Miss me? I got addicted to a game called Last War for a bit but just quit. So after good quality time with the family I have some time to see what's going on in the world again…

I've written this and deleted this a couple times, but here it goes...

In late January, I began publicly praising President Trump for the progress I was seeing in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.

Most of my friends up until that point, were liberal.

They publicly…

— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) May 5, 2025

DiabloWags said:

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Addicted to video games, eh?

You're pretty good with posting other people's thoughts from posts on Twitter.
But you don't seem to do any of your own research.

If you did, you'd realize that the Republican Legislature in North Carolina allowed the Homebuilder's lobby to lower the homebuilding codes to the point where they were terribly vulnerable to storms like Helene.

Their building codes are nowhere near that of Florida or Louisiana.
That's how all this started in the first place.

Thanks for stopping by!

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The homebuilder's lobby doesn't lower homebuilding codes.

DiabloWags said:

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oski003 said:

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DiabloWags said:

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Addicted to video games, eh?

You're pretty good with posting other people's thoughts from posts on Twitter.
But you don't seem to do any of your own research.

If you did, you'd realize that the Republican Legislature in North Carolina allowed the Homebuilder's lobby to lower the homebuilding codes to the point where they were terribly vulnerable to storms like Helene.

Their building codes are nowhere near that of Florida or Louisiana.
That's how all this started in the first place.

Thanks for stopping by!

---

The homebuilder's lobby doesn't lower homebuilding codes.

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Cool story.
You sure have a habit of being awfully WRONG here.

North Carolina lawmakers erode building code for years before Helene hit

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Again, the homebuilder's lobby doesn't lower homebuilding codes.

oski003 said:

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DiabloWags said:

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oski003 said:

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DiabloWags said:

---

Addicted to video games, eh?

You're pretty good with posting other people's thoughts from posts on Twitter.
But you don't seem to do any of your own research.

If you did, you'd realize that the Republican Legislature in North Carolina allowed the Homebuilder's lobby to lower the homebuilding codes to the point where they were terribly vulnerable to storms like Helene.

Their building codes are nowhere near that of Florida or Louisiana.
That's how all this started in the first place.

Thanks for stopping by!

---

The homebuilder's lobby doesn't lower homebuilding codes.

---

Cool story.
You sure have a habit of being awfully WRONG here.

North Carolina lawmakers erode building code for years before Helene hit

---

Again, the homebuilder's lobby doesn't lower homebuilding codes.

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Come on, don't be dense. People with any common sense know how politics work.

Your MAGAts got corrupted by money (again) and lowered standards. Capiche?

VOTE BLUE

HATE MAGAts

Go Bears Forever

DiabloWags said:

---

Addicted to video games, eh?

You're pretty good with posting other people's thoughts from posts on Twitter.
But you don't seem to do any of your own research.

If you did, you'd realize that the Republican Legislature in North Carolina allowed the Homebuilder's lobby to lower the homebuilding codes to the point where they were terribly vulnerable to storms like Helene.

Their building codes are nowhere near that of Florida or Louisiana.
That's how all this started in the first place.

Thanks for stopping by!

---

You are highly skilled at looking at one side of the coin. It happens to be the side that msm propaganda allows. Trump sent 1.4 billion because he could and Biden let people freeze to death…well…because he could

concordtom said:

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Stupid flocking thread.
Created only to start an argument.
Not going to engage.

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Thanks for your brief engagmenet

Eastern Oregon Bear said:

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1. Trump and DOGE have been slashing the staff at FEMA. I believe they are also trying to reduce FEMA's budget as well. That doesn't bode well for continued improved recovery from Helene. I think the sentiment has been to let the states shoulder the burden.

2. How's the recovery going in Maui since Trump took office? Any improvement?

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1.4 billion.

Like the border no new laws needed…just a new president who cares to help people.

Lahaina burned way before Trump took office. Are you going to blame the delay of game penalty in Big Game 1990 on Trump next? I haven't been following Lahaina closely but our state government is completely anti Trump so I doubt he could help much if he tried.

SBGold said:

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oski003 said:

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DiabloWags said:

---

oski003 said:

---

DiabloWags said:

---

Addicted to video games, eh?

You're pretty good with posting other people's thoughts from posts on Twitter.
But you don't seem to do any of your own research.

