#Montana | West Virginia | Louisiana and Missouri

[xtruss]

How Recent State Laws Are Making It Harder to Sue Trucking Companies After Crashes

— July 12, 2023 | By James O'Donnell | Frontline

The trucking industry is engaged in a concerted lobbying effort that critics say will make it harder for victims of crashes to sue the companies involved and limit the compensation plaintiffs can win. In the past three years alone, the industry has helped prompt new laws in seven states including Texas and Florida, which rank among the highest in the nation for fatal truck crashes.

The industry says those new laws will help curb frivolous lawsuits and excessive payouts, but safety advocates say they instead shield trucking companies from legitimate liability after crashes and disincentivize the companies from working to prevent crashes in the first place.

The new laws come as fatal truck crashes are on the rise. More than 5,000 people die each year in crashes with large trucks, up by more than 50% compared with a decade ago. FRONTLINE and ProPublica’s recent documentary, America’s Dangerous Trucks, examined one gruesome kind of truck accident — underride crashes — and why they keep happening.

After a crash, the best way a survivor can receive compensation for serious injuries or the loss of a loved one is to sue the trucking company and driver, according to Joe Fried, an attorney in Georgia with two decades of experience in truck crash litigation who spoke to FRONTLINE. That’s because most truckers carrying general freight across state lines are required by law to have $750,000 in liability insurance, but lifetime medical costs after serious crashes can quickly exhaust that amount. Carriers may be ordered to pay more than that figure, but if the company goes bankrupt or does not have the assets to pay, victims may never receive it. The $750,000 minimum was set by Congress in 1980 and, despite numerous efforts to increase it, has remained unchanged.

In late 2019, one of the trucking industry’s most vocal leaders, Chris Spear of American Trucking Associations, described crash lawsuits as an “all-out assault” on the industry in a radio interview. In a speech to ATA members around that time, Spear announced curbing crash lawsuits as a “tier-one priority” for the organization and vowed to work with state governments and state lobbying groups to pass new laws to do so. Since then, the ATA has also said that crash lawsuits are becoming more frequent and expensive, therefore raising insurance costs for carriers.

Mark Geistfeld, a professor of civil litigation at NYU Law and the author of five books on liability, told FRONTLINE he’s heard similar refrains about frivolous lawsuits from industry groups since the 1980s. That’s when industry lobbyists began trying to pass what they called tort reforms at the state level. Geistfeld has examined tort reform since then, noting that while the movement is less active now than it was in the 1980s, industries like trucking are ramping up their efforts.

“They call it reform, but historically most of the reforms have been about cutting back on liability,” Geistfeld said, referring to the industry groups.

He called the issue of meritless lawsuits a “bogeyman,” as the legal system has ways of sanctioning plaintiff lawyers if they knowingly bring frivolous cases. Industries campaigning for tort reform, he said, are typically more focused on reducing the amount they’ll be liable to pay if found responsible. They do so through campaigns for new state laws that change things like how trials are conducted, set caps on damages or redefine what evidence can be produced at trial.

Iowa, Montana, West Virginia, Louisiana and Missouri have also passed new tort reform laws supported by the trucking lobby. They take different forms in each state: Louisiana and West Virginia repealed rules which had prevented defense lawyers from bringing in evidence about whether the plaintiff had been wearing a seatbelt, and a law in Missouri raised the bar for ordering a trucking company to pay punitive damages. Jeremy Kirkpatrick, spokesperson for the ATA, said the state laws mark “initial successes in a long term campaign.”

While negligent trucking companies should be held accountable, he said, the new tort reform efforts the ATA is supporting aim to restore “balance and fairness” to the litigation system and are not about reducing liability. When a trucking company’s insurance premiums go up after large verdicts and settlements, according to Kirkpatrick, leadership may cut costs by lowering wages, which can mean hiring less experienced drivers and can have a negative impact on safety.

“The trucking industry has become a target for plaintiff-attorney profiteering,” he said. “This is about reforming specific rules and practices that enable plaintiffs’ attorneys to inflate damages and engineer nuclear and disproportionate verdicts and settlements.”

Texas: Limits on Company Liability and Evidence

Texas, which ranked first in the nation for truck-related fatalities in 2020 with 643 deaths, passed a law in 2021 that says trucking companies cannot be sued for their role in a crash unless the driver has first been found liable by a court — a process called a bifurcated trial. It passed with support from the Texas Trucking Association, a state lobbying group and ATA member, which said the law will protect trucking companies from “biased and unfair courtroom tactics.”

