I Called In Sick Today

[brvheart 1,752]

On 10/5/2020 at 7:00 PM, Napa_Don said:

since people definitely won’t be able to vote after Election Day. 

Not with that attitude!

[SuitedAces21 2,722]

with the polls saying what they're saying and a democrat sweep being priced in, what are our thoughts on ending the filibuster to pack the supreme court, add two states, pass the green new deal, etc?

 

[Napa_Don 688]

28 minutes ago, SuitedAces21 said:

with the polls saying what they're saying and a democrat sweep being priced in, what are our thoughts on ending the filibuster to pack the supreme court, add two states, pass the green new deal, etc?

 

I think we should let DC and all the other US territories (PR, VI, etc) vote on if they want to become states and if they so wish I don’t see why not to let them become states. DC would obviously mean two new D senators, PR I could see being anywhere from 2-R to 2-D senators. They seem more to be less concrete in their politics although maybe that changes when they’re an actual state. The other territories I have no idea what their politics are but I think they should be able to become states if they want. 
 

I’m fine with ending the filibuster and packing the court. McConnell has gone away with norms and rules when it suits him anyways.  Why not have the dems take it to its logical conclusion until it gets so bad they are forced to codify some amount of rules as laws that aren’t as easily overturned. Or we throw away the constitution and start over. Who knows. 
 

ultimately, I don’t think they’ll get anything super progressive over the line because I think they’ll only gain 3 seats and Manchin isn’t going to go for any of it.  I’m also almost excited to see what kind of obstruction McConnell will be able to conjure while in the minority that the dems never thought of or attempted these last few years. 

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

PR has previously voted down a referendum to become a state if memory serves.

[brvheart 1,752]

What Trump policies would have the Dems blocked if they were smarter?

I honestly can't believe that the number of judges wasn't set by the constitution.  That was a massive oversight by the founders.  There should be an amendment capping it.

[Napa_Don 688]

Well, as far as I can think of the only meaningful legislation the R’s were able to pass was the tax law so I don’t know what else they could have done. But my comment is more of a statement of my complete lack of belief in the dems and McConnell’s ruthlessness to achieve his wants. Be it appointments or judges or committees or laws. 
 

Like, I don’t know what the dems could have done different because im not a senate rules expert but I believe McConnell will exploit every single possible rule to block as much of the dem agenda as possible with zero shame and I don’t think that ole chucky Schumer has done the same. 

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

The way to avoid this: RBG steps down in 2012, when she was already a sick elderly person, so Obama could appoint her replacement with a dem senate.

It’s just a bad situation all around. I don’t think any of us really wants things to lean hard in one direction or the other. Just keep things relatively stable and I’m good. 

[Napa_Don 688]

Yeah, I know it’s sacrosanct to even mention that about RBG but I feel like that has to be taken into at least a little consideration of her legacy, knowing how it ends at least. 

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

I’ve heard that was specifically suggested to her and she felt like she needed to stay on, that Hillary would win, or whatever.

It’s just stupid that we are sitting here worrying about the judicial like this. Horrible hodgepodge system. 

[SuitedAces21 2,722]

i'm strongly opposed to ending the filibuster and packing the supreme court.  I think it was serious oversight by the framers to not put both the filibuster and the supreme court maximum number in the constitution.  in my dream scenario a constitutional amendment for both would be passed, but obviously that ain't ever gonna happen. 

this video of Scalia talking about our government is really interesting to me.

the problem is, of course, that the supreme court was never meant to be this powerful. 

i especially liked his dissent in Obergefell to that point:

"So it is not of special importance to me what the law says about marriage. It is of overwhelming importance, however, who it is that rules me. Today’s decree says that my Ruler, and the Ruler of 320 million Americans coast-to-coast, is a majority of the nine lawyers on the Supreme Court. The opinion in these cases is the furthest extension in fact— and the furthest extension one can even imagine—of the Court’s claimed power to create “liberties” that the Constitution and its Amendments neglect to mention. This practice of constitutional revision by an unelected committee of nine, always accompanied (as it is today) by extravagant praise of liberty, robs the People of the most important liberty they asserted in the Declaration of Independence and won in the Revolution of 1776: the freedom to govern themselves."

