people that fear God. etc. Wishing for that is simply not going to act as fast as better policy at the border.
We are printing it and paying for it. By this logic we should print infinite money and hand it out all over the world to solve their problems. You’re clueless.
I call them that to point out the divide with the political class.
This is the big divide in this country, not the old “right vs. left” or “Republican vs. Democrat.” It’s Citizen Class vs. Political Class.
And only one is going to win.
I want it to be us.
Actually, a small chunk of it will:
See. Some of the money will go to helping people cope with food shortages, just not Americans.
I don’t think we are actually disagreeing about much, and maybe not about anything. I just don’t see the current border policies changing under this administration. Biden’s lax policies were in place before Ukraine came into the spotlight. I think there’s a good-sized list of why securing the border would be a good idea, and I did say that I thought interrupting the drug trade would be one of them. I’m just not optimistic that the cartels wouldn’t find other avenues. Regardless, it’s just all hypothetical because we’re not going to get the border policies you and I would like, and it has nothing to do with Ukraine.
Ukraine has nothing to do with America. We get nothing out of it but more debt, inflation, and poverty.
You said that government border policies can’t change the consumption of hard drugs. This is patent BS and fentanyl has way more complications for society and law enforcement. These are just facts.
Fox just reported that drug overdoses set a record last year and it was a 15% increase over the prior year. Even if you don’t care on a personal level, and I completely understand that, this drains resources from society.
Fentanyl and Biden are a terrible combination no matter how you want to look at it. You remove either one and it’s less of an issue. Act accordingly.
One thing I’ll never understand is how people who claim they can’t afford to buy food etc, somehow manage to buy fentanyl etc at black-market prices.
Take an opioid and then get back to me.
I think there’s much in what you say here. I think the “citizen class” and “ruling class” divide is a real one. However, I live in a small Minnesota town in a rural county, and I can tell you that many of my neighbors – members of the “citizen class” like me – are very liberal in their thinking on various policies, including immigration. It’s not just the ruling class that don’t want to secure the border, it’s people like my nice neighbors who had Biden signs in their yards. They listen to the mainstream media and believe that Trump was wicked and cruel at the border, so they think his policies should be reversed. It’s not as cut and dried, at least in regards to immigration, as you might think.
Well, we can’t do either. We’re stuck with Biden, and as long as Biden and his party are in charge, there won’t be much control of the border and the fentanyl flowing through it.
I don’t see why you have to get so hot under the collar. I don’t think it’s “BS” to suggest that government border policies aren’t at the root of the demand for drugs: if the demand is there, and there’s money to be made on other people’s misery, the cartels will figure out how to meet that demand. If securing the border could help, that would be great, but the fact is that simply isn’t going to happen with this administration. They don’t want to secure the border. Haven’t they made that clear?!
I completely disagree with what you have said. Close the border in a way that anybody with common sense understands and it will lower the complications from fentanyl. You were saying that isn’t true.
You said generally not specifically about Biden policies. This doesn’t make any sense.
Drug users in the US are funding Mexican cartels. Drugs imported by cartels include Fentanyl, Marijuana, Cocaine, Heroin, and Meth. Sex trafficking is another revenue producer for cartels. Drug users are also funding Chinese labs that ship Fentanyl into Mexico.
I have no problem with a decision to use drones to monitor cartel transportation that approaches the border. Once the bus, or Chevy Suburban is empty of migrants a Hellfire missile strike would ruin someone’s day.
American retirees and Spring Breakers in Mexico should understand that they are hostages to the cartels. They limit the response of the US government against the war on our own border.
I agree with this 100%.
90% of the people coming in between ports of entry are lying about asylum. We have every reason to be more draconian about this stuff.
We should have helped hard drug users kill themselves 40 years ago. That would have done the most net good for the whole planet.
Fentanyl has way more complications from the word go than the other hard drugs.
And the Ukraine war can be called at root a border fight between countries for territory and populations. We don’t like Ukraine’s border to be violated, but we have no problem with our own border being violated. Either borders count for everyone, or else they are just an excuse and really don’t count for anything. Do they?
You mean the only way to understand being an addict is to become an addict? No thanks.
I guess I’m like whoever it was that said, something like, even if someone dropped a truckload of them at my door, I’m not interested.
And I did get some pretty strong stuff right before I had gall bladder surgery, including fentanyl I was told. But it didn’t make me crave more.
My point was about cost, though. It’s the same problem with alcohol, really. People supposedly get depressed because they lose their job, can’t afford food, whatever, and yet they can somehow afford to sit in bars and get drunk all day/all night. Even 40 years ago when I helped a local country/rock band with their gear, playing in bars, getting drunk wasn’t that cheap. I’ve yet to hear a credible explanation of how someone who can’t afford food, maybe somehow can’t even afford to look for a job (I have heard that one), can somehow afford to sit in bars, drinking. And/or smoking.