u/MaroonedOctopus

Obviously the "on the internet" is nonsense added by me for whimsy

...because a large spider spun its way down near her car while she was getting out of it.

We desperately need WR depth. Who should we sign, and what's the max we should spend on the three?

I'm some nobody. Why would my endorsement mean anything to you? It doesn't. This is more of a 'I'm voting for Lawson and you should too' post.

Jason Cabel Ciemielewski has never served in law enforcement. I feel he's massively underqualified and if he were to somehow be elected, he'd have significant problems merely getting the deputies to respect rank. I'm definitely not endorsing him. So if you're just looking at who's serious, it's a 2 horse race: Bickel vs. Lawson.

Key Reasons:

• Lawson is 57, whereas Bickel is 75. I believe in an age limit of 75 for elected offices.
• Lawson is currently an officer in the Frederick Police Department. Bickel hasn't held any position elected or unelected since 2014. Ciemielski has never served in any law enforcement role.
• Lawson hasn't already lost this race 3 times in prior elections. Why should we nominate the guy who already had 3 chances and lost 2 very winnable races in 2018 and 2022?

Back in February, Bickel said he was running because there was a strong need for a qualified candidate. Then Lawson entered the race. In my opinion, Bickel should drop out of the race, endorse Lawson, and retire from seeking elected office.

A bit of a lighter post; help me out here please!

Movies I saw pre-transition:

• Cadet Kelly
• Clueless
• Legally Blonde
• Mean Girls

Movies I saw since transitioning:

• Aquamarine
• Bring It On 1 & 3
• 13 Going On 30

Movies on my list to see:

• Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
• Lizzie Maguire Movie

Disclaimer: I'm pretty left of center. I ranked the candidates by how I'd vote for them on a Ranked Choice Ballot.

1- Ethan Wechtaluk
No wiki page.  Does have a platform page though!

• End Corporate Welfare
  • Raise the minimum wage
  • Enforce Anti-trust laws
  • Largely pro-small business stuff
  • Target agriculture monopolies
• Labor
  • Pass the PRO Act
  • Federal funds should go to union jobs if possible
  • Expand apprenticeship and up-skilling programs
• Healthcare
  • Medicare for All
  • Expand education for healthcare workers
  • Fund rural healthcare and telehealth
  • Allow medicare to negotiate drugs for all
  • Legalize marijuana
• Transportation
  • Electrify buses and rail
  • Expand rail, bring freight to Frederick and Hagerstown, improve passenger connections across the region
• Taxes
  • Simplify the tax code, eliminate loopholes, increase the standard deduction
  • We should have a system where Americans receive a pre-filled return that they can review and sign.
  • Tax realized and unrealized capital gain.  Put a vacancy tax on properties.
  • Raise the corporate tax rate and close loopholes.
• Foreign Policy
  • End taxpayer funding of genocide in gaza
  • Reclaim congressional authority to declare war
  • Rejoin UN, WHO, and Paris Climate Accords
  • Fund USAID
  • Strict oversight and transparency for US arms and military assistance to avoid use in war crimes or civilian repression.
• Tech
  • Privacy Bill of Rights
  • Ban sale of sensitive personal info, require broker transparency and easy opt-outs
  • Restrictions on license plate readers
  • Better requirements for cybersecurity for contractors
  • Ban sale of minors’ data, prohibit targeted ads to kids, biometric collection in schools
• Guns
  • Supports the 2nd Amendment and right of every law-abiding citizen to own firearms
  • Universal background checks
  • Close gun show and private sale loopholes
  • Red Flag laws
• Veterans
  • Fund and modernize the VA
  • Expand mental health care and suicide prevention  efforts
  • Expand housing assistance and invest in job training
  • Eliminate SSA/VA barrier for disability payments
  • Better family support programs
• Spending
  • Eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse
  • Prioritize audits
  • End taxes on SSA benefits, eliminate the SSA payroll tax cap
• Democracy
  • Independent commissions for redistricting nationwide
  • Overturn Citizens United
  • Tighter campaign finance limits, public financing options
  • Expand civic education
  • Ban Congressional stock trading
  • Term limits
  • Uncap the House
  • Expand SCOTUS
  • Binding code of Ethics for the judiciary
  • Term limits for SCOTUS justices
• Families
  • Expand FMLA leave to guarantee paid leave for ALL workers
  • Universal Child care
  • Expand the Child Tax Credit
  • Strengthen SNAP and WIC
• Disabilities
  • Strengthen the ADA
  • Fully fund Special Education
  • Fund ways to help workers with disabilities stay employed
  • Shift disability benefits admin to the state level
  • Better fund SSI program
• Housing
  • Increase supply near jobs and transit
  • Housing is a human right
  • Limit corporations and hedge funds ability to buy homes
  • National Renters’ Bill of Rights
• Education
  • Fund schools and pay teachers
  • Universal Pre-K
  • Free Community Coldge
  • Increase funding in trade schools, apprenticeships, and vocational programs
• Social
  • Codify Roe v Wade
  • Pass Equality Act
  • Defend Marriage Equality
  • Protect gender-affirming care
  • Criminalize and target deepfakes
• Immigration
  • Replace CBP and ICE with a new agency with strict oversight and firm limits on authority
  • End 287(g)
  • Clear fair path to citizenship
  • Border policy that prioritizes humanity, safety, and responsibility
• Environment
  • Strengthen Clean Air Act, invest in infrastructure
  • Hold Big Tech accountable
  • Strengthen Clean Water Act
  • Strengthen EPA and enforcement of pollution laws.

