@SMB_Attorney Lol. I grew up in Orlando. Was there through the pandemic. Orlando is 5-10 years behind atlanta. Went back earlier this year and it just has not aged well
English
Albert's Alt
82 posts
Central Florida gets a bad rap, but the data and reality says otherwise.
You could make a serious argument that Orlando is one of the best places in America to live right now.
The Orlando metro was the fastest-growing large metro in the country last year, adding roughly 76,000
SMB Attorney@SMB_Attorney
@GayBearRes Tough morning so far here in Central Florida everyone sad
English
@Peaceluvwoodstk @bonchieredstate We can agree on some form of voter ID. That's not changing that after this cycle there will only be ~15 competitive districts out of 435 under normal, non-wave year circumstances. After 2028 there will be even fewer.
English
"we see our ability to affect things politically shrinking" ... election fraud will do that. Requiring proof of citizenship for voting would be a huge step in the right direction. Pew Research, Gallup, other polls show more than 80% of Americans favor voter ID and proof of citizenship for registration.
English
The effects of inflation are cumulative.
That’s how.
SaltyGoat@SaltyGoat17
Tell me again how expensive things are under Trump...
English
@Peaceluvwoodstk @bonchieredstate Also doesnt help that we see our ability to affect things politically shrinking. Political leaders should make political institutional reform a priority. Proportional representation to end this doom loop of gerrymanders is a must.
English
@Peaceluvwoodstk @bonchieredstate That's true. People's dissatisfaction is derived from pessimism toward the future. People want to be optimistic they will have more freedom to do things financially, professionally, and socially in the future. That's just not the case & hasn't been the case for years now.
English
@Peaceluvwoodstk @bonchieredstate I mean, maybe to a small degree. I'd say it's more like the media provides the flashlight for people to see what's really going on at a broader scale & the situation sucks bc there isn't a clear way out in sight.
English
@Peaceluvwoodstk @bonchieredstate The feeling of being stuck in life has entrenched itself. That's the core problem, not prices themselves. Stuck in mortgages, stuck w/o a house, stuck in a job w/o being able to move up, stuck not being able to retire bc property taxes are exploding, stuck financially bc prices
English
@bonchieredstate “Not everyone has gotten the same wage growth…”. Of course not, it’s an average, just like prices are an average.
The point is, on average, wages have more than kept up with inflation. That’s not “messaging”, that’s a fact.
English
@JosephStigler @Yellow_Dog1959 @jamesetta_w Can quibble with amount but we were trying to avoid the primary Great Recession policy mistake, i.e. not spending enough to juice economy. The ripple effects of that policy mistake lasted nearly a decade & created all kinds of downstream social problems.
English
@Yellow_Dog1959 @jamesetta_w Biden actually caused a large portion of the inflation by signing the The American Rescue Plan Act on March 11, 2021. This bill printed $1.9 trillion and handed it out to everyone. The inflation problems started soon afterwards.
English
My unpopular opinion is that Biden’s econ team achieved their stated goal of world class Covid recovery, avoided recession (once thought inevitable), prioritized employment, navigated global inflation, and delivered benefits to the working class. it’s just that voters hated it.
English
@AbHomineDeus to be able to afford their mortgage and increasing property taxes. Next tier up jobs just aren't as available for people to climb the corporate ladder/income ladder.
English
@AbHomineDeus Id refine that. People feel stuck. People feel stuck in mortgages bc their interest rates when buying/refi were near 0. People who didn't own a home prior to recession feel stuck bc they can't afford one. People feel stuck in jobs bc older generation isn't retiring bc they have
English
It's housing. That's literally it. No one can afford a place of their own. They can't put down roots or start a family. The housing market has already crashed. This is as cheap as it's going to get and Millennials and younger are locked out.
English
@StatisticUrban People feel stuck. Stuck in their job. Stuck in their homes. Stuck without owning a home. Stuck feeling stressed about money. There's no end to that reality in sight and people feel the weight of that.
English
@GypsyZuls @ZaidJilani Im not going to go back and forth on this point. You are simply wrong about her not being one of the front runners.
poll.qu.edu/images/polling…
English
@_14numbers @ZaidJilani She was never front-runner in 2019-20.
And surely you know that of the 20 or so people running each cycle only maybe 3-4 are actually running for POTUS. The rest are running for VP, a cabinet position, or a cable news gig.
