The photos of the "crowds" at the tank parade remind me of when Bill Hicks would come on stage in an almost-empty club, scan the room slowly, and announce "I've had more people in bed than this" ...
When the president sends a cabinet member on TV to announce "We are using the military to liberate an American city from its elected leaders," where do you go from there. What is left to say. The idea of that being anything short of a near-universal "Wait, what the fuck is going on" moment proves how far we've backslid.
This is from 2022 but it was absolutely right. The practiced buffoonery of Trump 1, all the "just kiddings" and "seriously but not literallys" absolutely succeeded in desensitizing people who are hardly paying any attention to the harder stuff they always intended to do next. ...
The basic fallacy in chasing votes by being "tough on immigration" is that the modal American's position on the issue is "Deport the Bad ones and keep the Good ones," and they alone know who is which, and that simply does not translate into workable policy. So this kind of gestapo stuff horrifies some of the same people who cheered when Trump promised to do it. There are true sociopaths who love this, but "No, I meant only the BAD immigrants! Not my coworker/friend/neighbor!" is as likely a reaction as enthusiasm. You cannot do immigration policy that satisfies these people because what they want is nonsensical.
So by the time center-left parties fully commit to chasing the far right by "getting tough" on immigration, the backlash has already begun to build and they walk right into it. "I thought you people wanted this!" No, they want something impossible and convinced themselves they'd could have it - the "eat whatever you want AND lose weight!" of immigration policies.
It is hard to grasp but large masses of Americans are both racist/xenophobic AND not racist/xenophobic enough to applaud what Trump is doing. It's goldilocks shit, they want a level of racism/xenophobia calibrated exactly to their personal preferences, and you just can't make that policy. Don't try. ...
AP: Trump extends olive branch, invites Musk to White House cellar to taste some brand new amontillado ...
democommie says:
I could be wrong since I can't do the math but I'm told it's possible to buy all of the possible combinations.
OTOH, the stated odds for the Megamillions price is something like 256M-1.
democommie says:
"Prize" and it's $2 c 256M
Robert Coleman says:
What if we’re one of “those” people and want all the math…
deadprez says:
It was done by several individuals back in the early days of state lotteries when the number of tickets required was, relatively speaking, low. There was a great article recently about a couple somewhere in the midwest (Iowa?) who realized that the state lottery could be gamed by aiming for 5 matching numbers instead of 6. They eventually set up a syndicate of friends and relatives and were making $$ for at least 5 years until somebody at the state lotto realized what was going on and they changed the game. So, these intrepid folks realized that the MA state lottery was also "hackable" in a similar fashion. They would drive all the way to MA, stay in a cheap motel, and fill out all the forms, and yes, make lots of $$. This went on until MA got wise. It turns out there was another group that had been "gaming" the MA lottery for years…..MIT students.
john danley says:
I once organized a 12-step Powerball Therapy program several years ago.
There is one who has all power; that one is Powerball.
1. Admitted we were powerless over the economy and that our finances had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Powerball greater than several million dollars could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of Powerball on the day we purchased it.
4. Made a searching and fearless map of all lottery locations.
5. Admitted to lottery officials, to ourselves, and to local investment bankers the exact nature of our investment income.
6. Were entirely ready to have Powerball remove our financial concerns.
7. Humbly asked for another Powerball ticket if we experienced shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all lottery options and became willing to purchase them all.
9. Made direct deposits to local financial institutions whenever we encountered three or more winning numbers.
10. Continued to purchase Powerball tickets, and when we did not win, promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through probability research and impulsive gambling to improve our conscious contact with Powerball—asking only for the knowledge of current odds and the power to withstand future losses when they occur.
12. Having had a financial awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice purchasing Powerball with increased frequency.
jeff says:
Yes, you can buy a minimum number of tickets to guarantee a win. However, other people can buy winning tickets also, so …
mago says:
Nothing to do with the lottery here, which I don't play even if it was once considered a tongue-in-cheek retirement plan on my part. No. It's that personal revelation FB post, which I read on the blog sidebar since I'm not the social media type and have to follow your musings as posted on this site.
The point is, wow man. That's some courageous public exposure you're doing there.
Keep the wind in your sails.
You've got something to give.
democommie says:
@mago:
I thought I had something to give, but the doctor said all of the tests came back, "negative".
mago says:
,No demo, you got something to give, docs got no corner on the truth.
democommie says:
@ mago:
I did have a VA nurse tell me that I should donate my kidneys to someone–I told her that I was stil using them!
Lori says:
I always assumed it axiomatic that all instances of organized gambling consist of negative sum games. Am I missing something?
JustRuss says:
Isn't "Lotto Enthiusiasts" a euphemism for "People who'd like to have a ton of money dropped on them for no good reason", ie Everybody?
mago says:
Just don't abuse them, demo.
democommie says:
@ Just Russ:
I've heard the lottery called, "A tax on the innumerate".
@ mago:
One man's abuse is another man's foreplay!