IT: Ransomware attack causes U.S. pipeline shutdown, and... Should states halt federally-enhanced unemployment benefits?

Glowrum That’s all you got I’m a fool? No rebuttal to why Biden gave millions to terrorists or why the southern border crossings is up 900%? Yup another failed attempt of debating with a dem.

Freethinker, you are, absolutely, lost! What a fool you’ve become...

The Colonial pipeline folks have been quite good at enlisting federal expertise for dealing with the aftermath of the cyber attack of their corporate offices, the ransom ware and getting help to restore services. They, however are refusing to share information regarding how their systems were hacked in the first place. This is unconscionable: How can they count upon federal agencies to save their sorry asses at the taxpayer’s expense and refuse to provide information that would help stop such critical attacks from occurring to other critical infrastructure. … … … There have been several prior attempts to legislate the deployment and improvement of critical infrastructure cyber security using best practices developed by federal resources on an ongoing basis. The private interests who own and operate critical infrastructure has strongly resisted due to the added expense of insuring adequate cyber security. I believe the last legislation directed to protecting critical infrastructure was filibustered to death by the Republican Senate some time ago, the sissy party of obstructionist ‘NO’ who can hide behind the filibuster without having to expose their individual self-serving ignorance by roll-call voting. Enough all ready! … … … Corporate greed cannot be allowed to leave many Americans at risk to unsecured critical infrastructure because Corporate America is not willing to let the federal government help until it is too late nor pay the price required to to adequately protect their systems. This is like the Texas electric power grid operating without interconnection to the national power grid so they could avoid regulation. They were told years ago that their traditional and renewable power generating resources needed to be winterized in order to accommodate the inevitable cold snaps that infrequently occurred, and they did nothing - it certainly was a lot less costly. If these utilities had allowed interconnection with the national grid or had even minimally winterized their conventional power generation there would have been little to no loss of power. How many Texans suffered or died due to corporate greed and Republican stupidity?

Barbara A: You are right on the money. The red states with their lower taxes and lower standard of living cost less to live in and wages which are clearly substandard in high cost of living Blue states can be acceptable in many red states. The sad part of all of this is that the Blue States on average contribute much more money to the Federal government in taxes than they receive, while the Red States on average take more subsidies from the federal government than they pay in taxes. Since the Republicans are so insistent that every one pay their fair share and pull their own weight, perhaps it would be appropriate to limit the federal subsidies to Red States to the amounts which they contribute in taxes, you know so that they will be responsible members of the Union of States that make up our country. I just wonder how the highly subsidized company farms would fare without their ongoing subsidies supported by Blue state taxpayers? How would the coastal Red States fare without federal help every time a costal hurricane re-rips their state apart. I mean if everyone has to pull their own weight equally why should a Senator’s vote from North Dakota representing very few people count the same as a Senator’s vote from California who represents several orders of magnitude more people. If the founder’s notion that all people are created equal, why are Senators that represent very few people given a vote which counts as much as the vote of Senators who represent orders if magnitude more people. Why are their votes not weighted in accordance with the population that they represent? … … … Republicans and trumpublicans cultists always use half facts, distortions and sometimes outright lies to make arguments regarding others that, if universally applied to them as well -they would most assuredly resist. … … … The fact that Biden has done more for the people and the future of this country in his first hundred days than the Republican Party has done over the past twelve years has got to sting quite a bit, so just let them rant.

Biggest impact today: Liz Cheney’s comments! Much respect!!! Keep speaking the truth! History won’t be kind to the deluded, the spineless and the suck ups that fill your party.

Stop the enhanced benefits. Plenty of jobs available but this admin wants to move towards socialism. Where is the outrage with the pipeline hack. Why isn’t anyone blaming Biden and Harris for their soft buddy Duffy stance with China and Russia? If this was President Trump the media and dems would be on the air constantly spreading lies as usual. Step up and strap on a pair republicans. Do what’s right for the people for a change and not your pockets!!!!!!

Job numbers mean nothing. Livable wages & benefits do. Besides a Republican governor in each state cutting unemployment, do you know what else they all, but one have in common? Walmart is their largest employer. https://www.businessinsider.com/largest-employers-each-us-state-2017-6

Carina, Freethinker, Robert, et al., the Dump spent 132 days golfing at a cost of over 142 million. At Christmas, he charged the Secret Service $16,000 a day for rooms. He extended Secret Service protection and other privileges to his greedy children for 6 months AFTER he left office. He did absolutely nothing as President, except rip us off every way he could and give pardons to all his partners in crime. There was no justice for anyone but his cronies. We lost all credibility with other countries. They considered him a pariah. They laughed at him and avoided him whenever they could. He wants to be a dictator. There are so many other things, I haven’t the time to list them. What Biden is doing, you fools, is cleaning up all the messes he left. Where you got your bullshit about him giving access to China of our power grid is beyond me. History will show what absolute f’ing idiots you all are for following sites that feed you such lies and bull. Unlike the REAL news, Fox, for example, is a entertainment channel and NOT held to the standards that REAL new has. That they call themselves news would be laughable, except for the fact that you idiots continue to lap up the lies. Facebook can be just as bad. Get a life, will you? Maybe, just get f’ing educated, you Ignorants!

Some Republican states have halted federally enhanced unemployment checks...you can thank your Republican governors. They blame people for being “lazy.” You know who I blame? Businesses that don’t pay a livable wage. A virus that has left parents without brick & mortar schools/childcare. And, politicians who serve big businesses and not people.

