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Comment by sodafountan | Hacker News Reader

How dare these "scientists", what gives these people the right to do this? To strike fear and panic in the markets and the world because a man was elected that doesn't share your political views? They can take their imaginary clock and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.

Life has never been better. It's been proven time and time again that statistically speaking the human race has never been happier or healthier. Let's move on past Donald Trump and all get back to business, this is getting ridiculous.

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"The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes" - Donald Trump

"Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all." - Donald Trump

Both of these quotes within the last month. Are you serious??????

Your comment is stronger without the ending rhetorical question, especially its excessive question marks.

I disagree. Without the final note, he is simply reporting facts.

This actually seems very logical and non-political. If the US president advocates nuclear proliferation, that clearly increases the risk of nuclear war, regardless of whether you like them or not. The only more obvious reason to move the clock toward midnight would be the start of an actual war between nuclear powers.

You only speak for yourself when you say that "life has never been better". It's the same kind of numerical arrogance that made the left ignore the plight of rural America, because the unemployment rate is technically very low. There are many people under thread by the Trump administration, many of them are students that I personally know. And so is the environment. In what measure has the environment never been better? By any measure I have read it is the worst it has ever been, and we live in it.

I hear this a lot and I'm not saying its totally wrong but everyone seems to be placing a lot of blame on "the left" for ignoring the plight of middle class workers and rural america, but do you have specific examples of this? In many of these places the republicans have been in power for a long period of time, why have they not addressed their issues? We've even had long stretches of time where all branches of the government were controlled by the republicans and why were these issues not addressed? "The left" has hardly been able to implement anything for years due to total opposition, how are they supposed to help their opponents constituents when they can't even address their own?

Acknowledging the economy is changing is not necessarily "ignoring the plight". I would argue that trying to find ways to use the increased profits and efficiency that has been created by globalization to benefit everyone is not ignoring the plight, its a totally reasonable idea. Basic income is an example of this but it is a complete non-starter in america largely because of the party that these specific rural blue collar Americans vote for. Is it the governments job to guarantee good factory jobs to everyone (the irony being what made a lot of these jobs good was unions, also opposed by "the right" generally)?

I think it is wrong to totally legitimize the viewpoint of rural middle class blue collar whatever Americans that resulted in our current political circumstances. That isn't to say they don't have grievances (I say they, growing up it would have been we) but that doesn't validate the decisions they've made. Rural Americans have voted against their interests for decades and now blaming the left for their plight is a stretch. It goes both ways, I think that the left should pay attention to rural Americans just like non-rural Americans, but that doesn't mean their conclusions are totally valid.

No. This idea that the "left" ignored rural America is completely unfounded. The left did no such thing. The left did, however, choose not to make idiotic and unfulfillable promises that things would go back to the way they were when someone could drop out of high school and get a $30/hour manufacturing job.

The left is constantly trying to help rural and middle America. Job retraining programs, expanding healthcare, providing more for education. These are all things the left has done.

> what gives these people the right to do this?

The first amendment.

I apologize, I mean to say the credibility

Experience and years of practice applying the scientific method to difficult problems. You're free to challenge it, but if you're asking such basic questions it might be that you're ignorant and should gather more information before forming an opinion.

https://fas.org/about-fas/

"Experience and years of practice applying the scientific method to difficult problems." And where in that skill set do they qualify to predict the end of the world based on what a politician says.

That's funny, seems to me it's the other way 'round -- a man was elected who arbitrarily lashes out depending on who hurt his ego that particular day, erasing millions of dollars of shareholder "value". And, for once, it's not a matter of political views. It's a matter of being a decent fucking human being, which our president is not.

I agree with your 2nd paragraph. We're happier, healthier, and safer than we've ever been. And we're going to need to work REALLY hard to keep it that way.

> "panic in the markets"

Dow hits all time record high for second day in a row.

"Life has never been better."

Tell that to all the trans people that now have to worry if "Small government conservatives" are going to legislate what bathroom they can use, or if employers can discriminate against them. Tell that to all the Dreamers who now have to wonder if they're going to have a future. Tell that to the 20 million or so people who are worried that their health insurance will be ripped away from them, with no replacement.

you're delusional

The "Doomsday Clock" is delusional. I want you to think long and hard whether or not the world appears to be imminently ending on your drive home from work today.

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