2- Alexis Goldstein
Former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Chief Technologist.  Fired by DOGE.
Worked as a programmer and analyst on Wall Street, left to join the Occupy Wall Street protests.  Published often with op-eds on financial topics from a progressive perspective.
In favor of:

• Canceling student debt
• Ending usury payday loans
• Wealth tax
• Stricter bank regulations

Cons- she doesn’t have an ‘on the issues’ page on her website.

4- April McClain Delaney
What else is there to say?  She is her husband’s wife, who had a much longer run as rep of MD-6.  Just like last election cycle, she has no On the Issues section on her website.  Member of the New Democrat Coalition (Clinton era centrist Democrats).
In favor of:

• Israel
• Ukraine
• Laken Riley Act
• Abortion rights
• Expansion of I-270 and I-81
• Universal Pre-K
• Free community college
• Reform to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for deficit reduction
• Universal Background Checks, Assault Weapons bans, Red Flag laws

Against:

• Medicare for All

3- David Trone
Long-time alcohol industry guy.  Member of the New Democrat Coalition (Clinton era Centrist Democrats), Problem Solvers Caucus (Centrism).
In favor of:

• Israel
• Abortion rights
• Free College if you work for 5 years in public service
• Free Community College
• Starting pre-School at age 3
• Redistricting reform
• Extending voting rights to undocumented immigrants and 16 year-olds.
• Term limits for congresspeople and SCOTUS justices
• Eliminating the filibuster
• Universal background checks
• Assault Weapons bans
• Pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants

Against:

• Crypto
• Medicare for All

Israel:

• Supported the Israel Anti-Boycot act, as if the 1st Amendment didn’t apply to Israel
• Voted to condemn the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions for Israel)
• Called UN commission of inquiry of alleged Israeli human rights violations to be shut down.
• One of 95 dems who voted to denounce Anti-Zionism as Anti-Semitism.
• Signed a letter condemning South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.

Doesn’t have an on the issues page on his website.

George Gluck
Doesn’t have a website, but he links to his Peloton which is weird.  No wiki page.  He’s retired and looks pretty old too.  Previously a green party candidate.  Perennial.
“Obama tried [the JCPOA] that failed to work.”  Actually it was working just fine.

Daniel Krakower
Doesn’t have a website or wiki page.  I can’t find anything on him.

Kiambo “Bo” White
Former Union rep.  No wiki page.  No website.

A. Mark Wilks
No wiki page.  Extremely barebones website with no issues page.

No doubt, Carter, HW Bush, Clinton, and Obama still had a lot to offer DC by running to be Senators, Congressmen, or even governors. Historically, ex-Presidents have been particularly effective after leaving office if they do decide to run for lower offices. Quincy Adams and Taft come to mind.

The tracking info I have for several houses seems to be completely inaccurate. For example, at a time when everyone is supposedly 'out of the house' there are 2 residents inside.