English
Democrats weakest 2028 candidates:
Harris: Repeated loser, just bad at politics
Newsom: Carries all the California baggage
AOC: Too many extreme views from prison abolition to quasi open borders
English
@PatrickSlayZee @TampaDan eligible labor pool & INCREASE the merit of those selected for the role over time.
English
@PatrickSlayZee @TampaDan based on the hiring departments existing social/professional network. Human social behavior shows that largely self selects for people of more or less similar social backgrounds. DEI is an attempted labor market reform trying to address that in order to INCREASE the actually
English
When I was at UF, they gave millions of dollars to DEI groups and refused to give my conservative club a single cent. I had to sue to get my First Amendment rights restored.
DEI is racist crap used to force progressivism down our throats.
Fred Kolb@FredtheGerman
I’m so tired of my alma mater sucking at football, failing to hire competent leadership, and parroting inflammatory MAGA propaganda. 15 years ago I got into UF on an appeal by describing the challenges I overcame as an immigrant. Today they’d throw my letter right into the trash.
English
@GypsyZuls @ZaidJilani She was definitely a front runner at the beginning. Betting markets had her top 3 for quite some time.
There is no primary election for VP. The winner of the presidential primary selects their VP.
English
@_14numbers @ZaidJilani She was never front runner in 2020. She was a newbie senator who ran for VP and got VP.
English
@PatrickSlayZee @TampaDan Are you actually open to the argument?
English
@TampaDan I still have not seen a proper argument in defense of DEI. It’s all just “blah blah maga” and nothing else
Why is forced diversity superior to pure merit?
English
@GypsyZuls @ZaidJilani She was a front runner in 2020 then collapsed and didn't even make it till when voting started. Additionally, her 2020 primary campaign led to her 2024 defeat.
English
@ZaidJilani Why don’t you run, Mr. Perfect?
And are you calling a woman who won 6/7 elections & came within a whisker of the 7th a “repeat loser”?!
One who was the 1st woman & 1st person of color - male or female - in all but one of those elected offices “bad at politics”?!
OK grandpa.
English
@betterATL It wasn't a flare. In congested areas, there's a legitimate argument for partitioned areas of the path for micro transit lanes. They would keep pedestrians safer & allow microtransit users to travel at a more consistently faster speed.
English
Anyways, I’m just spitballin here…
But this is teeing up the solidification of a position among the city’s non elected leadership: beltline rail should be abandoned.
The Norwood council move was a flare.
It’s all very similar to the Public Safety center process.
English
Why would the chairman of Cox write an anti transit hit piece?
Idk… but Cox owns autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Xtime(system a lot of srvc centers use to manage car maintenance info).
Cox also invested 350 million dollars into… Rivian (Andre Dickens’ fave).
@
The chairman of Cox Enterprises, parent of the AJC, is using the news outlet to condemn Beltline rail. City leaders need to see how ridiculous this is. Arguing against rail in a city that's starved for its growth, and that is already funding it with a tax, is bad enough. 1/
English
@Tad507 @tiredofinterne1 @rmh887723458 @jnmiranda7 @UF People think that the job market is merit based. It's not. It's relationship based and why LinkedIn exists. You get interviews based on who you know which directly limits who is actually considered for jobs. DEI initiatives are rooted in trying to combat that to INCREASE merit
English
@Tad507 @tiredofinterne1 @rmh887723458 @jnmiranda7 @UF I wouldnt consider that DEI tho. It's just an acknowledgement that rich people can pay top dollar to put their kids in test prep programs that artificially skew the top end of the test score bracket. Should be a signal to parents to emphasize different areas of development
English
I’ve been a proud @UF Gator due to the sense of belonging it fostered while I was there, so it’s disappointing to see UF officially turn its back on diversity, on equity, & on inclusion. We knew this was happening already. Just didn’t realize UF was a willing participant.
FLORIDA@UF
.@EDSecMcMahon is correct. DEI is discriminatory by design, antithetical to the purpose of a university, and incompatible with the pursuit of truth. The University of Florida has already acted on that conviction. In December 2025, our Board of Trustees adopted institutional neutrality and embedded an anti-DEI mandate within the presidential contract itself, ensuring that no university funds, public or private, will underwrite DEI at this institution. Dr. Stuart Bell stands with Secretary McMahon, the Board, and the people of Florida on this. He is ready to lead UF forward as a university defined by merit, rigor, and the pursuit of truth.
English