#46 President Joe Biden
Comments
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Haha, I didn't read this until after I posted. My father-in-law was an economics professor and was proud of his t-shirt TNSTAAFL.mace1229 said:
No one said businesses and schools won't exist.Halifax2TheMax said:The FMLA was passed in 1993 and look, businesses still exist! My parents didn’t get that benefit and their parents and grandparents didn’t have social security or Medicare. Yet, businesses still exist. I’m pretty sure public schools will still exist 30 years in the future if the earth holds out that long. It’s called progress.
It doesn't change the fact those those who went without are paying the way for others to have. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Every "free" lunch given out, someone else pays for.
I'm just saying it's not really "I didn't get it, so neither should you" but more "I didn't get it so I shouldn't have to pay for you to." If these benefits like loan forgiveness came at no cost, no one would care. But they don't.
And BTW, I'm still against the student loan waiver, as I have said numerous times here. But it's all it being a regressive benefit, one targeting the professional class.Post edited by mrussel1 on0 -
Many districts have a very weak or no union at all.Halifax2TheMax said:
Back when FMLA was passed, one of the opposing arguments was that businesses would go out of business because they wouldn’t have employees and they wouldn’t be able to get the work completed. Yet, here we are, FMLA still exists, as do businesses.mace1229 said:
No one said businesses and schools won't exist.Halifax2TheMax said:The FMLA was passed in 1993 and look, businesses still exist! My parents didn’t get that benefit and their parents and grandparents didn’t have social security or Medicare. Yet, businesses still exist. I’m pretty sure public schools will still exist 30 years in the future if the earth holds out that long. It’s called progress.
It doesn't change the fact those those who went without are paying the way for others to have. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Every "free" lunch given out, someone else pays for.
I'm just saying it's not really "I didn't get it, so neither should you" but more "I didn't get it so I shouldn't have to pay for you to." If these benefits like loan forgiveness came at no cost, no one would care. But they don't.
What are you paying for, for a benefit you didn’t receive? Larger class sizes and 10% budget reduction? If so, those become legislative spending priorities and budget requests, among all other state spending priorities. Class sizes and student/teacher ratios become union contract negotiation issues. I fail to see how “you or anyone else” is “paying” for this benefit? Are your taxes going up as a result? Are student test scores falling? What is the cost to “you?” Other than not getting the “benefit?”
If memory serves, you’ve been a teacher for decades in multiple districts in CA, CO and TN. Public education is controlled at the state and local level. Because you didn’t have this benefit in other districts and when you had kids doesn’t make it now that it’s available a “burden.” Again how are you “paying” for this benefit you didn’t receive? Are the 8 weeks with or without pay or are teachers required to use any paid time off they have on the books or just take leave without pay?
Forgiving the cost of student loans for millions of Americans who can’t get out from under them and spreading the cost amongst all taxpayers and revenue streams is better than the millions of beneficiaries living a life of poverty. I say that as someone who paid off my student loans to the penny over ten years and never received any relief. The loan forgiveness could have been paid off with POOTWH’s trillion dollar tax cut and nobody would have blinked. You could pass a special tax bill targeting Bozos and Elongitaint, call it the Bozos & Elongitaint Making America Smart Again Act, and they wouldn’t miss a beat or be impacted in the slightest. Or you could take it out of defense spending and nobody would notice.
Bozos = $206B
Elongitaint = $200B
Defense spending 2024 = $2T
Brandon’s loan forgiveness = $84B
Or you can have the beneficiaries continuing to struggle to make ends meet and cost society in other ways. Costs you pay for.
Districts are given a budget. Must of that comes from federal, state and local government. The district then allocates the funds into different budgets.
My understanding is my district this year is giving 8 weeks of paid leave to anyone who had a kid within the last 2 years, and 8 weeks of paid leave for anyone who has a kid in the future.
I've never been in a district where either parent got 8 weeks of paid leave. Usually you have to use all your sick days, then you can pull from "sick bank" if you had donated day sin the passed. That was never available to fathers, only mothers and for up to 6 weeks. When a school pays a sub 5k every time a teacher is on leave, that money comes from somewhere. Whether that was money that could have been added to salaries, hiring more teachers, or even maybe just means they can't increase the sub day pay rate so we end up being short on subs and work over time to cover the classes, the burden eventually falls on the teachers.
I've been in a district with a strong union and would never have to work a minute over my contract, but most of the time that has not been the case.
I'm for maternity leave for new mothers. I think being retroactive for 2 years, and including fathers for 8 weeks is a little excessive. We have a teacher out right now who adopted a child 2 years ago and waited until the end of the year to take his leave so he could have an extra 8 weeks of summer break.
I'm against tax cuts for billionaires.Post edited by mace1229 on0 -
Is it 6 or 8 weeks paid leave and are you sure it’s retroactive? Seems the law was passed by the state legislature and was funded to some degree. As it should be in a state with $1.1B in a “rainy day fund.”mace1229 said:
Many districts have a very weak or no union at all.Halifax2TheMax said:
Back when FMLA was passed, one of the opposing arguments was that businesses would go out of business because they wouldn’t have employees and they wouldn’t be able to get the work completed. Yet, here we are, FMLA still exists, as do businesses.mace1229 said:
No one said businesses and schools won't exist.Halifax2TheMax said:The FMLA was passed in 1993 and look, businesses still exist! My parents didn’t get that benefit and their parents and grandparents didn’t have social security or Medicare. Yet, businesses still exist. I’m pretty sure public schools will still exist 30 years in the future if the earth holds out that long. It’s called progress.
It doesn't change the fact those those who went without are paying the way for others to have. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Every "free" lunch given out, someone else pays for.
I'm just saying it's not really "I didn't get it, so neither should you" but more "I didn't get it so I shouldn't have to pay for you to." If these benefits like loan forgiveness came at no cost, no one would care. But they don't.
What are you paying for, for a benefit you didn’t receive? Larger class sizes and 10% budget reduction? If so, those become legislative spending priorities and budget requests, among all other state spending priorities. Class sizes and student/teacher ratios become union contract negotiation issues. I fail to see how “you or anyone else” is “paying” for this benefit? Are your taxes going up as a result? Are student test scores falling? What is the cost to “you?” Other than not getting the “benefit?”
If memory serves, you’ve been a teacher for decades in multiple districts in CA, CO and TN. Public education is controlled at the state and local level. Because you didn’t have this benefit in other districts and when you had kids doesn’t make it now that it’s available a “burden.” Again how are you “paying” for this benefit you didn’t receive? Are the 8 weeks with or without pay or are teachers required to use any paid time off they have on the books or just take leave without pay?
Forgiving the cost of student loans for millions of Americans who can’t get out from under them and spreading the cost amongst all taxpayers and revenue streams is better than the millions of beneficiaries living a life of poverty. I say that as someone who paid off my student loans to the penny over ten years and never received any relief. The loan forgiveness could have been paid off with POOTWH’s trillion dollar tax cut and nobody would have blinked. You could pass a special tax bill targeting Bozos and Elongitaint, call it the Bozos & Elongitaint Making America Smart Again Act, and they wouldn’t miss a beat or be impacted in the slightest. Or you could take it out of defense spending and nobody would notice.
Bozos = $206B
Elongitaint = $200B
Defense spending 2024 = $2T
Brandon’s loan forgiveness = $84B
Or you can have the beneficiaries continuing to struggle to make ends meet and cost society in other ways. Costs you pay for.
Districts are given a budget. Must of that comes from federal, state and local government. The district then allocates the funds into different budgets.
My understanding is my district this year is giving 8 weeks of paid leave to anyone who had a kid within the last 2 years, and 8 weeks of paid leave for anyone who has a kid in the future.
I've never been in a district where either parent got 8 weeks of paid leave. Usually you have to use all your sick days, then you can pull from "sick bank" if you had donated day sin the passed. That was never available to fathers, only mothers and for up to 6 weeks. When a school pays a sub 5k every time a teacher is on leave, that money comes from somewhere. Whether that was money that could have been added to salaries, hiring more teachers, or even maybe just means they can't increase the sub day pay rate so we end up being short on subs and work over time to cover the classes, the burden eventually falls on the teachers.
I've been in a district with a strong union and would never have to work a minute over my contract, but most of the time that has not been the case.
I'm for maternity leave for new mothers. I think being retroactive for 2 years, and including fathers for 8 weeks is a little excessive. We have a teacher out right now who adopted a child 2 years ago and waited until the end of the year to take his leave so he could have an extra 8 weeks of summer break.