Firstly, I logged 19.3 hours in 2 days on this game. The core gameplay loop is very satisfying and it made for a fun weekend. (don't worry, I touched grass often during that time) With the way I play games, I'll probably never return to this game even if everything is totally implemented.

Early game content is great. Late game and Middle Game content is really suffering because the player, despite delegating returns and/or checkout, is still spending almost all of their time working as an employee. If I'm paying a Clerk and a Return guy, I should effectively not have to bother doing that at all.

In the late game, the player should have little to do with the day-to-day operation of the store. They hire/fire employees, conduct market research, but all other work that feels fit for a lowly employee should be delegated.

Here are my thoughts for employees:

• Returns could be massively improved by making a 'cart' of items ready to go back on the shelf that automatically organizes by genre. And this would also allow 'Returners' to put items on the shelf that weren't returned, but were purchased by the player or knocked on the ground.
• If you have a Fast Returner and a Fast Clerk, you should never have to spend any time outside of store hours waiting on the clerk to finish up, or waiting on the returner to catch up with morning items before clicking 'Open'.
  • Maybe the Return guy can start a few hours early and process all returned items before the store opens?
• The limitation on the number of employees should be gone. The only limitation to employees should probably their wages.
• Return guys should be able to fetch Reservations and give them to the customers.
• Clerks should have an option to make them a manager so that the owner's input isn't necessary to keep the line moving.
• Employees calling out sick should be pretty rare, less than 1 in 30 chance.
• Employees falling asleep should be able to be mitigated by purchase of a coffee maker.
• Employees should be able to be trained.
• Giving the clerk a stool to sit on should improve their mood and speed.
• Clerks should have options that specify when to ignore late fees and when not to.
  • Frequent customer?
  • Acted entitled/rude? Complained about the fees?
  • Personally, I only make them pay late fees if they complain or act entitled. I want the bad customers to never want to come to my store again.

Some more ideas:

• In addition to equipment becoming available, equipment should be upgradeable.
• The option to upgrade to a Self-Checkout or add additional checkouts.
• Customers should have profiles, which we can access via the pause menu.
• The player should be able to ban customers for berating employees or acting entitled.
• Overall customer feedback via suggestion box surveys should be available.
• Friday the 13th should only appear in the Fall. It really doesn't fit with other seasons. For this to work, you'd have to change the number of days per month but it'd work if Winter is 29 days and all other months are 30.
• Crime:
  • Some customers will try to smuggle items past the checkout. Some will just walk with a movie out the door.
  • Overnight, the store may get robbed. As the value of the cash or number of high-value valuables increases, the risk of burglary increases. As security measures increase, the risk decreases. CCTV would be a good start
• The player should be able to sell films on the Market at 90% of Market Value
• The length of time for rent, price to rent (with new/old and genre qualifiers), and prices for all sold goods should be available for the player to set in the computer, with realistic implications to the business.
• Music diversity should be a priority. There needs to be more background music playing to provide variety. Maybe some 1990s-inspired lofi?
• Set up a database framework wherein some users, including developers acting as a consumer of the game, could provide a long list of movie title names and even images to go on the covers. Check with your lawyers, but this setup is often how games like Madden are able to legally allow players to import the names/stats of hundreds of players to use in Drafts.
• The player should have the ability to fast-forward through a day if their employees are authorized to handle it.
• The player should be able to purchase adult films no differently than other films. Just because they are taboo doesn't make them illegal.
• The limitation on how fast I can checkout should be based on my own ability, not how slow customers are to put their items on the counter.
• Rather than purchasing some things via catalog or computer, the game should make use of the plaza by allowing us to purchase somethings (that make sense) in person. Maybe there's a flea market that comes every Tuesday?
• The game needs some kind of way to answer questions that help the players like:
  • I already have 8 arcade machines. Would adding a 9th increase my daily revenue?
  • My income has been fixed at like $500 per day for a long time now, despite me spending a lot on decorations, arcade games, more movies, more shelf space, etc. When should I just stop spending and instead save up for the...

Big picture thoughts:

• Once the player gets to a certain point, where a store is self-sustaining with ~$500 of daily revenue and a manager in place (paid $100 daily), they should be able to outright buy another location to develop into a full store.