I’m guessing Russian Company “Darkside” is assisting Trump’s cause by causing a fuel shortage with the pipeline hack, thus allowing the oil companies to raise prices. This then allows Republicans to say, “see, we told you if Biden is elected, gas prices will rise”.

You vote against Liz at your own peril.

Larubia Livable wages like mandating a $15 minimum wage will hurt small businesses and cause layoffs. The lefts narrative constantly wants to bring up Walmart and Amazon but never address how their policies will impact small businesses. Small business owners have families too and struggle to make a living within this country also.

After doing some digging , “President Biden's $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan does not include any funds to protect critical infrastructure against cyberattacks, even as the threat grows against targets such as the electric grid.” With the latest Russian attack on the pipeline, I hope this will be included in the infrastructure package!!!

Glowurm So typical again leftist resort to name calling and reliving Trump. How about today? How about the millions of US tax dollars that Biden just gave to Hamas and now they are creating havoc and calling for the killing of every Jew in Israel?! The Middle East was the most peaceful under Trump and Biden reversed it now giving the terrorist group more funding for weapons which they used to just blow up an Israeli school. And what about the southern border?! Biden caused a humanitarian crisis of child trafficking and is just funding the cartels. And in no time we will all be waiting in lines for gas, pay more for toilet paper and essentially all goods. Biden’s America is going down fast the way I see it and China is laughing all the way to the bank while just polluting this world even more than all developed nations combined now because they know they can walk all over America if Biden is president. Yeah great job Biden!! To the most transparent, moderate and uniting president ever! Biden is the BIG LIE...what a joke.

Wow. This particular, manageable group of responses is quite telling. There are those who are thoughtful, share compelling arguments and seem willing to listen. Over time and different issues you see how their thoughts mature and change. I always learn new perspectives and glean new information from jimK’s posts for example. And he obviously is listening and learning as well. But then there are those who remain bat shit crazy and come at every single issue with the same conspiracy laced bullshit that reinforces our divisions and what is going so very wrong at the moment. I am in need of a break.

Do not cancel federally enhanced benefits. I work in the restaurant industry and have only been able to be fully vaccinated for a week now and safely apply to in person work. I have a weakened immune system and couldn’t before. But the jobs that used to be good are now paying the bare minimum without health insurance. I’m looking for work comparable to what I used to have, and it isn’t out there. I never made that much either, at 50,000 and only getting 42,000 of that after taxes and insurance I was already barely getting by with increasing rent prices and utilities in my city. Now I can find jobs that offer $8 an hour plus an unknown amount of tips. That’s not even a guarantee of a living wage. I want to go back to work. Companies are trying to force people into poverty wages and it is unacceptable. Especially because the danger of in person work is still there. Vaccinated doesn’t mean completely safe or that I wouldn’t take the virus home to an unvaccinated loved one. Ending these benefits before a larger portion of our population is vaccinated is a death sentence for some people. Don’t do this.

I’m curious that Causes is not inviting discussion of Trumpist Kevin McCarthy’s effort to oust Liz Cheney because she voted for impeachment. Essentially, she voted her conscience and had the guts to swim against the tide. In that vote, she exemplified the integrity I personally want to see in my elected officials. That may be the only time she has - I don’t know because I haven’t followed her. Nonetheless.....Yet, McCarthy who trumpeted and supported every Trump lie wants her out. He’s expending time and energy on this when his political twin, Matt Gaetz, is under investigation for claims of sexual misconduct and Marjorie Taylor Greene is busy dispensing misinformation and conspiracy theories. Doesn’t McCarthy have enough to do reading bills and choosing how to vote? Oh. Wait. He doesn’t have to do that because he’ll vote however McConnell or Trump tell him to (Trump overriding McConnell). I admit that I’m really concerned about what some of this newer generation of politicians lack in in integrity. The voids left by integrity and a moral compass seem filled instead by narcissism in those. The arrogance in place of humility in Congressmen and -women today astounds me. What does all of this mean for our republic when it leads to anti-democratic election bills (over 300 now), lack of care for country over self, and willingness to sink to any level to get and keep power and its perks?

5 LITTLE GIRLS LEFT ALONE AT THE BORDER on ranch! The youngest 11 months old but NOTHING on Cause!!!! Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, spoke with the farmer who said he found the "baby girls" hungry and crying. He said one was naked and was crawling because she was too young to walk. Wake up!!!!!

It’s amazing to me that people have gotten sucked into Fox News big lies.Biden is an honest man. Trump is evil. You pick and live with the consequences. I think it’s time to end extended benefits. Lots of jobs out there.The Republican Party has turned away from its moral policy’s. I don’t agree with Liz Cheneyon most issues but she speaks the truth no matter what it costs her politically. You have to respect that.She realizes what Trump has done to tear down our republic. I think he is a Russian asset. Hopefully, the younger generation will make the right choices for their future. Our generation made a mess of it.

When Walmart was ordered to provide Obamacare to all their full-time employees, they cut the number of hours back that people worked so they were no longer considered "full-time" employees. I do agree that Walmart does not treat their employees right, however, for people who must work at Walmart, it is better than no job at all. Also, Walmart provides products to people in very low income areas which helps poor people. Then there's the problem in a lot of places down South. There are jobs for people but they do not want to work because they make more money from government subsidies than they do working. That is the problem. The answer is to give them subsidies but make them work to get those subsidies. After all, almost everyone can do something!