I'm against tax cuts for billionaires.
Can you link to something that discusses the evolution of the bill? Seems the repub governor previously walked away from his own bill a few years ago but signed this one. Guessing he’s up for reelection?09/15/1998 & 09/16/1998, Mansfield, MA; 08/29/00 08/30/00, Mansfield, MA; 07/02/03, 07/03/03, Mansfield, MA; 09/28/04, 09/29/04, Boston, MA; 09/22/05, Halifax, NS; 05/24/06, 05/25/06, Boston, MA; 07/22/06, 07/23/06, Gorge, WA; 06/27/2008, Hartford; 06/28/08, 06/30/08, Mansfield; 08/18/2009, O2, London, UK; 10/30/09, 10/31/09, Philadelphia, PA; 05/15/10, Hartford, CT; 05/17/10, Boston, MA; 05/20/10, 05/21/10, NY, NY; 06/22/10, Dublin, IRE; 06/23/10, Northern Ireland; 09/03/11, 09/04/11, Alpine Valley, WI; 09/11/11, 09/12/11, Toronto, Ont; 09/14/11, Ottawa, Ont; 09/15/11, Hamilton, Ont; 07/02/2012, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/04/2012 & 07/05/2012, Berlin, Germany; 07/07/2012, Stockholm, Sweden; 09/30/2012, Missoula, MT; 07/16/2013, London, Ont; 07/19/2013, Chicago, IL; 10/15/2013 & 10/16/2013, Worcester, MA; 10/21/2013 & 10/22/2013, Philadelphia, PA; 10/25/2013, Hartford, CT; 11/29/2013, Portland, OR; 11/30/2013, Spokane, WA; 12/04/2013, Vancouver, BC; 12/06/2013, Seattle, WA; 10/03/2014, St. Louis. MO; 10/22/2014, Denver, CO; 10/26/2015, New York, NY; 04/23/2016, New Orleans, LA; 04/28/2016 & 04/29/2016, Philadelphia, PA; 05/01/2016 & 05/02/2016, New York, NY; 05/08/2016, Ottawa, Ont.; 05/10/2016 & 05/12/2016, Toronto, Ont.; 08/05/2016 & 08/07/2016, Boston, MA; 08/20/2016 & 08/22/2016, Chicago, IL; 07/01/2018, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/03/2018, Krakow, Poland; 07/05/2018, Berlin, Germany; 09/02/2018 & 09/04/2018, Boston, MA; 09/08/2022, Toronto, Ont; 09/11/2022, New York, NY; 09/14/2022, Camden, NJ; 09/02/2023, St. Paul, MN; 05/04/2024 & 05/06/2024, Vancouver, BC; 05/10/2024, Portland, OR;
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©0 -
It was a district decision, not state law so there is no bill.Halifax2TheMax said:
Is it 6 or 8 weeks paid leave and are you sure it’s retroactive? Seems the law was passed by the state legislature and was funded to some degree. As it should be in a state with $1.1B in a “rainy day fund.”mace1229 said:
Many districts have a very weak or no union at all.Halifax2TheMax said:
Back when FMLA was passed, one of the opposing arguments was that businesses would go out of business because they wouldn’t have employees and they wouldn’t be able to get the work completed. Yet, here we are, FMLA still exists, as do businesses.mace1229 said:
No one said businesses and schools won't exist.Halifax2TheMax said:The FMLA was passed in 1993 and look, businesses still exist! My parents didn’t get that benefit and their parents and grandparents didn’t have social security or Medicare. Yet, businesses still exist. I’m pretty sure public schools will still exist 30 years in the future if the earth holds out that long. It’s called progress.
It doesn't change the fact those those who went without are paying the way for others to have. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Every "free" lunch given out, someone else pays for.
I'm just saying it's not really "I didn't get it, so neither should you" but more "I didn't get it so I shouldn't have to pay for you to." If these benefits like loan forgiveness came at no cost, no one would care. But they don't.
What are you paying for, for a benefit you didn’t receive? Larger class sizes and 10% budget reduction? If so, those become legislative spending priorities and budget requests, among all other state spending priorities. Class sizes and student/teacher ratios become union contract negotiation issues. I fail to see how “you or anyone else” is “paying” for this benefit? Are your taxes going up as a result? Are student test scores falling? What is the cost to “you?” Other than not getting the “benefit?”
If memory serves, you’ve been a teacher for decades in multiple districts in CA, CO and TN. Public education is controlled at the state and local level. Because you didn’t have this benefit in other districts and when you had kids doesn’t make it now that it’s available a “burden.” Again how are you “paying” for this benefit you didn’t receive? Are the 8 weeks with or without pay or are teachers required to use any paid time off they have on the books or just take leave without pay?
Forgiving the cost of student loans for millions of Americans who can’t get out from under them and spreading the cost amongst all taxpayers and revenue streams is better than the millions of beneficiaries living a life of poverty. I say that as someone who paid off my student loans to the penny over ten years and never received any relief. The loan forgiveness could have been paid off with POOTWH’s trillion dollar tax cut and nobody would have blinked. You could pass a special tax bill targeting Bozos and Elongitaint, call it the Bozos & Elongitaint Making America Smart Again Act, and they wouldn’t miss a beat or be impacted in the slightest. Or you could take it out of defense spending and nobody would notice.
Bozos = $206B
Elongitaint = $200B
Defense spending 2024 = $2T
Brandon’s loan forgiveness = $84B
Or you can have the beneficiaries continuing to struggle to make ends meet and cost society in other ways. Costs you pay for.
Districts are given a budget. Must of that comes from federal, state and local government. The district then allocates the funds into different budgets.
My understanding is my district this year is giving 8 weeks of paid leave to anyone who had a kid within the last 2 years, and 8 weeks of paid leave for anyone who has a kid in the future.
I've never been in a district where either parent got 8 weeks of paid leave. Usually you have to use all your sick days, then you can pull from "sick bank" if you had donated day sin the passed. That was never available to fathers, only mothers and for up to 6 weeks. When a school pays a sub 5k every time a teacher is on leave, that money comes from somewhere. Whether that was money that could have been added to salaries, hiring more teachers, or even maybe just means they can't increase the sub day pay rate so we end up being short on subs and work over time to cover the classes, the burden eventually falls on the teachers.
I've been in a district with a strong union and would never have to work a minute over my contract, but most of the time that has not been the case.
I'm for maternity leave for new mothers. I think being retroactive for 2 years, and including fathers for 8 weeks is a little excessive. We have a teacher out right now who adopted a child 2 years ago and waited until the end of the year to take his leave so he could have an extra 8 weeks of summer break.
I'm against tax cuts for billionaires.
Can you link to something that discusses the evolution of the bill? Seems the repub governor previously walked away from his own bill a few years ago but signed this one. Guessing he’s up for reelection?
I wasn't aware of it until about a month ago when a coworker told me he was leaving for the rest of the year. I asked why, he said maternity leave. I said "I didn't know your wife had a baby." He told me he and his wife adopted a girl almost 2 years ago and the district created this new policy this year and that it is retroactive for 2 years, so he's taking the last 2 months of work off for it.
He also told me several others are doing the same thing. I was aware we had several teachers out on maternity leave, I had no idea they had kids 1 or 2 years ago though.0 -
There was a state bill passed and signed into law by the governor. Link below:mace1229 said:
It was a district decision, not state law so there is no bill.Halifax2TheMax said:
Is it 6 or 8 weeks paid leave and are you sure it’s retroactive? Seems the law was passed by the state legislature and was funded to some degree. As it should be in a state with $1.1B in a “rainy day fund.”mace1229 said:
Many districts have a very weak or no union at all.Halifax2TheMax said:
Back when FMLA was passed, one of the opposing arguments was that businesses would go out of business because they wouldn’t have employees and they wouldn’t be able to get the work completed. Yet, here we are, FMLA still exists, as do businesses.mace1229 said:
No one said businesses and schools won't exist.Halifax2TheMax said:The FMLA was passed in 1993 and look, businesses still exist! My parents didn’t get that benefit and their parents and grandparents didn’t have social security or Medicare. Yet, businesses still exist. I’m pretty sure public schools will still exist 30 years in the future if the earth holds out that long. It’s called progress.
It doesn't change the fact those those who went without are paying the way for others to have. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Every "free" lunch given out, someone else pays for.
I'm just saying it's not really "I didn't get it, so neither should you" but more "I didn't get it so I shouldn't have to pay for you to." If these benefits like loan forgiveness came at no cost, no one would care. But they don't.