If you did, you'd realize that the Republican Legislature in North Carolina allowed the Homebuilder's lobby to lower the homebuilding codes to the point where they were terribly vulnerable to storms like Helene.

Their building codes are nowhere near that of Florida or Louisiana.
That's how all this started in the first place.

Thanks for stopping by!

---

The homebuilder's lobby doesn't lower homebuilding codes.

---

Cool story.
You sure have a habit of being awfully WRONG here.

North Carolina lawmakers erode building code for years before Helene hit

---

Again, the homebuilder's lobby doesn't lower homebuilding codes.

---

Come on, don't be dense. People with any common sense know how politics work.

Your MAGAts got corrupted by money (again) and lowered standards. Capiche?

VOTE BLUE

HATE MAGAts

Go Bears Forever

---

Get a clue. The dems are backed by way more billionaires . Kamala spent triple what Trump spent. DOGE website has receipts and contracts. Take a look at all the corruption mostly by democrats…


Any luck on your bid to free Mangione?

HawaiiBear33 said:

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DiabloWags said:

---

Addicted to video games, eh?

You're pretty good with posting other people's thoughts from posts on Twitter.
But you don't seem to do any of your own research.

If you did, you'd realize that the Republican Legislature in North Carolina allowed the Homebuilder's lobby to lower the homebuilding codes to the point where they were terribly vulnerable to storms like Helene.

Their building codes are nowhere near that of Florida or Louisiana.
That's how all this started in the first place.

Thanks for stopping by!

---

You are highly skilled at looking at one side of the coin. It happens to be the side that msm propaganda allows. Trump sent 1.4 billion because he could and Biden let people freeze to death…well…because he could

---

You are highly "skilled" at being a complete simpleton and indulging in nothing but "whataboutism".
So I will just put it into terms that your reading comprehension can understand . . .

You mean the way that Governor Greg Abbott in Texas let people FREEZE TO DEATH in FEB of 2021 and 246 PEOPLE DIED?

Did you really go to Cal?
Seriously.

bear2034 said:

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The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fired, per POLITICO

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) May 8, 2025

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Gee, but FEMA was doing so much better in Western North Carolina. Trump must have wanted to put a stop to that.

HawaiiBear33 said:

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concordtom said:

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FEMA

Should Oregonians pay for folks who built in the Mississippi flood plain?

Should Mainers pay for CA quake damage?

Should CA pay for hurricane and tornado disasters?

I don't like how everything is a disaster that just crept up out of nowhere and randomly struck an innocent population - not when half of New England (and my wife's senior family members) is moving to Florida to get no state income taxes when we KNOW that the southern half is going to be Atlantis before my children die.

I guess they're going to be paying their cousins for the folly.

If you build in a floodplain, on the coast at elevation 2 feet, or on the San Andreas, you bear the risk - not some ice fisherman in the U.P.

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Wow this sounds conservative! Maybe you really are Not Left, Not Liberal…just AT

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AT
Anti-Trump
… YES!!

If you've bee paying attention, I was raised in a republican household, on both halves of family. My one side was friends with the nixons from Whittier and we had a signed portrait (that had been moved to a closet and was later stolen). The other side in DC was friends with all sorts of republicans in Congress, and was a large benefactor/contributor. Photos in the White House with Ron and George.

I married the daughter of conservative democrats who served their community in Rhode Island. They cared about people. Disabled people. My father in law served in the statehouse as an elected official after serving on his town council. I learned to have a heart for others rather than the ego tripping thru life of my other two fathers - though I hardly would classify them as selfish bad guys. It's just that I used to ask as a young g man what the meaning of life was and he gave a novel answer: "I believe we all have the responsibility to help those who are less fortunate."

That, and 30 years of living, have changed me. I now see millions of others who are less fortunate - and it comes in all forms. I'm more sensitive and less judgmental. Meanwhile, the GOP has also changed. This is no "compassionate conservatism" as George Sr spoke of. These are just A-Holes who want to turn us against one another to seize power.

They are racist, heartless, economically irrational, and have so so many policies I disagree with.

Trump is the biggest negative, but that the GOP goes along with him is criminal. They ate that Birtherism nonsense up. I could go on torching their policies for pages, years, as I have.

I would Never align with a Republican agenda now.
But thank you for recognizing there is some conservatism in me still!