Mr.TaterSalad

I've been collecting signatures today at one of the No Kings protests for the Invest In Mi Kids ballot initiative. This is a ballot initiative to tax the wealthy elite, those making over $500k or more per year with a 5% surcharge tax. The money collected from that tax would then be put into our public schools and school aid fund in Michigan. Thanks to Donald Trump motivating easily over 1,500 people to be out at the Ypsi No Kings protest today, myself and other petition gathers probably got well over 300-400 signatures for the ballot initiative. Thanks Trump!

I hope they both decline too. I don't want anyone to face violence of any kind in society, political or otherwise. It's why I have advocated so fiercely for gun safety reforms, greater expansion of mental healthcare services, wrap-around and social support services for those in need, and on. I only wish the Republican Party would do the same. I'm going to take this conversation into a different direction below and hone in on a few different things. We often hear Republicans talking about mental healthcare after there is an act of mass violence, yet no action ever seems to be done in Republican states or when they have control of the federal government to expand mental healthcare services. Take Trump and the Republicans in DC for example. They have spent over a decade trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act and the Medicaid expansion that comes along with it. If you repeal the ACA you will essentially be throwing millions off their healthcare coverage and making it criminally expensive for millions more, to the point they may, well lose coverage to affordability-related issues. The Republican Party and Donald Trump have not develop a clear and implementable plan to replace the ACA and ensure people don't lose coverage. Included in the coverage that real life people will lose is access to mental healthcare and psychiatric services. Medicaid currently covers mental healthcare. As do ACA subsidies on healthcare plans that people currently have. The Republican Party proports to care about mental healthcare, but is actively taking away mental healthcare services from people who need them most or may need them in the future. One of the reasons (not the only reason) that people commit mass acts of violence and gun violence, is because they are experiencing a mental health crisis or issue of some kind. They have an underlying mental health problem that has gone unaddressed or not been properly addressed. If you take away healthcare coverage by getting rid of Medicaid for millions of people, reducing what Medicaid coverages, or by cutting the ACA subsidies, you're going to exacerbate the problem of mental health. You are also potentially making the issue of violent incidents and outbursts worst because you are taking away help from people who may be most in need of it. Now I understand you can't blame every violent incident or mass act of violence or gun violence on someone's mental healthcare. There are a host of other factors at play, including a person's own responsibilities for their actions. We have our own real world example here in the State of Michigan as well. Governor John Engler and Republicans in Lansing gutted mental healthcare in the State of Michigan and made the problem actively worse in the 1990s and early 2000s. Between 1991 and about 2003, under Engler and the Republicans watch, Michigan closed seven state psychiatric hospitals for adults with serious mental illness, and five for children with emotional disturbances. Engler promoted redirecting funding from large state institutions into community mental health services, outpatient care, smaller group homes, etc. In 1993 community hospitals had about 3,041 adult psychiatric beds and 729 child/adolescent beds, by 2017 those numbers had declined to about 2,197 adult beds and 276 child/adolescent beds. Beyond numbers and policy, the human cost has been real: suffering, untreated illness, families under strain, people cycling through homelessness or incarceration, loss of dignity. You also had many who went to jail and the prison system became the "mental healthcare system" for those individuals because they resorted to crime or violent actions when they were not properly treated for their brain health issue.

You can sit here and post every one off and individual example you want. I can do that too. The data is clear though about who commits more political acts of violence. It is clear both in both the recent history of the past decade and prior to that. There is more right-wing political violence committed in the Untied States. And where does this data come from? Not some left wing think tank, but rather the right wing, libertarian, Cato Institute.

I remember when Bruce Boudreau got into it with Roy. Roy was threatening and yelling a Boudreau like a jerk. He was also pushing the glass between the teams over at Boudreau. You can't threaten the opposing team like that as a coach, you have to be above that crap and display a level of professionalism. I get being heated at the refs or the league for a bad call, but Roy looked like an unprofessional jackass in the moment.

Roy was always a douchebag of a person, player, and coach. I hope for his sake and his players that he has matured and grown. Like all human beings, he deserves to be given the opportunity to do so.