What are you paying for, for a benefit you didn’t receive? Larger class sizes and 10% budget reduction? If so, those become legislative spending priorities and budget requests, among all other state spending priorities. Class sizes and student/teacher ratios become union contract negotiation issues. I fail to see how “you or anyone else” is “paying” for this benefit? Are your taxes going up as a result? Are student test scores falling? What is the cost to “you?” Other than not getting the “benefit?”
If memory serves, you’ve been a teacher for decades in multiple districts in CA, CO and TN. Public education is controlled at the state and local level. Because you didn’t have this benefit in other districts and when you had kids doesn’t make it now that it’s available a “burden.” Again how are you “paying” for this benefit you didn’t receive? Are the 8 weeks with or without pay or are teachers required to use any paid time off they have on the books or just take leave without pay?
Forgiving the cost of student loans for millions of Americans who can’t get out from under them and spreading the cost amongst all taxpayers and revenue streams is better than the millions of beneficiaries living a life of poverty. I say that as someone who paid off my student loans to the penny over ten years and never received any relief. The loan forgiveness could have been paid off with POOTWH’s trillion dollar tax cut and nobody would have blinked. You could pass a special tax bill targeting Bozos and Elongitaint, call it the Bozos & Elongitaint Making America Smart Again Act, and they wouldn’t miss a beat or be impacted in the slightest. Or you could take it out of defense spending and nobody would notice.
Bozos = $206B
Elongitaint = $200B
Defense spending 2024 = $2T
Brandon’s loan forgiveness = $84B
Or you can have the beneficiaries continuing to struggle to make ends meet and cost society in other ways. Costs you pay for.
Districts are given a budget. Must of that comes from federal, state and local government. The district then allocates the funds into different budgets.
My understanding is my district this year is giving 8 weeks of paid leave to anyone who had a kid within the last 2 years, and 8 weeks of paid leave for anyone who has a kid in the future.
I've never been in a district where either parent got 8 weeks of paid leave. Usually you have to use all your sick days, then you can pull from "sick bank" if you had donated day sin the passed. That was never available to fathers, only mothers and for up to 6 weeks. When a school pays a sub 5k every time a teacher is on leave, that money comes from somewhere. Whether that was money that could have been added to salaries, hiring more teachers, or even maybe just means they can't increase the sub day pay rate so we end up being short on subs and work over time to cover the classes, the burden eventually falls on the teachers.
I've been in a district with a strong union and would never have to work a minute over my contract, but most of the time that has not been the case.
I'm for maternity leave for new mothers. I think being retroactive for 2 years, and including fathers for 8 weeks is a little excessive. We have a teacher out right now who adopted a child 2 years ago and waited until the end of the year to take his leave so he could have an extra 8 weeks of summer break.
I'm against tax cuts for billionaires.
Can you link to something that discusses the evolution of the bill? Seems the repub governor previously walked away from his own bill a few years ago but signed this one. Guessing he’s up for reelection?
I wasn't aware of it until about a month ago when a coworker told me he was leaving for the rest of the year. I asked why, he said maternity leave. I said "I didn't know your wife had a baby." He told me he and his wife adopted a girl almost 2 years ago and the district created this new policy this year and that it is retroactive for 2 years, so he's taking the last 2 months of work off for it.
He also told me several others are doing the same thing. I was aware we had several teachers out on maternity leave, I had no idea they had kids 1 or 2 years ago though.
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1458&GA=113Seems TN, a deep red state, is going progressive with regard to public education. Who knew?09/15/1998 & 09/16/1998, Mansfield, MA; 08/29/00 08/30/00, Mansfield, MA; 07/02/03, 07/03/03, Mansfield, MA; 09/28/04, 09/29/04, Boston, MA; 09/22/05, Halifax, NS; 05/24/06, 05/25/06, Boston, MA; 07/22/06, 07/23/06, Gorge, WA; 06/27/2008, Hartford; 06/28/08, 06/30/08, Mansfield; 08/18/2009, O2, London, UK; 10/30/09, 10/31/09, Philadelphia, PA; 05/15/10, Hartford, CT; 05/17/10, Boston, MA; 05/20/10, 05/21/10, NY, NY; 06/22/10, Dublin, IRE; 06/23/10, Northern Ireland; 09/03/11, 09/04/11, Alpine Valley, WI; 09/11/11, 09/12/11, Toronto, Ont; 09/14/11, Ottawa, Ont; 09/15/11, Hamilton, Ont; 07/02/2012, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/04/2012 & 07/05/2012, Berlin, Germany; 07/07/2012, Stockholm, Sweden; 09/30/2012, Missoula, MT; 07/16/2013, London, Ont; 07/19/2013, Chicago, IL; 10/15/2013 & 10/16/2013, Worcester, MA; 10/21/2013 & 10/22/2013, Philadelphia, PA; 10/25/2013, Hartford, CT; 11/29/2013, Portland, OR; 11/30/2013, Spokane, WA; 12/04/2013, Vancouver, BC; 12/06/2013, Seattle, WA; 10/03/2014, St. Louis. MO; 10/22/2014, Denver, CO; 10/26/2015, New York, NY; 04/23/2016, New Orleans, LA; 04/28/2016 & 04/29/2016, Philadelphia, PA; 05/01/2016 & 05/02/2016, New York, NY; 05/08/2016, Ottawa, Ont.; 05/10/2016 & 05/12/2016, Toronto, Ont.; 08/05/2016 & 08/07/2016, Boston, MA; 08/20/2016 & 08/22/2016, Chicago, IL; 07/01/2018, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/03/2018, Krakow, Poland; 07/05/2018, Berlin, Germany; 09/02/2018 & 09/04/2018, Boston, MA; 09/08/2022, Toronto, Ont; 09/11/2022, New York, NY; 09/14/2022, Camden, NJ; 09/02/2023, St. Paul, MN; 05/04/2024 & 05/06/2024, Vancouver, BC; 05/10/2024, Portland, OR;
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©0 -
Yes, I meant there was no state bill for the 2 years retroactive. That was a district decision as far as I know.Halifax2TheMax said:
There was a state bill passed and signed into law by the governor. Link below:mace1229 said:
It was a district decision, not state law so there is no bill.Halifax2TheMax said:
Is it 6 or 8 weeks paid leave and are you sure it’s retroactive? Seems the law was passed by the state legislature and was funded to some degree. As it should be in a state with $1.1B in a “rainy day fund.”mace1229 said:
Many districts have a very weak or no union at all.Halifax2TheMax said:
Back when FMLA was passed, one of the opposing arguments was that businesses would go out of business because they wouldn’t have employees and they wouldn’t be able to get the work completed. Yet, here we are, FMLA still exists, as do businesses.mace1229 said:
No one said businesses and schools won't exist.Halifax2TheMax said:The FMLA was passed in 1993 and look, businesses still exist! My parents didn’t get that benefit and their parents and grandparents didn’t have social security or Medicare. Yet, businesses still exist. I’m pretty sure public schools will still exist 30 years in the future if the earth holds out that long. It’s called progress.
It doesn't change the fact those those who went without are paying the way for others to have. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Every "free" lunch given out, someone else pays for.
I'm just saying it's not really "I didn't get it, so neither should you" but more "I didn't get it so I shouldn't have to pay for you to." If these benefits like loan forgiveness came at no cost, no one would care. But they don't.
What are you paying for, for a benefit you didn’t receive? Larger class sizes and 10% budget reduction? If so, those become legislative spending priorities and budget requests, among all other state spending priorities. Class sizes and student/teacher ratios become union contract negotiation issues. I fail to see how “you or anyone else” is “paying” for this benefit? Are your taxes going up as a result? Are student test scores falling? What is the cost to “you?” Other than not getting the “benefit?”
If memory serves, you’ve been a teacher for decades in multiple districts in CA, CO and TN. Public education is controlled at the state and local level. Because you didn’t have this benefit in other districts and when you had kids doesn’t make it now that it’s available a “burden.” Again how are you “paying” for this benefit you didn’t receive? Are the 8 weeks with or without pay or are teachers required to use any paid time off they have on the books or just take leave without pay?
Forgiving the cost of student loans for millions of Americans who can’t get out from under them and spreading the cost amongst all taxpayers and revenue streams is better than the millions of beneficiaries living a life of poverty. I say that as someone who paid off my student loans to the penny over ten years and never received any relief. The loan forgiveness could have been paid off with POOTWH’s trillion dollar tax cut and nobody would have blinked. You could pass a special tax bill targeting Bozos and Elongitaint, call it the Bozos & Elongitaint Making America Smart Again Act, and they wouldn’t miss a beat or be impacted in the slightest. Or you could take it out of defense spending and nobody would notice.