Previously, according to trucking lawyer Fried, plaintiff attorneys could bring in evidence about a trucking company’s broader practices — such as how many other accidents it was involved in — to convey to the jury that the crashes were a systemic problem. It’s a practice long-derided by truck lobbying groups, which refer to it as “reptile theory” and say it wrongfully aims to rile up the jury against trucking companies to encourage larger verdicts.

The new Texas law changed that. In the first phase of the trial that determines compensatory damages, attorneys are now more confined to the facts immediately surrounding the specific accident and whether the company was negligent in hiring or vehicle maintenance before the crash. Broader evidence about the company’s past is only allowed if the driver or company is proven at fault and the trial moves to a second phase. It’s a legal change Fried expects trucking groups will try to bring to other states.

“This passed in Texas because the politics were ripe for it there,” he said. “But it’s definitely being pursued elsewhere.”

Florida: Shrinking the Window to Sue

The trucking lobby also notched a win in Florida, which ranks third in the nation for truck-related fatalities, with a law passed in March that made a number of changes to civil litigation that are particularly relevant to trucking. Alix Miller — president and CEO of Florida Trucking Association, an ATA member — lobbied heavily for its passage.

“Florida is one of the worst when it comes to trucking litigation,” Miller told FRONTLINE, saying that the state’s new law and others like it aim to make the legal system more balanced for defendants. The Florida law changes how medical bills are presented at trial by only admitting the amount paid versus the amount initially billed. It also reduces the statute of limitations from four to two years for personal injury cases.

Safety advocates say that a shorter time frame in which one can sue becomes an obstacle to victims in their effort to pursue accountability after crashes.

“When you talk to victims who have been through this, they will tell you that the first two to three years are completely disorienting,” said Zach Cahalan, executive director of Truck Safety Coalition, a group that provides resources and support to people involved in truck crashes and advocates nationally for safety regulations. He noted that victims often have to deal with a deluge of paperwork, medical bills, physical therapy appointments and other demands as they process the crash.

“By the time they realize that ‘Hey, I might need to pursue a civil trial,’” he said, “sometimes the statute of limitations is over.”

Iowa: Caps on Damages

Another path these laws have taken is to cap the amount of noneconomic damages awarded to plaintiffs — compensation for losses that, unlike medical bills or wages, cannot be easily measured, such as the loss of a child.

The Iowa legislature passed a law in April, supported by the Iowa Motor Truck Association, an ATA member, that caps pain and suffering payments to $5 million in accidents involving commercial vehicles, though it includes exceptions for certain situations of extreme negligence, like if the driver was intoxicated.

Supporters of the law say that plaintiff lawyers profit too much off of crash litigation and that the cap will help fix this. But Cahalan of the Truck Safety Coalition opposes such limits on damages, and he said instead that juries should continue to have agency in determining how much should be paid after a crash.

“Your ability to be made whole following a crash should not be arbitrary,” he said.

Geistfeld, from NYU Law, said that whether in trucking or another industry, the outcomes of tort reform efforts decide who is responsible for paying for the cost of injuries. They also shape the incentives that businesses weigh when deciding how to conduct their operations safely, he said.

“The idea, ultimately, is if the businesses are forced to pay for the liabilities of their drivers, then the businesses are going to adopt safety measures to try to make sure that they can do as much as possible to keep drivers from getting into crashes,” he said. “And that’s obviously good for society.”

— “America’s Dangerous Trucks” is part of a collaborative investigation from FRONTLINE and ProPublica. The documentary premiered on June 13, 2023, and is available to stream in the PBS App and on FRONTLINE’s Website.

[ibetittering]

FREAKING OUT THE MUSIC IS BACK I'M SO HAPPY

[kalopsic-lagomorph]

miku worldwide usa edition (click to fully appreciate)

(go follow the cool artists under the cut)

finished map: here

washington: @mochasucculent

oregon: @the-jelliphish

california: @camiliar

arizona: @apelgif

nevada: kikiCPU

utah: @ace-o-hearts

montana: @just-luxx

idaho: @roxyrot

wyoming: @saintlethanavir

colorado: @yaelartworks

new mexico: @eldritch-ace

north dakota: @schwoopsiedoodles

south dakota: beebeerock

nebraska: @glassofoj-twitter

kansas: @petziez

oklahoma: @razzafrazzle

texas: @princepsed

minnesota: @pastabaguette

iowa: @rumpledcrow

missouri: @inkyharpy

arkansas: @basement-buddy

louisiana: @circusclownproductions

wisconsin: @plush0fairy

illinois: @shrimpimage

kentucky: @double-m-b

tennessee: @thebiscuiteternal

mississippi: @juneyybee

alabama: @burnt-scone

michigan: @chorne-the-firstborn

idiana: @meowjuniper

ohio: @teethflavoured

west virginia: @littleivyart

virginia: @splemonocracy

georgia: @alyossan

florida: kierscribbles

south carolina: @ash-animates

north carolina: @pinkcultgirl

maryland: @f4ceache

pennsylvania: @sukifoof-art

new york: @doodoobirds

new jersey: @porcelain-rob0t

delaware: easybriizydraws

rhode island: @crazywolf828

conneticut: @koreyeet

vermont: @maggotwithanf

massechusettes: @wishpetal

new hampshire: @ohnoshiv

maine: @limesade

alaska: @owldart

hawaii: @theexistingbox

[libraford]