National Academy of Sciences: A comparison of political violence by left-wing, right-wing, and Islamist extremists in the United States and the world The right wing in the United States has a problem with political violence. Period. They have a recent problem and a problem that extends out throughout this country's history.

So I've been thinking about this before chiming in here on the topic. I've gone back and forth in my mind on what to do with Skubal this offseason. There are a couple of factors at play for me. One is how far apart are we on contractual numbers with Skubal and Boras. Two is how badly does Skubal want to test the free agent waters. Three is how aggressive do we plan to be in the offseason. If we really are $250 million apart from the number he and Scott Boras have in mind, that along with all the previous things we've been hearing about him wanting to test the market, tells me he isn't resigning here. If Harris and Ilitch have a solid idea on him not resigning here and going to free agency, that makes me lean towards wanting him being traded. What would push me over the edge is if we don't have a plan to be aggressive in signing top free agents or making a trade or two for a top player to bolster this roster. I don't what happened with the Detroit Lions and Suh to happen here with Skubal and the Tigers. All season long and all offseason Lions fans were assured by our GM Martin Mayhew that Suh was going to resign with the organization. So much assurance in-fact that they passed on drafting a generational DT in Aaron Donald in favor of a TE with generationally bad hands and drop problems in Eric Ebron. I really hope Harris and Ilitch have a better gauge on things than Mayhew did with the Lions. If Skubal isn't signing here and is testing free agency and we don't plan to spend aggressively to improve this roster this offseason, I lean towards trading him. If the organization was willing to go all in next year and do what it takes to make a push towards being a true World Series contender, then I'm ok with keeping him. If an aggressive offseason looks like bringing in Bregman + additional key pieces (another starter, bullpen arm, a secondary right handed bat) then let Skubal stay. I'm ok with taking the risk of losing him for nothing in free agency if we make a World Series push in the offseason and certainly if we actually make the Pennant Championship. If we keep him, don't have an aggressive offseason, and run back largely the same roster as this year, then I think I'll be concerned and quite possibly pissed. So if I was backed into a corner and forced to make a choice, I'd say trade him if you're just going to run back the same roster and get something for him. Keep him if you are committed to being aggressive and building a World Series contending roster. I feel like I'm copping out with my opinion though.

Remember, these people are pro life.

The right hates kids, which is well known. It's why they elected a child pervert as President and why their right-wing pedo pastors continuously get caught doing things with underage kids.

So much for Republicans being the party of the Constitution. Seems Trump is wiping his ass with our Constitution.

Does your opinion stay the same if Baker shreds our secondary this week?

Nothing to see here, just a Republican Congressman with a swastika over an American flag on his congressional office wall. Don't YOU have a swastika on your wall at home?

I never, ever doubted Rasmussen. What a stud. Might be the next Gretzky.

That SHOULD be game, set, match with that goal.

It bounced right off him. Couldn't get to it puck to bury it home.

They wear you down little by little until they get to the third period and break you and score a goal or two. We've done a good job holding up so far even though they have more hits on us by far.

Two really good scoring chances there. We need an insurance goal because I don't see Florida being held to one goal.

The call came from upstairs. We all know it, everyone watching that game knows it, both organizations know it. Everyone but the league is willing to admit that the illegal motion call came from upstairs. The league needs to admit to it.

Sorry about that one everybody.

Well fudge. I still don't take back what I just said above.

The sample size is quite small, but Talbot has looked really good really on. No soft goals let in, he's seeing the puck well, and getting himself in the right position to make the necessary stops.

I broke out the #18 for tonight's game. First game of the season.

Solid period of play. I thought they created a few nice scoring chances but couldn't quite punch it in.

If I lived in Virginia I wouldn't vote for Jay Jones personally. I'd avoid voting straight ticket Democrat as I would leave the AG's spot on my ballot blank or vote for an independent or Green Party candidate for that one. I also think he should have been dropped by the Virginia State Democratic Party from their list of endorsed candidates. It's too late to replace him on the ballot legally I'm guessing, but the party could have unendorsed him. I find threatening to kill someone or threatening bodily harm against a person disqualifying for an individual who intends to be the state's "top cop" or "top attorney" so to speak.