Bozos = $206B
Elongitaint = $200B
Defense spending 2024 = $2T
Brandon’s loan forgiveness = $84B
Or you can have the beneficiaries continuing to struggle to make ends meet and cost society in other ways. Costs you pay for.
Districts are given a budget. Must of that comes from federal, state and local government. The district then allocates the funds into different budgets.
My understanding is my district this year is giving 8 weeks of paid leave to anyone who had a kid within the last 2 years, and 8 weeks of paid leave for anyone who has a kid in the future.
I've never been in a district where either parent got 8 weeks of paid leave. Usually you have to use all your sick days, then you can pull from "sick bank" if you had donated day sin the passed. That was never available to fathers, only mothers and for up to 6 weeks. When a school pays a sub 5k every time a teacher is on leave, that money comes from somewhere. Whether that was money that could have been added to salaries, hiring more teachers, or even maybe just means they can't increase the sub day pay rate so we end up being short on subs and work over time to cover the classes, the burden eventually falls on the teachers.
I've been in a district with a strong union and would never have to work a minute over my contract, but most of the time that has not been the case.
I'm for maternity leave for new mothers. I think being retroactive for 2 years, and including fathers for 8 weeks is a little excessive. We have a teacher out right now who adopted a child 2 years ago and waited until the end of the year to take his leave so he could have an extra 8 weeks of summer break.
I'm against tax cuts for billionaires.
Can you link to something that discusses the evolution of the bill? Seems the repub governor previously walked away from his own bill a few years ago but signed this one. Guessing he’s up for reelection?
I wasn't aware of it until about a month ago when a coworker told me he was leaving for the rest of the year. I asked why, he said maternity leave. I said "I didn't know your wife had a baby." He told me he and his wife adopted a girl almost 2 years ago and the district created this new policy this year and that it is retroactive for 2 years, so he's taking the last 2 months of work off for it.
He also told me several others are doing the same thing. I was aware we had several teachers out on maternity leave, I had no idea they had kids 1 or 2 years ago though.
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1458&GA=113Seems TN, a deep red state, is going progressive with regard to public education. Who knew?
I also thought the bill didn't include fathers. But reading it again, it doesn't exclude them, so maybe it does.0 -
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/trump-biden-pennsylvania-issues-poll-20240513.htmlBiden is struggling in Pa. — even with his base— as voters prefer Trump on major issues. Here are takeaways from a new Inquirer/NYT/Siena poll.
President Joe Biden is polling at just 36% in Pennsylvania when third-party candidates are counted, despite numerous visits to the state. Former President Donald Trump isn’t doing much better, but he leads Biden on the economy and other issues.
After months of return visits to Pennsylvania and millions of dollars poured into political advertisements, President Joe Biden hasn’t gained ground in the critical swing state.
Instead, he’s in a dead heat with former President Donald Trump.
Trump leads Biden 47% to 44% with registered voters in a two-way race, according to a new Philadelphia Inquirer/New York Times/Siena College poll. That’s within the survey’s margin of error, and when third-party candidates are included, the gap is similar — but Biden doesn’t even hit 40%.
The poll of 1,023 registered voters was conducted April 28 to May 7. The survey has a margin of error of +/-3.6 percentage points.
ADVERTISEMENT135.3KMeet the young Philadelphians using rap to send a messageThe tightness of the race appears to stem in part from an erosion of Biden’s support among key Democratic constituencies, with the poll showing frustration with the president on key issues that could impact the strength of his backing even in the reliably blue Philadelphia suburbs.
Pennsylvania voters said they are down on the economy and eager for changes in the political system. With two repeat candidates on the ballot, they are narrowly split with six months until the presidential election.
Biden appears to similarly be in trouble in other swing states, with Trump also leading in Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, according to the Times polls, and the candidates are tied in Wisconsin. All are critical battlegrounds that Biden won in 2020, and he will need to notch victories in several of them to have any hope of victory this fall.
ADVERTISEMENTPennsylvania could determine who wins the White House and Biden has crisscrossed the state, making trips to Scranton, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia and its suburbs all within the last three months. Still, voters spanning the state — and across the age spectrum — have deeply negative impressions of his job performance and ability to lead on issues such as the economy.
Trump is also viewed unfavorably but leads Biden on nearly every issue polled, except abortion, on which Trump trails by double digits. The former president has managed to run even with Biden despite spending far less time on the campaign trail and a split screen of Biden in the Oval Office while Trump sits on trial for alleged hush money payments to a porn star, with more criminal cases pending.
The political impact of a potential conviction of the former president, which would be unprecedented, remains unknown at this point. Trump remains ahead with voters on the issue of crime — even as he stands trial.
Biden is losing support with young and non-white voters
Biden’s support among young people in the state has waned since 2020.
The same is true of non-white voters, including those who identify as Black and Hispanic/Latino, two groups that were instrumental to Biden’s 2020 win. A drop in support from these traditionally Democratic constituencies could imperil Biden’s chances in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
ADVERTISEMENTGiorgio Vavlas, a 24-year-old voter from Pittston, Luzerne County, who was polled, backed Biden in 2020 but has felt the financial pressures of post-graduate life and doesn’t see himself supporting the president in November.
“Things are more expensive. Gas, groceries, rent, all those types of things,” said Vavlas, who works in tech sales. “... I don’t think he’s been necessarily the best as president. And then the other thing is when you see him on TV, he doesn’t always seem the most competent.”
The issue of age and mental competency has become a major topic in the campaign. Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, are the two oldest major party nominees for president.
Young voters, such as Vavlas, are roughly evenly split between Biden and Trump in the May poll. That finding has a wide margin of error but still represents a huge change from 2020, when a NYT/Siena poll found Biden winning young people in the state by as many as 30 points.
ADVERTISEMENTBiden’s approval rating is lower among the state’s youngest voters than it is statewide. Young voters’ perceptions of the economy are also worse, and they trust Biden less than Trump with his handling of the war in Gaza.
Young voters turned out in record numbers in 2020 but a drop in their support remains an issue for him. In Pennsylvania’s April primary, a large number of Democrats cast write-in votes for president, many protesting his handling of the Middle East conflict.
Non-white voters, which encompasses Asian, American Indian, Alaska Native, Middle Eastern or North African, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander voters as well as Black and Hispanic/Latino voters, also signaled less support for Biden than seen in 2020.
When asked to choose just one of the two major candidates, a majority picked Biden, while only about a quarter picked Trump. But that margin is less overwhelming than it was in 2020, when polls found Biden winning 70% of non-white voters.
John Robinson, 24, of Pittsburgh, backs Biden reluctantly. He’s concerned about Biden’s age and Robinson, who is Black, said he doesn’t think Biden has always been a good advocate for racial equality.
“I don’t think he’s fully capable,” said Robinson, a middle school teacher. “… he’s too old to do the job.”
ADVERTISEMENTStill, Robinson doesn’t consider Trump an option.
“I think the guy’s a villain,” he said. “And I won’t be part of him advancing in any way.”
It’s unclear whether declining support for Biden among non-white voters in Pennsylvania actually translates to more support for Trump. As many as one-fifth of non-white voters refused to commit to any candidate. Either way, even a slight erosion of Democratic support among Black and Latino voters could make a difference in the state.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is favored by 10% of Pa. voters
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the environmental lawyer and past anti-vaccine activist running as an independent, has support from about 10% of voters in Pennsylvania, on par with his margin in other states.
Play/Pause VideoMute/Unmute VideoADVERTISEMENTAnd 9% of Pennsylvania voters said they did not know who they would support.
Valvas, the voter from Pittston, said he’s leaning toward Kennedy largely because he wants to see a change.
“I think somebody new in there, whether it’s fresh ideas, a new voice, is kind of what’s needed,” he said.
Most Kennedy supporters in Pennsylvania say they are voting for him in opposition to their other choices and the majority say they are not open to changing their vote to Trump or Biden. If forced to choose between major candidates, they would divide their vote evenly, so it’s unclear who Kennedy is pulling more voters from.
Trump supporters are happier with their options in the presidential election than Biden supporters by a margin of 69% to 55%.
» READ MORE: There’s only one key issue where Pa. voters trust Joe Biden over Donald Trump: Abortion
Trump leads on the issues in Pennsylvania — except abortion
Voters across the state are pessimistic about the economy and favor Trump — by 12 points over Biden — to fix it.