The word 'rural' is in the public consciousness again and every time people start going in about the 'rural values' 'rural way of life' I remember just how subjective that word is.

I have a friend that lives in LA. He considers Columbus, OH to be 'rural.' A population of over 900k. Thriving arts community, tons of culture festivals, every kind of restaurant you can think of, one of the most annoying college campuses ever, several smaller colleges, lots of queer spaces, comic book conventions, huge concerts... rural.

The town I live in considers itself 'rural.' 38k population. Arts festival every year, a small pride celebration, monthly gallery hop, big Halloween festival. Five ice cream shops, three coffee shops, a couple fancy bars, so many grocery stores. Huge library, conservation and sustainability advocates, queer spaces, a hospital, one private college. Rural.

The town we nearly annexed, but lost the deal considers us 'urban' compared to them. Less than 5k. They have a limited hospital, often send their surgeries here. Downtown has hardware store, bars, craft supply store, a couple grocery stores, pizza places. There's some farmland, but much of the square acreage is golf. Mega churches. The houses here are 500k. Most people drive ATVs. They have a handful of festivals in the summer.

A town I would often get sent to to cover their high school sports- a little over 2k. There's a Subway, a Domino's, Family Dollar. Some bars, some corner stores. Some local crafts. All the students grow up knowing each other, most of them stay there. But they have craft fairs and art galleries, still.

Less rural still than the town I go through to get there, population of around 600. Houses, farmland, post office, general store.

Who would still look down upon the town of about 400 that I would go to sometimes- post office. Gas station. Bar. The school is the only big thing there.

And yet still, I have seen towns with population in the double digits that have a church and a post office.

Even just looking at the numbers doesn't lend accuracy to what 'rural' actually looks like. Because this is what it looks like in ohio, but it's different in West Virginia- where your closest neighbor might be a mile down a hill. Or in Montana, where your town might be planned very tightly and your neighbors are very close, but the nearest grocery store is an hour and a half away. These are places I've been, friends that I've talked to. I've never been to Missouri or Alabama or Louisiana- I'm sure they have a unique experience of being 'rural.'

So my point is that when people talk about 'the rural experience' or 'rural values,' they are talking about millions of people across the entire country who all have lived unique lives- and who may not even agree on what 'rural' is.

Think about who is talking, and who is being talked over, and who isn't even being asked to join the conversation.

[batboyblog]

Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #29

July 26-August 2 2024

President Biden announced his plan to reform the Supreme Court and make sure no President is above the law. The conservative majority on the court ruled that Trump has "absolute immunity" from any prosecution for "official acts" while he was President. In response President Biden is calling for a constitutional amendment to make it clear that Presidents aren't above the law and don't have immunity from prosecution for crimes committed while in office. In response to a wide ranging corruption scandal involving Justice Clarence Thomas, President Biden called on Congress to pass a legally binding code of ethics for the Supreme Court. The code would force Justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political actions, and force them to recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have conflicts of interest. President Biden also endorsed the idea of term limits for the Justices.

The Biden Administration sent out an email to everyone who has a federal student loan informing them of upcoming debt relief. The debt relief plan will bring the total number of a borrowers who've gotten relief from the Biden-Harris Administration to 30 million. The plan is due to be finalized this fall, and the Department of Education wanted to alert people early to allow them to be ready to quickly take advantage of it when it was in place and get relief as soon as possible.

President Biden announced that the federal government would step in and protect the pension of 600,000 Teamsters. Under the American Rescue Plan, passed by President Biden and the Democrats with no Republican votes, the government was empowered to bail out Union retirement funds which in recent years have faced devastating cut of up to 75% in some cases, leaving retired union workers in desperate situations. The Teamster union is just the latest in a number of such pension protections the President has done in office.

President Biden and Vice-President Harris oversaw the dramatic release of American hostages from Russia. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former Marine Paul Whelan held since 2018, Russian-American reporter for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Alsu Kurmasheva convicted of criticizing the Russian Military, were all released from captivity and returned to the US at around midnight August 2nd. They were greeted on the tarmac by the President and Vice-President and their waiting families. The deal also secured the release of German medical worker Rico Krieger sentenced to death in Belarus, Russian-British opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, and 11 Russians convicted of opposing the war against Ukraine or being involved in Alexei Navalny's anti-corruption organization. Early drafts of the hostage deal were meant to include Navalny before his death in Russian custody early this year.

