SmashMouth

No doubt. We grew up poor as church mice after my parents divorced. My Mom refused food stamps, or housing assistance. She said as long as we could get by getting clothes from the Treasure house (donated clothing) and grow a garden and things of that nature, she would never consider assistance. And she never did. We had very little, but we got summer & after school jobs to help out my Mom with bills and buy our own school lunches. I've always thought that made us a stronger family and us kids stronger individuals. Even though she's gone now, I still thank her for that lesson all the time. I have no issue with assistance for those that need it. Emphasis on the last 5 words of that sentence...

You’re missing the point. They’re ALL con men/women.

This is unfortunate. The real story isn’t Musk’s indignation or the poor way Trump is handling the situation though. That’s just the side show to keep us from focusing on the real issue. And it’s bipartisan. Our politicians from the bottom to the top are a group of thieving, lying grifters who do what they want and when they want without genuine regard for the general population. It friggin sickening. These spending bills are a joke along with the process with which they are contrived. Just bend over and take it and be happy about it.

I doubt that.

My sincere prayers for your wife, your family and you. I have seen the devastation to the individual and the families these diseases bring, though not nearly as closely as you. I’m sorry for that. I don’t trust our government to do the right thing most of the time. Especially when it comes to spending money. Nor do I trust politicians as a whole. Especially when it comes to finding a way to line their pockets with our money. This is more big government and bureaucracy in the making. I hope when it passes, and it will, that at least some good comes from it.

It's a VERY worthy cause for a horribly debilitating disease. It took my Father in law 2 years ago after about 5 years of pain and suffering for the whole family. I said that to say this: It's a $3 billion initial cost from the Texas General Revenue Fund, PLUS $300 million in annual grants for the next 10 years or so unless it gets renewed. It also competes with priorities like education (has anyone heard of the new voucher handout, btw), and infrastructure. Mostly it is taking OUR tax dollars - a lot of them - to handle what is already being handled by the private sector. Texas is already home to world-class research institutions and medical centers, funded through private investment, universities, nonprofits and the like. But God love 'em - politicians including so-called "fiscal conservatives" can't help but stick their noses and OUR money where it doesn't belong. No matter how worthy the cause is, I'm not in favor of this bill. Let the research happen without government overreach.

Late to the party, but amen to all comments above.

Shoulda got out of the baseline. 🤭

Sometimes it does.

Honestly - your guy, my guy, their guy, any guy... It doesn't matter who won the election. No one is getting us out of debt. Not in our lifetime anyway.

Not exactly clear on what you're saying, but my doctor at MD Anderson told me the research they do relies heavily on AI and is one of the reasons that treatment and cures for all sorts of maladies, not just cancer related, are being developed so quickly and so successfully in this modern age. Diagnostics and imaging play a huge role too. She told me that a program that came out in 2023 (Google's AI platform, I think) detected lung cancers with higher accuracy than human doctors. While I don't have lung cancer, I can see where that would be a huge benefit to mankind in general. I like having the human element be the "final check" for anything AI, but to discount it totally would be foolish.

1. I have no doubt this has happened to me, if not with Siri then with Alexa. 2. Very good point - totally agree

Just for reference, it would be beneficial to say what you don't like about AI tempered by what you do like about AI. Have you ever asked Siri for directions or a phone number? That's AI. You ever use Google Maps or a similar navigation tool? That's AI. Do you ever look at a weather forecast whether it be from a weather app or even a live broadcast from Greg Bostwick? Yep, AI again. These examples should speak to you @Big girl: Medical Image Analysis, Diagnosis, Personalized Treatment Plans, Drug Discovery and Development, Robotics in Surgery and a host of life-saving clinical & practical research methods - all of these enhanced immensely by AI. Before you blanketly say, "I dont (sic) like AI", you should quantify your dislikes or even fears. Because in many instances above and more, you DO LIKE AI! Common fears and concerns are : Many of us fear technology taking our jobs. We fear government surveillance by machines. We also fear “fake news” on steroids, as programmers with questionable agendas lead masses astray with politically charged deep fakes. We fear AI weapons, drones and robots that hunt and kill with superhuman force without human intervention - an Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator type super human force that can destroy the world... The concerns are real, but so are the benefits. Saying "I don't like AI" is more like saying "I don't understand AI, and I fear things I don't understand". It's a fair and more truthful statement.

You elected him.

Yep. It's my understanding too. I'm just wondering if other parts of the beach were available, why the jeepers, partiers, etc. weren't just diverting their little operation to those unrestricted areas.