“I know how he will handle the economy and we’ll get cheap gas again and all the prices will drop,” said Matthew Innis, a registered Republican from Drexel Hill.
Innis, 55, an auto mechanic, said gas and grocery prices have been a drag on his wallet. “They used to cost $200 a week to feed my family,” he said. “Now it’s $350.” He thinks Trump’s policies would lead to a drop in retail prices and make it cheaper to move products.
Voters also trust Trump more on crime by 9 points. He also has a lead within the margin of error on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Joseph Ferraro, a 55-year-old Trump supporter from Union City, Erie County, blames lax enforcement at the border on the fentanyl crisis. His son died of a fentanyl overdose.
“I want the border closed. I want it shut down,” Ferraro said. “I want the illegals out of this country.”
Overall, the economy, abortion, and immigration were the top three issues that voters said would decide their vote in November.
On abortion, Biden continues to lead Trump by double digits. Legal abortions are widely supported statewide, even in geographic regions that are strongly pro-Trump.
Janet Buskirk, 75, a retired teacher from Wyomissing, Berks County, said women’s reproductive rights are top of mind as she looks to reelect Biden.
“I worry that it’s going to be a complete ban on abortion,” she said. Buskirk’s daughter had to undergo a procedure when she lost a baby during pregnancy. Buskirk said she fears her daughter may not have lived if that happened in a state with a strict abortion ban.
“I think all elections are important,” she said. “But this one, I think, could be country-changing if the Republicans get into office.”
The intensity of the moment is evident among voters across the political spectrum, many of whom said they are voting against the other side, not for their chosen candidate.
A majority of voters said they wanted “major changes” to the country’s political system — a warning sign for Biden, who 73% of voters said wouldn’t change much.
But to the extent that voters wanted change, that impulse might be rooted in a kind of nostalgia for less divided political times. A majority of voters also said they wanted a candidate who would “bring things back to normal” in Washington. Biden campaigned on a similar message of normalcy and calm in 2020, but will have a harder time claiming he represents change now.
Biden has an edge in the Philly suburbs — but there are warning signs there, too
As has historically been the case, Trump’s support in the central part of the state and among non-college-educated voters remains robust.
Biden leads in Philadelphia, its suburbs, and Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh. Trump leads everywhere except the Northeast and Lehigh Valley regions, where it’s a tie.
Drill down further into the Philadelphia collar counties, typically a Democratic bastion, and although Biden has a clear edge, his job approval numbers remain low. Fifty-five percent of suburban voters disapprove of Biden’s job performance, compared with 42% who approve.
Suburban voters are evenly divided between Biden and Trump on such issues as the economy and crime. And despite the suburbs’ commitment to voting for him, Biden’s overall favorability isn’t much higher there than it is statewide.
Whether that impacts Biden in the critical region is unclear. Typically low favorability can indicate less stable support but plenty of voters found Biden unfavorable in 2020 and voted for him anyway.
Benjamin Duerr, a 29-year-old electrician and registered Democrat from Upper Darby, said he’s disillusioned with politics. He doesn’t think either party stands up for working people. But he plans to vote for Biden.
“I just feel like Biden’s pretty incompetent,” Duerr said. “But he won’t f— up things too much, you know?”
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Credit: Getty ImagesBack a few years ago at the “CBS Evening News,” we aired a segment called “Reality Check.” The late, great correspondent Eric Engberg would report on taxpayer money being ill-spent. When he found waste, fraud, or abuse, he would announce it with his signature phrase, “Time out!”
Perhaps it’s time to take a reality check on current political polling. As colleagues who have worked closely with me would attest, I don’t trust polling. Never have. For many years, there was only one polling outfit, Gallup. Now there are dozens. Which, if any, can we trust? Looking at the last few elections, none seem to have gotten it right. Let’s call a “time out” on polling.
Much hair will be pulled by Democrats over the latest poll from The New York Times and Siena College. It shows President Biden trailing Donald Trump in several key swing states.
Should Democrats worry? You bet. As I’ve said for quite some time, the threat of Trump 2.0 is real. President Biden’s accomplishments aren’t resonating. The economy is the number one issue according to most polls, and many don’t feel the economy is better now than it was under Trump, no matter that objectively that is not the case. Large numbers of voters — young people in particular — are deeply concerned about Biden’s stance on the conflict in Gaza. At least that’s what the polls say.
But the polls have also been wrong. Remember, pollsters predicted with 90 percent certainty that Hillary Clinton would beat Donald Trump in 2016.
Then in 2020, Biden was supposedly, theoretically ahead by a comfortable margin. He won, but in several swing states by only a whisker. One news organization said the polling industry is “a wreck, and should be blown up.” It turns out pollsters didn’t factor in enough white, non-college-educated voters, who apparently are less likely to answer pollsters’ questions. They also happen to be Trump’s biggest support base.
How about the “Red Wave” predicted in 2022? Or the surveys that said Americans cared more about the economy than abortion after Roe v. Wade was struck down? Voters said otherwise.
Analysts from the polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight explained the 2022 election results this way. “[A poll’s] true utility isn’t in telling us who will win, but rather in roughly how close a race is — and, therefore, how confident we should be in the outcome. Historically, candidates leading polls by at least 20 points have won 99 percent of the time. But candidates leading polls by less than 3 points have won just 55 percent of the time. In other words, races within 3 points in the polls are little better than toss-ups — something we’ve been shouting from the rooftops for years.”
I am not a gambler, but those don’t seem like very great odds. Here are a couple of other important points:
Most voters aren’t really paying attention to the race yet. Based on historical trends, that won’t happen until the conventions this summer at the earliest, and more likely not until after Labor Day.
Pollsters are struggling to keep up with changing technology. Not long ago, data was collected by calling voters at home on landlines. Now with the ubiquity of cell phones with caller ID, answer rates for pollsters have been plummeting. Also, some folks, maybe more than we think, just flat-out lie, to mislead the pollsters.
You can also point the finger at news organizations that trumpet every poll regardless of its quality because a horse race engenders clicks.
What the latest Times/Siena poll should be is a great motivator. Sure, don’t believe the polls, but also don’t believe that Donald Trump’s many legal troubles will spell his political doom. Please, get involved. Make sure you’re registered and your friends and family are registered too.
If you value independent journalism that provides critical information to protect our democracy, please consider upgrading as a supporting member. It allows me to keep Steady sustainable and free for those who cannot afford it, especially in an election season when we need everyone to see it. Thank you.
No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading.Stay Steady,
Dan85 Comments
It's been evident for some time now that"...Donald Trump’s many legal troubles will spell his political doom." Why? Because he is an experienced liar and most of his followers believe everything he tells them. Trump also, and maybe more importantly, has the backing of an entire political party. A Party whose members don't bat an eye at repeating Trumps' lies, repeating that, if Trump doesn't win, they won't or might not accept the results.
By all means DO NOT be swayed by "polling" - Get out and VOTE for American democracy!
Like (74)ReplyShareThese polls are trash! Vote! Vote! Vote for Biden and Dems all the way down the ballot 🌊
Like (60)ReplyShare1,262
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© 2024 Dan RatherSubstack is the home for great culture
Post edited by mickeyrat on_____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '140 -
Yet another all time high for the Dow.
Let's go Brandon!www.myspace.com0 -
www.myspace.com0 -
Someone tell these dopes that Trump killed a border bill so he could make it a campaign issue. Also think the Israeli-Palestine US political issue will die down by November. Hammer the GOP about abortion and get the young folks to vote and Biden should be ok. Wonder how all those Haley primary voters will vote. If Trump loses a decent percentage of those that will hurt him bigly. Still early though so lots can change with such older candidates. It's going to be tight in PA regardless.The Juggler said:
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/trump-biden-pennsylvania-issues-poll-20240513.htmlBiden is struggling in Pa. — even with his base— as voters prefer Trump on major issues. Here are takeaways from a new Inquirer/NYT/Siena poll.
President Joe Biden is polling at just 36% in Pennsylvania when third-party candidates are counted, despite numerous visits to the state. Former President Donald Trump isn’t doing much better, but he leads Biden on the economy and other issues.
After months of return visits to Pennsylvania and millions of dollars poured into political advertisements, President Joe Biden hasn’t gained ground in the critical swing state.
Instead, he’s in a dead heat with former President Donald Trump.
Trump leads Biden 47% to 44% with registered voters in a two-way race, according to a new Philadelphia Inquirer/New York Times/Siena College poll. That’s within the survey’s margin of error, and when third-party candidates are included, the gap is similar — but Biden doesn’t even hit 40%.