A new Biden Administration rule banning discrimination against LGBT students takes effect, but faces major Republican resistance. The new rule declares that Title IX protects Queer students from discrimination in public schools and any college that takes federal funds. The new rule also expands protections for victims of sexual misconduct and pregnant or parenting students. However Republican resistance means the rule can't take effect nation wide. Lawsuits from Republican controlled states, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, means the new protections won't come into effect those states till the case is ruled on likely in a Supreme Court ruling. The Biden administration crafted these Title IX rules to reflect the Supreme Court's 2020 Bostock case.

The Biden administration awarded $2 billion to black and minority farmers who were the victims of historic discrimination. Historically black farmers have been denied important loans from the USDA, or given smaller amounts than white farmers. This massive investment will grant 23,000 minority farmers between $10,000 and $500,000 each and a further 20,000 people who wanted to start farms by were improperly denied the loans they needed between $3,500-$6,000 to get started. Most payments went to farmers in Mississippi and Alabama.

The Biden Administration took an important step to stop the criminalization of poverty by changing child safety guidelines so that poverty alone isn't grounds for taking a child into foster care. Studies show that children able to stay with parents or other family have much better outcomes then those separated. Many states have already removed poverty from their guidelines when it comes to removing children from the home, and the HHS guidelines push the remaining states to do the same.

Vice-President Harris announced the Biden Administration's agreement to a plan by North Carolina to forgive the state's medical debt. The plan by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper would forgive the medical debt of 2 million people in the state. North Carolina has the 3rd highest rate of medical debt in the nation. Vice-President Harris applauded the plan, pointing out that the Biden Administration has forgiven $650 million dollars worth of medical debt so far with plans to forgive up to $7 billion by 2026. The Vice-President unveiled plans to exclude medical debt from credit scores and issued a call for states and local governments to forgive debt, like North Carolina is, last month.

The Department of Transportation put forward a new rule to bank junk fees for family air travel. The new rule forces airlines to seat parents next to their children, with no extra cost. Currently parents are forced to pay extra to assure they are seated next to their children, no matter what age, if they don't they run the risk of being separated on a long flight. Airlines would be required to seat children age 13 and under with their parent or accompanying adult at no extra charge.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it is giving $3.5 billion to combat homelessness. This represents the single largest one year investment in fighting homelessness in HUD's history. The money will be distributed by grants to local organizations and programs. HUD has a special focus on survivors of domestic violence, youth homeless, and people experiencing the unique challenges of homelessness in rural areas.

The Treasury Department announced that Pennsylvania and New Mexico would be joining the IRS' direct file program for 2025. The program was tested as a pilot in a number of states in 2024, saving 140,000 tax payers $5.6 million in filing charges and getting tax returns of $90 million. The program, paid for by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, will be available to all 50 states, but Republicans strong object. Pennsylvania and New Mexico join Oregon and New Jersey in being new states to join.

Bonus: President Biden with the families of the released hostages calling their loved ones on the plane out of Russia

[gusty-wind]

Cost of illegal immigrants per state in 2023:

Alabama: 596 million Alaska: 130 million Arizona: 3.19 billion Arkansas: 356 million California: 30.9 billion Colorado: 1.94 billion Connecticut: 1.28 billion Delaware: 244 million Florida: 8.04 billion Georgia: 3.14 billion Hawaii: 771 million Idaho: 405 million Illinois: 5.27 billion Indiana: 886 million Iowa: 405 million Kansas: 603 million Kentucky: 367 million Louisiana: 604 million Maine: 90.3 million Maryland: 2.14 billion Massachusetts: 2.16 billion Michigan: 1.28 billion Minnesota: 657 million Mississippi: 100 million Missouri: 657 million Montana: 45 million Nebraska: 136 million Nevada: 1.47 billion New Hampshire: 108 million New Jersey: 5.27 billion New Mexico: 174 million New York: 9.95 billion North Carolina: 3.14 billion North Dakota: 43.25 million Ohio: 332.4 million Oklahoma: 273 million Oregon: 1.47 billion Pennsylvania: 1.64 billion Rhode Island: 313 million South Carolina: 746 million South Dakota: 57 million Tennessee: 341 million Texas: 5.35 billion Utah: 931 million Vermont: 75 million Virginia: 2.84 billion Washington: 2.62 billion West Virginia: 12.9 million Wisconsin: 246 million Wyoming: 18.1 million

This is not sustainable.

