Donald Trump

[Hobbit]

Thanks Tom for that summing up.  Very scary to think that it's all dictated by money and power.  I always thought you needed a lot of money to run for politics in the US but didn't realise it had such an impact. Doesn't sound much like a democracy to a lay person.

[a non-amos]

Tom44, I am not sure that others know about gerrymandering.

The people in power can redraw the district boundaries to their advantage.  If, for example, a political party has a 60% lead in the state, they can redraw the districts so they have (more or less) a 60% lead in each voting district.  Nobody in the opposition party is elected, so they are effectively silenced and a large part of the population has been (in effect) disenfranchised.

This is an extreme example; all they really have to do is ensure their party has a majority.

This is illegal, but it is common practice.

Politics is a dirty business.  I think I will go down to my basement and make more toys for needy children.

- A

[Tom44]

You can't quite gerrymander the opposition out of existence, but what you can do is draw illogical boundaries on voting districts that ensure your side has more safe seats than the other side.  E.g., imagine a county that is square, with equal numbers of liberal and conservatives, and 4 or 5 voting districts, but the liberals tend to be concentrated along an industrial valley that sort of goes in a semicircle in the top half.  Those in control of districts then manage to make that valley one voting district even though it means everything else gets geographically distorted.  So the conservatives now expect to win 3-1 or 4-1 when a more logical set of voting lines would have produced a 2/3 or 3/2 split most elections.

This is a pet peeve for me.  You need an independent commission to oversee such shenanigans and laws to ensure outrageous acts of gerrymandering are illegal.  Don't hold your breath.

[TRex]

Tom44, very good succinct and fair description.

For those who want to see 'gerrymandering', check out the Wikipedia page on U.S. congressional districts. Scroll down the page and you'll see some very reasonable divisions (e.g. Indiana and Iowa) and some really outrageous (e.g. North Carolina). An especially egregious example is North Carolina's 12th district.

[a non-amos]

I stick to my previous decision.

Politics is a nasty, dirty process and for the time being I choose to go down to my basement and make toys for the needy.

This issue might need more time in a few months, but for now priorities are what they are.  Christmas is more important than any potential candidate.

[pat]

A, you've mentioned that you make toys for the needy several times now, even promising Birdy some photographs. I'm sure we'd all like to see the fruit of your labours - do you have any pics?

[rogue_mother]

I'm sure we'd all like to see the fruit of your labours - do you have any pics?

Perhaps A will have some photos of his work when he is done, but in the meantime, here are a couple of pictures from an earlier year. The toys he is making may look something like these.

[pat]

Thanks, R_M.

[a non-amos]

I hope these files are small enough to get through.

The first is a group photo.  The second is an individual, showing more of the contours on the propellers.  The third shows the underside, with some rather tight joints.

Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

[a non-amos]

I must admit, my previous post was not in the general spirit of this topic.

I am posting a similar reply to the "toys" thread, with a few more details.

- A

[birdy]

I saw an article on gerrymandering from the Washington Post the other day that may show its effects here in the U.S.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/13/this-is-actually-what-america-would-look-like-without-gerrymandering

[pat]

Let's hope that the endorsement from Sarah Palin gives Trump's campaign the kiss of death that it needs.

[birdy]

Let's hope that the endorsement from Sarah Palin gives Trump's campaign the kiss of death that it needs.

 

At the very least, it gave comedians a lot of new material.