The poll of 1,023 registered voters was conducted April 28 to May 7. The survey has a margin of error of +/-3.6 percentage points.
ADVERTISEMENT135.3KMeet the young Philadelphians using rap to send a messageThe tightness of the race appears to stem in part from an erosion of Biden’s support among key Democratic constituencies, with the poll showing frustration with the president on key issues that could impact the strength of his backing even in the reliably blue Philadelphia suburbs.
Pennsylvania voters said they are down on the economy and eager for changes in the political system. With two repeat candidates on the ballot, they are narrowly split with six months until the presidential election.
Biden appears to similarly be in trouble in other swing states, with Trump also leading in Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, according to the Times polls, and the candidates are tied in Wisconsin. All are critical battlegrounds that Biden won in 2020, and he will need to notch victories in several of them to have any hope of victory this fall.
ADVERTISEMENTPennsylvania could determine who wins the White House and Biden has crisscrossed the state, making trips to Scranton, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia and its suburbs all within the last three months. Still, voters spanning the state — and across the age spectrum — have deeply negative impressions of his job performance and ability to lead on issues such as the economy.
Trump is also viewed unfavorably but leads Biden on nearly every issue polled, except abortion, on which Trump trails by double digits. The former president has managed to run even with Biden despite spending far less time on the campaign trail and a split screen of Biden in the Oval Office while Trump sits on trial for alleged hush money payments to a porn star, with more criminal cases pending.
The political impact of a potential conviction of the former president, which would be unprecedented, remains unknown at this point. Trump remains ahead with voters on the issue of crime — even as he stands trial.
Biden is losing support with young and non-white voters
Biden’s support among young people in the state has waned since 2020.
The same is true of non-white voters, including those who identify as Black and Hispanic/Latino, two groups that were instrumental to Biden’s 2020 win. A drop in support from these traditionally Democratic constituencies could imperil Biden’s chances in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
ADVERTISEMENTGiorgio Vavlas, a 24-year-old voter from Pittston, Luzerne County, who was polled, backed Biden in 2020 but has felt the financial pressures of post-graduate life and doesn’t see himself supporting the president in November.
“Things are more expensive. Gas, groceries, rent, all those types of things,” said Vavlas, who works in tech sales. “... I don’t think he’s been necessarily the best as president. And then the other thing is when you see him on TV, he doesn’t always seem the most competent.”
The issue of age and mental competency has become a major topic in the campaign. Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, are the two oldest major party nominees for president.
Young voters, such as Vavlas, are roughly evenly split between Biden and Trump in the May poll. That finding has a wide margin of error but still represents a huge change from 2020, when a NYT/Siena poll found Biden winning young people in the state by as many as 30 points.
ADVERTISEMENTBiden’s approval rating is lower among the state’s youngest voters than it is statewide. Young voters’ perceptions of the economy are also worse, and they trust Biden less than Trump with his handling of the war in Gaza.
Young voters turned out in record numbers in 2020 but a drop in their support remains an issue for him. In Pennsylvania’s April primary, a large number of Democrats cast write-in votes for president, many protesting his handling of the Middle East conflict.
Non-white voters, which encompasses Asian, American Indian, Alaska Native, Middle Eastern or North African, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander voters as well as Black and Hispanic/Latino voters, also signaled less support for Biden than seen in 2020.
When asked to choose just one of the two major candidates, a majority picked Biden, while only about a quarter picked Trump. But that margin is less overwhelming than it was in 2020, when polls found Biden winning 70% of non-white voters.
John Robinson, 24, of Pittsburgh, backs Biden reluctantly. He’s concerned about Biden’s age and Robinson, who is Black, said he doesn’t think Biden has always been a good advocate for racial equality.
“I don’t think he’s fully capable,” said Robinson, a middle school teacher. “… he’s too old to do the job.”
ADVERTISEMENTStill, Robinson doesn’t consider Trump an option.
“I think the guy’s a villain,” he said. “And I won’t be part of him advancing in any way.”
It’s unclear whether declining support for Biden among non-white voters in Pennsylvania actually translates to more support for Trump. As many as one-fifth of non-white voters refused to commit to any candidate. Either way, even a slight erosion of Democratic support among Black and Latino voters could make a difference in the state.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is favored by 10% of Pa. voters
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the environmental lawyer and past anti-vaccine activist running as an independent, has support from about 10% of voters in Pennsylvania, on par with his margin in other states.
Play/Pause VideoMute/Unmute VideoADVERTISEMENTAnd 9% of Pennsylvania voters said they did not know who they would support.
Valvas, the voter from Pittston, said he’s leaning toward Kennedy largely because he wants to see a change.
“I think somebody new in there, whether it’s fresh ideas, a new voice, is kind of what’s needed,” he said.
Most Kennedy supporters in Pennsylvania say they are voting for him in opposition to their other choices and the majority say they are not open to changing their vote to Trump or Biden. If forced to choose between major candidates, they would divide their vote evenly, so it’s unclear who Kennedy is pulling more voters from.
Trump supporters are happier with their options in the presidential election than Biden supporters by a margin of 69% to 55%.
» READ MORE: There’s only one key issue where Pa. voters trust Joe Biden over Donald Trump: Abortion
Trump leads on the issues in Pennsylvania — except abortion
Voters across the state are pessimistic about the economy and favor Trump — by 12 points over Biden — to fix it.
“I know how he will handle the economy and we’ll get cheap gas again and all the prices will drop,” said Matthew Innis, a registered Republican from Drexel Hill.
Innis, 55, an auto mechanic, said gas and grocery prices have been a drag on his wallet. “They used to cost $200 a week to feed my family,” he said. “Now it’s $350.” He thinks Trump’s policies would lead to a drop in retail prices and make it cheaper to move products.
Voters also trust Trump more on crime by 9 points. He also has a lead within the margin of error on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Joseph Ferraro, a 55-year-old Trump supporter from Union City, Erie County, blames lax enforcement at the border on the fentanyl crisis. His son died of a fentanyl overdose.
“I want the border closed. I want it shut down,” Ferraro said. “I want the illegals out of this country.”
Overall, the economy, abortion, and immigration were the top three issues that voters said would decide their vote in November.
On abortion, Biden continues to lead Trump by double digits. Legal abortions are widely supported statewide, even in geographic regions that are strongly pro-Trump.
Janet Buskirk, 75, a retired teacher from Wyomissing, Berks County, said women’s reproductive rights are top of mind as she looks to reelect Biden.
“I worry that it’s going to be a complete ban on abortion,” she said. Buskirk’s daughter had to undergo a procedure when she lost a baby during pregnancy. Buskirk said she fears her daughter may not have lived if that happened in a state with a strict abortion ban.
“I think all elections are important,” she said. “But this one, I think, could be country-changing if the Republicans get into office.”
The intensity of the moment is evident among voters across the political spectrum, many of whom said they are voting against the other side, not for their chosen candidate.
A majority of voters said they wanted “major changes” to the country’s political system — a warning sign for Biden, who 73% of voters said wouldn’t change much.
But to the extent that voters wanted change, that impulse might be rooted in a kind of nostalgia for less divided political times. A majority of voters also said they wanted a candidate who would “bring things back to normal” in Washington. Biden campaigned on a similar message of normalcy and calm in 2020, but will have a harder time claiming he represents change now.
Biden has an edge in the Philly suburbs — but there are warning signs there, too
As has historically been the case, Trump’s support in the central part of the state and among non-college-educated voters remains robust.
Biden leads in Philadelphia, its suburbs, and Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh. Trump leads everywhere except the Northeast and Lehigh Valley regions, where it’s a tie.
Drill down further into the Philadelphia collar counties, typically a Democratic bastion, and although Biden has a clear edge, his job approval numbers remain low. Fifty-five percent of suburban voters disapprove of Biden’s job performance, compared with 42% who approve.
Suburban voters are evenly divided between Biden and Trump on such issues as the economy and crime. And despite the suburbs’ commitment to voting for him, Biden’s overall favorability isn’t much higher there than it is statewide.
Whether that impacts Biden in the critical region is unclear. Typically low favorability can indicate less stable support but plenty of voters found Biden unfavorable in 2020 and voted for him anyway.
Benjamin Duerr, a 29-year-old electrician and registered Democrat from Upper Darby, said he’s disillusioned with politics. He doesn’t think either party stands up for working people. But he plans to vote for Biden.
“I just feel like Biden’s pretty incompetent,” Duerr said. “But he won’t f— up things too much, you know?”