[destielmemenews]

2024 Presidential Election Results

A single, frequently updating post that will have the result of each state, in alphabetical order, as they come in. Check in often for updates!

CURRENT ELECTORAL VOTES, 270 TO WIN

🟦Harris: 226

🟥Trump: 312

Alabama - 🟥Trump

Alaska - 🟥Trump

Arizona - 🟥Trump

Arkansas - 🟥Trump

California - 🟦Harris

Colorado - 🟦Harris

Connecticut - 🟦Harris

Delaware - 🟦Harris

Florida - 🟥Trump

Georgia - 🟥Trump

Hawaii - 🟦Harris

Idaho - 🟥Trump

Illinois - 🟦Harris

Indiana - 🟥Trump

Iowa - 🟥Trump

Kansas - 🟥Trump

Kentucky - 🟥Trump

Louisiana - 🟥Trump

Maine - 🟦Harris (district 1)(at large) 🟥Trump (district 2)

Maryland - 🟦Harris

Massachusetts - 🟦Harris

Michigan - 🟥Trump

Minnesota - 🟦Harris

Mississippi - 🟥Trump

Missouri - 🟥Trump

Montana - 🟥Trump

Nebraska - 🟥Trump (district 1 and 3) 🟦Harris (district 2)

Nevada - 🟥Trump

New Hampshire - 🟦Harris

New Jersey - 🟦Harris

New Mexico - 🟦Harris

New York - 🟦Harris

North Carolina - 🟥Trump

North Dakota - 🟥Trump

Ohio - 🟥Trump

Oklahoma - 🟥Trump

Oregon - 🟦Harris

Pennsylvania - 🟥Trump

Rhode Island - 🟦Harris

South Carolina - 🟥Trump

South Dakota - 🟥Trump

Tennessee - 🟥Trump

Texas - 🟥Trump

Utah - 🟥Trump

Vermont - 🟦Harris

Virginia - 🟦Harris

Washington - 🟦Harris

Washington, D.C. - 🟦Harris

West Virginia - 🟥Trump

Wisconsin - 🟥Trump

Wyoming - 🟥Trump

270ToWin

Bloomberg

NPR

[zanmor]

Using Your Vote Strategically

Your vote doesn’t matter (probably). Luckily you can make it do a bit more.

Your vote is one of a few hundred million game pieces. Knowing how best to use it requires you to understand your place on the game board. Let’s take a look at that board.

Current polling has the following ten states (yellow on the above map) as highly competitive in this year’s presidential election: Maine, New Jersey, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia. Realistically those first three have only gone to Democrats since at least 2000 so speculation is more focused on the last seven (and even New Hampshire has been solidly Democrat since it voted for Bush in 2000).

If you’re one of the roughly 37.5 million voters who lives in one of those states, congratulations! Your vote will actually help decide who wins the presidency in November. As such you should probably vote for one of the major parties. To the other 82% of the electorate, it’s time to think a little harder about how you’ll utilize your vote in the fall.

Meanwhile there are 35 states that solidly belong to one of the two parties and that ain’t changing. They’re blue and red on the map above.

These states have only given electoral votes to their respective party since at least 2000 and current polling (according to 270towin.com) shows that they will do that again this year, well beyond any margin of error in the polls. California for instance is currently polling heavily in favor of the Democratic candidate and has voted for a Democratic candidate since 2000. Obviously that’s not about to change. That’s the case with these other 34 states as well. Which means if there’s any way to “throw your vote away” then it’s by blindly tossing it in with the millions of others that will not impact the electoral college or party platforms in any way.

The states where your vote matters least are:

California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, Alaska, Missouri, Hawaii, Louisiana, Kansas, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Idaho, Tennessee, Utah, Arkansas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alabama, Washington, Massachusetts, Maryland, Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, Delaware, Washington DC, Rhode Island, and New Mexico.

If you live in one of these states I have no qualms about advising you to vote third party in the general election. It will not change the electoral college outcome. But it can have important benefits you wouldn’t see by simply tossing another ballot on the mountain. I’ll talk below about those benefits. First, the last part of the game board.

The following six states (green on the above map) are technically polling within the margin of error where they could potentially go either way. I personally think it’s unlikely they’ll flip but you can make your own call on that and vote accordingly. If you live in North Carolina, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, or Colorado, I think you’re likely to get more use from your vote giving it to a third party candidate based on current polling.

As I said above, I don’t expect that third party voting will impact the electoral college outside of those few truly competitive states.

So what does voting third party do?