"But the Court ends this debate, in an opinion lacking even a thin veneer of law. Buried beneath the mummeries and straining-to-be-memorable passages of the opinion is a candid and startling assertion: No matter what it was the People ratified, the Fourteenth Amendment protects those rights that the Judiciary, in its “reasoned judgment,” thinks the Fourteenth Amendment ought to protect. That is so because “[t]he generations that wrote and ratified the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment did not presume to know the extent of freedom in all of its dimensions . . . . ” One would think that sentence would continue: “. . . and therefore they provided for a means by which the People could amend the Constitution,” or perhaps “. . . and therefore they left the creation of additional liberties, such as the freedom to marry someone of the same sex, to the People, through the never-ending process of legislation.” But no. What logically follows, in the majority’s judge-empowering estimation, is: “and so they entrusted to future generations a charter protecting the right of all persons to enjoy liberty as we learn its meaning.” The “we,” needless to say, is the nine of us. “History and tradition guide and discipline [our] inquiry but do not set its outer boundaries.”

"They have discovered in the Fourteenth Amendment a “fundamental right” overlooked by every person alive at the time of ratification, and almost everyone else
in the time since. They see what lesser legal minds— minds like Thomas Cooley, John Marshall Harlan, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Learned Hand, Louis Brandeis,
William Howard Taft, Benjamin Cardozo, Hugo Black, Felix Frankfurter, Robert Jackson, and Henry Friendly—
could not. They are certain that the People ratified the Fourteenth Amendment to bestow on them the power to
remove questions from the democratic process when that is called for by their “reasoned judgment.” These Justices
know that limiting marriage to one man and one woman is contrary to reason; they know that an institution as old as
government itself, and accepted by every nation in history until 15 years ago, cannot possibly be supported by
anything other than ignorance or bigotry. And they are willing to say that any citizen who does not agree with that, who adheres to what was, until 15 years ago, the
unanimous judgment of all generations and all societies, stands against the Constitution."

[brvheart 1,752]

Everything Scalia says is super interesting to me.  I'm sad he's gone.

 

This weekend a couple from our church moved to some other country and needed their van taken to their parents house to be sold, so my son and I drove to Cleveland to deliver it.  It was fun getting to hang out with him for a day.  We went to Lucky's Cafe, which was featured in Season 8 of TripleD.  It was good.  We also went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and enjoyed the excitement of the Browns/Colts game from nearby.  (The R&R HOF is right next door to the Browns stadium)

Overall, it was a good weekend.  I'm sad my son now lives in Iowa.  I don't see him very often.  

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

I finally did my presentation to leadership yesterday. Roughly, “here’s what I’m working on, it’s too much for one guy, here’s what I need.” Someone on leadership was telling me that people did not understand my job, but were trying to make decisions about who calls the shots and what resources were needed.

I wasn’t ignoring the person, just not being very direct about it up to this point. I spent about five hours on the presentation, and what was supposed to be 30 minutes sparked a 90 minute discussion, then another 90 minutes with the CEO 1:1. I kinda figure the amount of confusion and frustration I sidestepped by doing this certainly saved me more than the five hours, and I finally got buy-in for getting full-time help. Got everything I wanted, basically.

The person I’m bringing in works at a branch that might be closing its physical location, so it’s both a pay raise and job security for them. Lots of wins here. 

[hank213 1,823]

Nice work stratego. 

[brvheart 1,752]

Super awesome, Strat!

 

[hank213 1,823]

Closing day is finally here. Didn't get final approval on the loan until 5 pm Wednesday. Sometimes going with a local/regional bank isn't all that. This underwriter was kinda ridic. Example, I cashed out a vanguard mutual fund in August to have some liquid for moving and remodel expenses. I documented everything with statements from both Vanguard and my bank. Then they asked for a September statement, a month for which there was no activity nor balance. When I told them there was no statement for that month for those reasons they wanted me to get a signed letter stating as much. From one of the largest investment firms in the world. I ran a report for year to date, again showing no balance and no activity in September and told them if that didn't suffice to let me know ASAP so I could find an alternate lender. 