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Someone tell these dopes that Trump killed a border bill so he could make it a campaign issue. Also think the Israeli-Palestine US political issue will die down by November. Hammer the GOP about abortion and get the young folks to vote and Biden should be ok. Wonder how all those Haley primary voters will vote. If Trump loses a decent percentage of those that will hurt him bigly. Still early though so lots can change with such older candidates. It's going to be tight in PA regardless. Biden could be in a coma,and you'd still vote for him.🤣🤣🤣pjhawks said:The Juggler said:
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/trump-biden-pennsylvania-issues-poll-20240513.htmlBiden is struggling in Pa. — even with his base— as voters prefer Trump on major issues. Here are takeaways from a new Inquirer/NYT/Siena poll.
President Joe Biden is polling at just 36% in Pennsylvania when third-party candidates are counted, despite numerous visits to the state. Former President Donald Trump isn’t doing much better, but he leads Biden on the economy and other issues.
After months of return visits to Pennsylvania and millions of dollars poured into political advertisements, President Joe Biden hasn’t gained ground in the critical swing state.
Instead, he’s in a dead heat with former President Donald Trump.
Trump leads Biden 47% to 44% with registered voters in a two-way race, according to a new Philadelphia Inquirer/New York Times/Siena College poll. That’s within the survey’s margin of error, and when third-party candidates are included, the gap is similar — but Biden doesn’t even hit 40%.
The poll of 1,023 registered voters was conducted April 28 to May 7. The survey has a margin of error of +/-3.6 percentage points.
ADVERTISEMENT135.3KMeet the young Philadelphians using rap to send a messageThe tightness of the race appears to stem in part from an erosion of Biden’s support among key Democratic constituencies, with the poll showing frustration with the president on key issues that could impact the strength of his backing even in the reliably blue Philadelphia suburbs.
Pennsylvania voters said they are down on the economy and eager for changes in the political system. With two repeat candidates on the ballot, they are narrowly split with six months until the presidential election.
Biden appears to similarly be in trouble in other swing states, with Trump also leading in Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, according to the Times polls, and the candidates are tied in Wisconsin. All are critical battlegrounds that Biden won in 2020, and he will need to notch victories in several of them to have any hope of victory this fall.
ADVERTISEMENTPennsylvania could determine who wins the White House and Biden has crisscrossed the state, making trips to Scranton, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia and its suburbs all within the last three months. Still, voters spanning the state — and across the age spectrum — have deeply negative impressions of his job performance and ability to lead on issues such as the economy.
Trump is also viewed unfavorably but leads Biden on nearly every issue polled, except abortion, on which Trump trails by double digits. The former president has managed to run even with Biden despite spending far less time on the campaign trail and a split screen of Biden in the Oval Office while Trump sits on trial for alleged hush money payments to a porn star, with more criminal cases pending.
The political impact of a potential conviction of the former president, which would be unprecedented, remains unknown at this point. Trump remains ahead with voters on the issue of crime — even as he stands trial.
Biden is losing support with young and non-white voters
Biden’s support among young people in the state has waned since 2020.
The same is true of non-white voters, including those who identify as Black and Hispanic/Latino, two groups that were instrumental to Biden’s 2020 win. A drop in support from these traditionally Democratic constituencies could imperil Biden’s chances in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
ADVERTISEMENTGiorgio Vavlas, a 24-year-old voter from Pittston, Luzerne County, who was polled, backed Biden in 2020 but has felt the financial pressures of post-graduate life and doesn’t see himself supporting the president in November.
“Things are more expensive. Gas, groceries, rent, all those types of things,” said Vavlas, who works in tech sales. “... I don’t think he’s been necessarily the best as president. And then the other thing is when you see him on TV, he doesn’t always seem the most competent.”
The issue of age and mental competency has become a major topic in the campaign. Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, are the two oldest major party nominees for president.
Young voters, such as Vavlas, are roughly evenly split between Biden and Trump in the May poll. That finding has a wide margin of error but still represents a huge change from 2020, when a NYT/Siena poll found Biden winning young people in the state by as many as 30 points.
ADVERTISEMENTBiden’s approval rating is lower among the state’s youngest voters than it is statewide. Young voters’ perceptions of the economy are also worse, and they trust Biden less than Trump with his handling of the war in Gaza.
Young voters turned out in record numbers in 2020 but a drop in their support remains an issue for him. In Pennsylvania’s April primary, a large number of Democrats cast write-in votes for president, many protesting his handling of the Middle East conflict.
Non-white voters, which encompasses Asian, American Indian, Alaska Native, Middle Eastern or North African, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander voters as well as Black and Hispanic/Latino voters, also signaled less support for Biden than seen in 2020.
When asked to choose just one of the two major candidates, a majority picked Biden, while only about a quarter picked Trump. But that margin is less overwhelming than it was in 2020, when polls found Biden winning 70% of non-white voters.
John Robinson, 24, of Pittsburgh, backs Biden reluctantly. He’s concerned about Biden’s age and Robinson, who is Black, said he doesn’t think Biden has always been a good advocate for racial equality.
“I don’t think he’s fully capable,” said Robinson, a middle school teacher. “… he’s too old to do the job.”
ADVERTISEMENTStill, Robinson doesn’t consider Trump an option.
“I think the guy’s a villain,” he said. “And I won’t be part of him advancing in any way.”
It’s unclear whether declining support for Biden among non-white voters in Pennsylvania actually translates to more support for Trump. As many as one-fifth of non-white voters refused to commit to any candidate. Either way, even a slight erosion of Democratic support among Black and Latino voters could make a difference in the state.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is favored by 10% of Pa. voters
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the environmental lawyer and past anti-vaccine activist running as an independent, has support from about 10% of voters in Pennsylvania, on par with his margin in other states.
Play/Pause VideoMute/Unmute VideoADVERTISEMENTAnd 9% of Pennsylvania voters said they did not know who they would support.
Valvas, the voter from Pittston, said he’s leaning toward Kennedy largely because he wants to see a change.
“I think somebody new in there, whether it’s fresh ideas, a new voice, is kind of what’s needed,” he said.
Most Kennedy supporters in Pennsylvania say they are voting for him in opposition to their other choices and the majority say they are not open to changing their vote to Trump or Biden. If forced to choose between major candidates, they would divide their vote evenly, so it’s unclear who Kennedy is pulling more voters from.
Trump supporters are happier with their options in the presidential election than Biden supporters by a margin of 69% to 55%.
» READ MORE: There’s only one key issue where Pa. voters trust Joe Biden over Donald Trump: Abortion
Trump leads on the issues in Pennsylvania — except abortion
Voters across the state are pessimistic about the economy and favor Trump — by 12 points over Biden — to fix it.
“I know how he will handle the economy and we’ll get cheap gas again and all the prices will drop,” said Matthew Innis, a registered Republican from Drexel Hill.
Innis, 55, an auto mechanic, said gas and grocery prices have been a drag on his wallet. “They used to cost $200 a week to feed my family,” he said. “Now it’s $350.” He thinks Trump’s policies would lead to a drop in retail prices and make it cheaper to move products.
Voters also trust Trump more on crime by 9 points. He also has a lead within the margin of error on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Joseph Ferraro, a 55-year-old Trump supporter from Union City, Erie County, blames lax enforcement at the border on the fentanyl crisis. His son died of a fentanyl overdose.
“I want the border closed. I want it shut down,” Ferraro said. “I want the illegals out of this country.”
Overall, the economy, abortion, and immigration were the top three issues that voters said would decide their vote in November.
On abortion, Biden continues to lead Trump by double digits. Legal abortions are widely supported statewide, even in geographic regions that are strongly pro-Trump.
Janet Buskirk, 75, a retired teacher from Wyomissing, Berks County, said women’s reproductive rights are top of mind as she looks to reelect Biden.
“I worry that it’s going to be a complete ban on abortion,” she said. Buskirk’s daughter had to undergo a procedure when she lost a baby during pregnancy. Buskirk said she fears her daughter may not have lived if that happened in a state with a strict abortion ban.
“I think all elections are important,” she said. “But this one, I think, could be country-changing if the Republicans get into office.”
The intensity of the moment is evident among voters across the political spectrum, many of whom said they are voting against the other side, not for their chosen candidate.
A majority of voters said they wanted “major changes” to the country’s political system — a warning sign for Biden, who 73% of voters said wouldn’t change much.