If enough people vote third party it can do two helpful things: 1. if a party’s candidate receives over 5% of the popular vote then they can get federal matching funds in the next election, helping spread messages currently relegated to the sidelines, and 2. the major parties are more likely to take note of these votes and try to adjust their platforms to grab these voters in later elections. Voting for one of the two major parties doesn’t send any sort of message. What little utility your vote has in that regard is lost.

Voting for a candidate like Jill Stein of the Green Party can accomplish both of the above goals. Her platform is incredibly progressive. Across the board it’s a lot of things that leftists have been clamoring for. It will show establishment Democrats that there is voting support for those policies.

By supporting a third party candidate (not an independent solo candidate) we could see her get 5% of the popular vote and gain federal matching funds in 2028. It’s not about if she would be a good president or if you like her personally—she is not and never will get elected. It’s about hitting that 5% and showing the establishment that if they cater to the folks who like this platform that they can win votes.

Five percent of the 2020 election would have been just under 8 million votes. Four million Californian voters could have voted Green Party and Biden still would have won the state by over a million votes. We can definitely find 4 million votes in the other 40 states that otherwise are unlikely to impact the election. And we should.

[reality-detective]

WED. 30 OCT. 2024: NUMBERS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS ALLOWED TO VOTE IN AMERICAN ELECTIONS BY STATE.

Source is Social Security Admin. Numbers are growing each week. We are already over 10 million collectively. 👇

Alabama 57,272

Alaska 3,765

Arizona 1,313,742

Arkansas 6,141

California 188,019

Colorado 45,105

Connecticut 4,912

Delaware 0

District of Columbia 0

Florida 46,191

Georgia 246,698

Hawaii 0

Idaho 5,093

Illinois 373,398

Indiana 174,499

Iowa 10,043

Kansas 25,593

Kentucky 0

Louisiana 6,192

Maine 5,328

Maryland 70,041

Massachusetts 4,830

Michigan 20,196

Minnesota 27,768

Mississippi 1,587

Missouri 1,709,753

Montana 23,983

Nebraska 7,440

Nevada 66,105

New Hampshire 0

New Jersey 166,558

New Mexico 0

New York 116,616

North Carolina 374,665

North Dakota 0

Ohio 35,954

Oklahoma 0

Oregon 22,490

Pennsylvania 1,583,781

Rhode Island 59,286

South Carolina 0

South Dakota 15,878

Tennessee 0

Texas 3,129,627

Utah 14,539

Vermont 2,982

Virginia 0

Washington 19,004

West Virginia 0

Wisconsin 7,573

Wyoming 7,755

2024 TOTAL: 10,000,402

The Shit Show Continues 🤔

[galwednesday]

USA Ballot Measures Nov. 2024

41 states (and Washington DC) have ballot measures this year! Even if your state's electoral college result isn't in question, you may have ballot measures to vote on alongside the presidential election and state-wide elections.

Below the read more link is an alphabetical list of each state with ballot measures. Each state name links to the Ballotpedia.org page for that state's ballot measures, which will be updated with new developments as election day nears (some ballot measures are still tied up in court as of when I'm making this post in late September, so the approved ballot measures may change before you vote). Ballotpedia has information on each ballot measure, including what a yes/no would mean, arguments for and against, who supports/opposes each measure, and the full text of the measure.

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Minnesota

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Utah

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

But wait, there's more!

We also have 2024 ballot measures for:

Washington, D.C.

Local ballot measures

Check the full Ballotpedia.org list of local ballot measure elections in 2024 to see if there are any in your area!

[kleosvarietyblog]

USA PATCH NOTES

-made Wisconsin significantly larger by absorbing several other states into it, as well as giving it most of Michigan

-minnesota is now an independent country

-made missouri much smaller (much of what used to be missouri now belongs to wisconsin)

-resolved v-fighting between utah and wyoming

-split the rest of Michigan between ohio and indiana

-the entire delmarva peninsula is now part of Washington, D.C.

-gave georgia's coastline to south carolina

-further divided the dakotas

-southern montana is now part of southwest dakota

-the alaskan panhandle is now canadian

-3 of the hawaiian islands are now part of mexico

-merged arizona, nevada, and southern california into a single state

-alabama and mississippi's coastlines are now floridian

-oklahoma is now very very long

-eastern texas is now in louisiana

-arkansas is slightly larger

-western texas is part of new mexico

-merged northern california, western oregon, and the entirety of washington into a new state

-eastern oregan is part of idaho

-the idaho panhandle is now a separate state

-rotated the border between virginia and north carolina by 90° (virginia in the east, NC in the west)

-merged kentucky, east tennessee, and the maryland panhandle into west virginia

-merged the rest of maryland as well as most of western new york into Pennsylvania