I think it's more likely than not that we have 9+ wins. The HC hire is an immediate and obvious upgrade on a team that was already capable of 9+ wins last season. I believe that there are enough killer pieces on Offense and Defense that this can be a great team. And I believe that it's more likely than not.

PS: FTS

Disclaimer: You never know before the draft how these players will turn out. I'm sure there's a great UDFA who will be a pro bowler. And one of the last 4 picks might be a superstar. I'm grading these based on the consensus ranking, position selected, injury history in college, character, and team need.

The value of the draft is that we get to sign players on rookie contracts for well below their Market Values. The greater the difference between MV and the rookie contract, the greater the value. Terrell is worth well over $5M if he were to be a FA, but we get to have him for 4 years on an annual salary of $885k. If you draft a kicker in the 1st round, even if they're an elite kicker, since the salary is roughly equal to their MV if they were signed in FA, then it's actually a waste of a draft pick.

#48: CB Avieon Terrell - A+

Pros:

• Uniting the Brothers
  • Guarantees that AJ will definitely mentor Avieon
  • Means that AJ Terrell will want to stay here more
  • Pushes them to compete with each other in practice and in games
• Cornerback is a premium position
• Cornerback was a clear team need
• Terrell was Mock Drafted at #37- picking him at #48 is a steal
• Relatively clean injury history
• Great guy off the field

Cons: N/a

#79: WR Zachariah Branch - A

Pros:

• Wide Receiver is a premium position
• WR is a clear Team Need
• Branch has a clean injury history
• Branch was Mock Drafted at #65- picking him at 79 is a steal

Cons:

• Minor legal incident with obstructing sidewalk (allegedly ordered to move and did not)

#134 - LB Kendall Daniels - D

Pros:

• Clean injury history
• LB is a team need
• Great guy off the field

Cons:

• LB is not a high-premium position. High quality LBs are available for pretty cheap.
  • Bobby Okereke, Bobby Wagner, Lavonte David, and Matt Milano are all currently available and would likely cost less than $10M per year.
• Daniels was mock drafted outside of the top 300. This is a huge reach, and a better LB like Kyle Louis (ranked #95) was available

#208 - DT Anterio Thompson - C

Pros:

• Clean Injury History
• DT is a premium position
• Great guy off the field
• DL is a premium position

Cons:

• Thompson was mocked around outside of the top 300, so this is a huge reach. Landon Robinson and Jordan Van Den Berg were available.

#215 - LB Harold Perkins Jr. - C

Pros:

• Has an injury history, but recovered and played well for his Senior year.
• Great guy off the field
• He was ranked #142, so it's a steal to find him at #215

Cons:

• This is not a premium position; this pick could've been better spent on WR, OT, or DT. Great LBs are available in Free Agency for less than $10M per year, and depth is available for much cheaper.

#231 - OT Ethan Onianwa - F

Pros:

• OT is a premium position.
• Great guy off the field

Cons:

• Pretty bad Injury History in his Senior year, and it's unusual for OTs to have a non-Knee injury.
• He was over #400 on the big board; this is a huge reach for a guy who would've been available as an UDFA.
  • If you want to take a risk, Diego Pounds and Isaiah World suffered ACL tears (common for OTs) but were great OTs

Overall: C

I love the top 2 picks.

The players selected have no serious character flaws or reputation for toxicity. It's good and it keeps the focus on football, and ensures that the players are worth rooting for.

The trade down for more picks was great, but it really doesn't matter if you're going to waste those picks on players who would've been UDFAs.

It would've been much better if we had used those picks on some WRs like:

• Cyrus Allen, ranked #135, drafted #176
• Kevin Coleman Jr, ranked #123, drafted #177
• Josh Cameron, ranked #162, drafted #191
• Malik Benson, ranked #178, drafted #195
• Eli Heidenreich, ranked #171, drafted #230
• Deion Burks, ranked #159, drafted #254

Or a QB, like Garrett Nussmeier, ranked #168, drafted #249

Or some other DTs like:

• Jordan Van Den Berg, ranked #145, drafted #213
• Landon Robinson, ranked #154, drafted #226
• Tim Keenan III, ranked #147, drafted #232
• Rayshaun Benny, ranked #186, drafted #250