Go to do final walkthrough at 3 then sign closing papers at 4. 

[brvheart 1,752]

We also recently went with a local bank.  Our banker might have had a disability.  Just super dumb stuff over and over and over.  I'm thankful to be done.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

I fired up Match again a few days ago. I am coordinating with a friend’s wife who is a photographer—I’m going to pay her $100 to take a bunch of pictures of me next weekend or whenever. I think we all know that pictures are the bulk of an online dating profile and this is an admission on my part that I don’t do social stuff often enough to have recent, good photos in public / outdoors. I just need them not to look like a photographer took them.

We will see, my current cover photo is one she took at their place, and frankly I got a huge uptick in interest with it, and it ain’t that great. 

[brvheart 1,752]

Keep us updated!

[brvheart 1,752]

My wife's college roommate, who is not ugly, and is married to a male FBI agent with 3 kids, was hanging out with my wife this last weekend.  At some point, she confessed to her that she loved her and asked her if she would consider leaving me for her.  I guess it's a good thing that my wife told me.  BUT WHO KNOWS if I'll be married next year.  I can't compete with her in the looks department, that's for sure.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

Well this is irregular

[hank213 1,823]

I think you're looking for the other thread.

[Ron_Mexico 4,219]

On 10/21/2020 at 6:05 PM, brvheart said:

My wife's college roommate, who is not ugly, and is married to a male FBI agent with 3 kids, was hanging out with my wife this last weekend.  At some point, she confessed to her that she loved her and asked her if she would consider leaving me for her.  I guess it's a good thing that my wife told me.  BUT WHO KNOWS if I'll be married next year.  I can't compete with her in the looks department, that's for sure.

And your wife condemned her to hell for being a gay?

 

pics?

[Napa_Don 688]

Another great aspect of F1 is the announcers are really good. The two main guys are always really entertaining and the “sideline” guys always do a good job of breaking down film during the race, too. 
 

edit: and no commercials. I’m sure I’ve already said that but it’s worth repeating. 

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

Doing a video chat with a super nerdy Korean girl on Match tonight. Never married, no kids, my age.  She lives about 40 minutes away, which might not work, but we'll see.  She reached out to me, which I think has to do with the dynamics of the area - much bigger dating pool here than there, and I'm guessing not a lot of guys are interested in the drive.

I'm starting to think consumer behavior is going to be fundamentally different for at least a few years, in line with what some have been saying since month 2 or 3 of the pandemic. I saw the wisdom in using stimulus to keep things alive when we thought this would be more temporary in nature, but now I think policy has to shift - remove the lockdown restrictions, let go of the businesses that can't survive on their own, and do what you can to brace for the recession.

My parents are getting ready to wind down their business and retire.  They have plenty of assets but zero ability to withstand market turmoil. I didn't have to talk them off the ledge in March because they are in a very low risk profile, but their financial plan probably doesn't work if I leave them in fixed income - they've got at least another 20 years. After we talked about it last week, I moved them up a little bit, but they're still only at about 30% equity. I sent my mom a copy of Stocks for the Long Run to at least have her on the same page about why they have to take more risk.  Siegel is convinced that 25% fixed income is the absolute most you want to have nowadays, but we have a lot of clients like my parents... simply are not resilient when times look bad. So, if someone has to be 40% in fixed income to keep them from going to cash at the bottom, that's unfortunately the least bad option for that person.

Let me connect the dots between paragraphs 2 and 3.  If the lockdowns continue, there will be a continued need for huge stimulus, and that will eventually drive up interest rates, which is really bad for people who can't be mostly invested in equity.  I hate that Trump is the guy representing my viewpoint on the big stage.  

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

Call went well. She’s really cute but very shy. We are meeting up for coffee next week. I am starting to get way more comfortable with this dating stuff.