But to the extent that voters wanted change, that impulse might be rooted in a kind of nostalgia for less divided political times. A majority of voters also said they wanted a candidate who would “bring things back to normal” in Washington. Biden campaigned on a similar message of normalcy and calm in 2020, but will have a harder time claiming he represents change now.
Biden has an edge in the Philly suburbs — but there are warning signs there, too
As has historically been the case, Trump’s support in the central part of the state and among non-college-educated voters remains robust.
Biden leads in Philadelphia, its suburbs, and Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh. Trump leads everywhere except the Northeast and Lehigh Valley regions, where it’s a tie.
Drill down further into the Philadelphia collar counties, typically a Democratic bastion, and although Biden has a clear edge, his job approval numbers remain low. Fifty-five percent of suburban voters disapprove of Biden’s job performance, compared with 42% who approve.
Suburban voters are evenly divided between Biden and Trump on such issues as the economy and crime. And despite the suburbs’ commitment to voting for him, Biden’s overall favorability isn’t much higher there than it is statewide.
Whether that impacts Biden in the critical region is unclear. Typically low favorability can indicate less stable support but plenty of voters found Biden unfavorable in 2020 and voted for him anyway.
Benjamin Duerr, a 29-year-old electrician and registered Democrat from Upper Darby, said he’s disillusioned with politics. He doesn’t think either party stands up for working people. But he plans to vote for Biden.
“I just feel like Biden’s pretty incompetent,” Duerr said. “But he won’t f— up things too much, you know?”
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she continues to pull 20% in the primaries
Post edited by mickeyrat on_____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '140 -
A group of Nikki Haley supporters from Vermont to Arizona met with President Joe Biden’s campaign on Wednesday night almost immediately after she announced her plan to vote for Donald Trump, The Daily Beast has learned.
In the previously unreported meeting, a Biden campaign representative listened to the concerns of top Haley supporters from various states as part of Bidenworld’s ongoing outreach to win over Haley voters.
continues.....
_____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '140 -
those people are probably now going to be biden voters. bad news for trump.mickeyrat said:A group of Nikki Haley supporters from Vermont to Arizona met with President Joe Biden’s campaign on Wednesday night almost immediately after she announced her plan to vote for Donald Trump, The Daily Beast has learned.
In the previously unreported meeting, a Biden campaign representative listened to the concerns of top Haley supporters from various states as part of Bidenworld’s ongoing outreach to win over Haley voters.
continues.....
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."0 -
_____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '140 -
Biden mocked for 'disturbing' smile after ignoring question about Trump being 'political prisoner'
Critics blast Biden for apparent glee over Trump verdict: 'Not even trying to hide it anymore'
Published May 31, 2024 3:24pm EDTPresident Biden took heat on Friday for his strange response to a question about his political rival's historic criminal conviction following remarks from the White House, flashing what some called an "evil" grin.
Biden said Friday after former President Donald Trump was found guilty in his New York criminal trial that "he'll be given the opportunity, as he should, to appeal that decision, just like everyone else has that opportunity." The president added that it was "reckless, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict."
As Biden walked away from the podium, a reporter shouted out a question: "Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What's your response to that, sir?"
The president paused, turned to the reporters and flashed what some called a "disturbing" smile for almost 10 seconds before walking away, not offering a verbal response.
"Do you think a conviction will have an impact on the campaign?" the reporter pressed, without a response from the president.
Sage Steele, a former ESPN reporter, reacted to the video on X, saying, "Honestly, I rarely use the word evil to describe another human being but….."
Amber Duke, an editor for The Spectator, posted similarly on X, "The President of the United States' disturbing reaction to being asked if Trump is a political prisoner and if he is responsible for Trump's criminal conviction."
Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign official commented on the site, "where was the senile fool shuffling off to???"
Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the Trump campaign commented, "Evil." A Republican National Committee X account posted, "Pure Evil."
0 -
If we can’t impeach someone for their smile or grin, then we’ve LOSt our Country!shecky said:Biden mocked for 'disturbing' smile after ignoring question about Trump being 'political prisoner'
Critics blast Biden for apparent glee over Trump verdict: 'Not even trying to hide it anymore'
Published May 31, 2024 3:24pm EDTPresident Biden took heat on Friday for his strange response to a question about his political rival's historic criminal conviction following remarks from the White House, flashing what some called an "evil" grin.
Biden said Friday after former President Donald Trump was found guilty in his New York criminal trial that "he'll be given the opportunity, as he should, to appeal that decision, just like everyone else has that opportunity." The president added that it was "reckless, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict."
As Biden walked away from the podium, a reporter shouted out a question: "Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What's your response to that, sir?"
The president paused, turned to the reporters and flashed what some called a "disturbing" smile for almost 10 seconds before walking away, not offering a verbal response.
"Do you think a conviction will have an impact on the campaign?" the reporter pressed, without a response from the president.
Sage Steele, a former ESPN reporter, reacted to the video on X, saying, "Honestly, I rarely use the word evil to describe another human being but….."
Amber Duke, an editor for The Spectator, posted similarly on X, "The President of the United States' disturbing reaction to being asked if Trump is a political prisoner and if he is responsible for Trump's criminal conviction."
Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign official commented on the site, "where was the senile fool shuffling off to???"
Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the Trump campaign commented, "Evil." A Republican National Committee X account posted, "Pure Evil."
0 -
shecky said:
Biden mocked for 'disturbing' smile after ignoring question about Trump being 'political prisoner'
Critics blast Biden for apparent glee over Trump verdict: 'Not even trying to hide it anymore'
Published May 31, 2024 3:24pm EDTPresident Biden took heat on Friday for his strange response to a question about his political rival's historic criminal conviction following remarks from the White House, flashing what some called an "evil" grin.
Biden said Friday after former President Donald Trump was found guilty in his New York criminal trial that "he'll be given the opportunity, as he should, to appeal that decision, just like everyone else has that opportunity." The president added that it was "reckless, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict."
As Biden walked away from the podium, a reporter shouted out a question: "Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What's your response to that, sir?"
The president paused, turned to the reporters and flashed what some called a "disturbing" smile for almost 10 seconds before walking away, not offering a verbal response.
"Do you think a conviction will have an impact on the campaign?" the reporter pressed, without a response from the president.
Sage Steele, a former ESPN reporter, reacted to the video on X, saying, "Honestly, I rarely use the word evil to describe another human being but….."
Amber Duke, an editor for The Spectator, posted similarly on X, "The President of the United States' disturbing reaction to being asked if Trump is a political prisoner and if he is responsible for Trump's criminal conviction."
Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign official commented on the site, "where was the senile fool shuffling off to???"
Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the Trump campaign commented, "Evil." A Republican National Committee X account posted, "Pure Evil."
More desperation here on the part of Fox. You're only revealing the despair and weakness of the MAGA Republicans by posting stuff like this.
Please, continue!
"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
oh no he smiled and didn't reply!!!!!!!!!!!!shecky said:Biden mocked for 'disturbing' smile after ignoring question about Trump being 'political prisoner'
Critics blast Biden for apparent glee over Trump verdict: 'Not even trying to hide it anymore'
Published May 31, 2024 3:24pm EDTPresident Biden took heat on Friday for his strange response to a question about his political rival's historic criminal conviction following remarks from the White House, flashing what some called an "evil" grin.
Biden said Friday after former President Donald Trump was found guilty in his New York criminal trial that "he'll be given the opportunity, as he should, to appeal that decision, just like everyone else has that opportunity." The president added that it was "reckless, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict."
As Biden walked away from the podium, a reporter shouted out a question: "Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What's your response to that, sir?"
The president paused, turned to the reporters and flashed what some called a "disturbing" smile for almost 10 seconds before walking away, not offering a verbal response.
"Do you think a conviction will have an impact on the campaign?" the reporter pressed, without a response from the president.
Sage Steele, a former ESPN reporter, reacted to the video on X, saying, "Honestly, I rarely use the word evil to describe another human being but….."
Amber Duke, an editor for The Spectator, posted similarly on X, "The President of the United States' disturbing reaction to being asked if Trump is a political prisoner and if he is responsible for Trump's criminal conviction."
Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign official commented on the site, "where was the senile fool shuffling off to???"
Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the Trump campaign commented, "Evil." A Republican National Committee X account posted, "Pure Evil."
so this is it? this is what yall are going with for the next 2 or 3 days?
lmao"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."0
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/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/P72ZZ54BGRCNBOV2CW4A4JILIQ.jpg "Image: https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/1evK6VrngpcK152HRFKNZgLClho=/filters:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/P72ZZ54BGRCNBOV2CW4A4JILIQ.jpg")
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