-merged eastern Massachusetts and all of new hampshire into maine

-merged western massachusetts, new york city, long island, and all of new jersey into vermont

-renamed colorado to squareland

-rhode island is entirely unchanged

[jjmcquade-misc]

DEMS FRAUD Numbers of illegal Aliens allowed to vote in American elections by state. Shame on AZ, Missouri and PA who are the worst offenders. Can you imagine going to England, Canada or any other foreign country and voting in their elections? It wouldn’t happen. Source is Social Security Admin. Numbers are growing each week. We are already over 10 million collectively. Alabama 57,272 Alaska 3,765 Arizona 1,313,742 Arkansas 6,141 California 188,019 Colorado 45,105 Connecticut 4,912 Delaware 0 District of Columbia 0 Florida 46,191 Georgia 246,698 Hawaii 0 Idaho 5,093 Illinois 373,398 Indiana 174,499 Iowa 10,043 Kansas 25,593 Kentucky 0 Louisiana 6,192 Maine 5,328 Maryland 70,041 Massachusetts 4,830 Michigan 20,196 Minnesota 27,768 Mississippi 1,587 Missouri 1,709,753 Montana 23,983 Nebraska 7,440 Nevada 66,105 New Hampshire 0 New Jersey 166,558 New Mexico 0 New York 116,616 North Carolina 374,665 North Dakota 0 Ohio 35,954 Oklahoma 0 Oregon 22,490 Pennsylvania 1,583,781 Rhode Island 59,286 South Carolina 0 South Dakota 15,878 Tennessee 0 Texas 3,129,627 Utah 14,539 Vermont 2,982 Virginia 0 Washington 19,004 West Virginia 0 Wisconsin 7,573 Wyoming 7,755 ‌ 2024 TOTAL: 10,000,402

[feddy-34]

check your registered voter status

all 50 US states and territories below. every link is to the official state/territory elections page, all with .gov domains.

information taken from the official vote.gov website

US STATES:

alabama: alabamavotes

alaska: myvoterportal

arizona: myarizona vote

arkansas: voterview

california: voterstatus

colorado: sos.state

connecticut: portaldir

delaware: ivote

florida: myflorida

georgia: myvoterpage

hawaii: olvr

idaho: vote idaho

illinois: ova.elections

indiana: indianavoters

iowa: sos.iowa

kansas: myvoteinfo

kentucky: vrsws

louisiana: voterportal

maine: maine.gov

maryland: voterservices

massachusetts: sec.state

michigan: mvic.sos.state

minnesota: mnvotes

mississippi: msegov

missouri: voteroutreach

montana: prodvoterportal

nebraska: votercheck

nevada: nvsos

new hampshire: app.sos.nh

new jersey: voter.svrs

new mexico: voterportal

new york: voterlookup

north carolina: vt.ncsbe

north dakota: sos.nd

ohio: voterlookup

oklahoma: okvoterportal

oregon: sos.state.or

pennsylvania: pavoterservices

rhode island: vote.sos.ri

south carolina: scvotes

south dakota: sdsos

tennessee: tnmap

texas: votetexas

utah: votesearch

vermont: mvp.vermont

virginia: elections.virginia

washington: votewa

west virginia: sos.wv

wisconsin: myvote wisconsin

wyoming: check status by contacting your local registration office through your county clerk. country clerk contact information here

US TERRITORIES:

american samoa: aselections

guam: gec.guam

puerto rico: consulta.ceepur

northern mariana islands: votecnmi

virgin islands: vivote

washington dc: dcboe

remember to cast that ballot in november!

[1americanconservative]

@DefiyantlyFree

Cost of illegal immigrants per state in 2023:

Alabama: 596 million

Alaska: 130 million

Arizona: 3.19 billion

Arkansas: 356 million

California: 30.9 billion

Colorado: 1.94 billion

Connecticut: 1.28 billion

Delaware: 244 million

Florida: 8.04 billion

Georgia: 3.14 billion

Hawaii: 771 million

Idaho: 405 million

Illinois: 5.27 billion

Indiana: 886 million

Iowa: 405 million

Kansas: 603 million

Kentucky: 367 million

Louisiana: 604 million

Maine: 90.3 million

Maryland: 2.14 billion

Massachusetts: 2.16 billion

Michigan: 1.28 billion

Minnesota: 657 million

Mississippi: 100 million

Missouri: 657 million

Montana: 45 million

Nebraska: 136 million

Nevada: 1.47 billion

New Hampshire: 108 million

New Jersey: 5.27 billion

New Mexico: 174 million

New York: 9.95 billion

North Carolina: 3.14 billion

North Dakota: 43.25 million

Ohio: 332.4 million

Oklahoma: 273 million

Oregon: 1.47 billion

Pennsylvania: 1.64 billion

Rhode Island: 313 million

South Carolina: 746 million

South Dakota: 57 million

Tennessee: 341 million

Texas: 5.35 billion

Utah: 931 million

Vermont: 75 million

Virginia: 2.84 billion

Washington: 2.62 billion

West Virginia: 12.9 million

Wisconsin: 246 million

Wyoming: 18.1 million

This is not sustainable.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive (Daily updates!)

Weird how this "endemic" German strain is poised to dominate worldwide... That almost sounds like a pandemic :O

By Ahjané Forbes

KP.3.1.1 is still the dominant COVID-19 variant in the United States as it accounts for nearly 60% of positive cases, but the XEC variant is not far behind, recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data shows.

"CDC is monitoring the XEC variant," Rosa Norman, a CDC spokesperson told USA TODAY. "XEC is the proposed name of a recombinant, or hybrid, of the closely related Omicron lineages KS.1.1 and KP.3.3."

The variant, which first appeared in Berlin in late June, has increasingly seen hundreds of cases in Germany, France, Denmark and Netherlands, according to a report by Australia-based data integration specialist Mike Honey.

The CDC's Nowcast data tracker, which displays COVID-19 estimates and projections for two-week periods, reflected that the KP.3.1.1 variant accounted for 57.2% of positive infections, followed by XEC at 10.7% in the two-week stretch starting on Sept. 29 and ending on Oct. 12.

KP.3.1.1 first became the leading variant between July 21 and Aug. 3.

The latest data shows a rise in each variant's percentage of total cases from Sept. 15-28, as KP.3.1.1 rose by 4.6%, and XEC rose by 5.4%. Previously, the KP.3.1.1 variant made up 52.6% of cases and XEC accounted for 5.3% from Sept. 15-28.

Here is what you need to know about the XEC variant and the latest CDC data.

COVID-19:Your free COVID-19 at-home tests from the government are set to expire soon. Here's why.

Changes in COVID-19 test positivity within a week Data collected by the CDC shows a drop in positivity rate across the board, while the four states in Region 10 had the biggest decrease (-2.7%) in positive COVID-19 cases from Sept. 29, 2024, to Oct. 5, 2024.

The data was posted on Oct. 11.

Note: The CDC organizes positivity rate based on regions, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Here's the list of states and their regions' changes in COVID-19 positivity for the past week:

Region 1 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont): -2% Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands): -1.9% Region 3 (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia): -1.3% Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee): -0.6% Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin): -2% Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas): -0.8% Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska): -1.7% Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming): -1.2% Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau): -1.3% Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington): -2.7% The CDC data shows COVID-19 test positivity rate was recorded at 7.7% from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5, an absolute change of -1.8% from the prior week.

COVID-19 symptoms The variants currently dominating in the U.S. do not have their own specific symptoms, the CDC says..

"CDC is not aware of new or unusual symptoms associated with XEC or any other co-circulating lineage of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," Norman said.

The government agency outlines the basic symptoms of COVID-19 on its website. These symptoms can appear between two and 14 days after exposure to the virus and can range from mild to severe.

These are some of the symptoms of COVID-19:

Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache Loss of taste or smell Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea The CDC said you should seek medical attention if you have the following symptoms:

Trouble breathing Persistent pain or pressure in the chest New confusion Inability to wake or stay awake Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds

[martiancount1877]

jokes

What do Barack Obama and George W. Bush Jr have in common?

They both love Dick.

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What do Israeli Jews have in common with Palestinian Muslims?

They both hate Turtle Necks.

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How many Jews does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

None, the shabbos goy will do it.

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Why did Eve give Adam a bite from the apple instead of something nicer?

Man hadnt yet invented the housewife.

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How many hours does it take to walk across Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, respectively?

No idea, I fly over.

---

There are plenty of fish in the sea, they said.

I'm no ichthyophile.

---

What do you call a gay country fella with a thick booty?

Hubba Bubba

---

How much beer does a dolphin drink?

5 cans

---

What game do Dwayne Johnson, the Pope & Ellen Degeneres play?

Rock, Papal, Scissors

---

What does a gay Cholo and Asian men have in common?

They love doing their éses

---

How do transpeople cross the road?

One splat at a time.

---

Nothing worse than getting fired,

from a canon.

---

What's John Oliver's drunk irish cousin's name?

Seán O'MacLiver

---

What do women and transwomen have in common?

Nothing.

---

What do proud and out gays and indians have in common?

They love holding hands with men.

---

Recently a family of indian immigrants got food poisoning at an lgbt restaurant.

---

What do they call jokes in india?

Delhihihihihi

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Fin