442 Comments
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Thomas B.'s avatar

I haven't read it yet (will after this) but I am curious: for those of us in those damned red states who vote deep blue, don't smoke, and believe in science, I wonder what our collective life expectancy is?

DDB9000's avatar

If Trump somehow becomes president again, it will be only one day after he is sworn in.

Zyxomma's avatar

Ta, Dok. I work in a FQHC so no one is ever turned away because of an inability to pay. No wonder we live longer here.

Thom Moon's avatar

As an Ohioan, it pains me to say the Post report is probably right on the money. Bill Seitz is one of the primary Cro-Magnon Repubs in the Legislature. DeWine is a nice guy who, unfortunately, lets the Legislature walk all over him. However, it's a hopeful sign that cities such as Cincinnati, Columbus and even Dayton are seeing influxes of younger, more progressive people. The key is for the State's citizens to pass the bill that will remove politicians from the redistricting committee so we can possibly have fair, equitable Legislative and Congressional representation.

Mx.le Maerin's Luxury Comedy's avatar

DeWine is a nice guy - *for a republican*. He's not nice enough to stand up to the power mad Ohio lege in any significant way. And while I certainly support the proposed redistricting committee, I also know that Ohio repughs have already ignored any attempts at reigning in their power - IE, I'll believe in it when I see it in action.

Zerosumgame's avatar

Is it harsh of to think that anyone who chooses to not buckle up, or their kids, and is hurt in an accident should be given a couple of aspirins and sent home? I sure would not want to be harsh or anything...

Jensie's avatar

I am having a moral quandary here. On one hand, this really sucks for individuals and the people that love them. On the other hand, I don't hate it that far right voters are a shrinking demographic

DDB9000's avatar

But are they really? I very much doubt it

GrannysKnitting's avatar

of course, you're also killing of everyone else, but why not, hey? they shoulda moved to a better state

Lemonhead's avatar

Right? Even tho I'm in a red state, the politics part of my brain can't help but go to that.

eye8urcake's avatar

I wish they'd die faster, tbh. Less of them, less of their votes to fuck shit up for me.

Darth Trad's avatar

Ohio. Come for the cheap cigarettes. Stay to watch the locals go through their windscreens.

GH Swell's avatar

“Crom help us, we believe him. It’s not corruption if you already had terrible ideas”

Think of the poor lobbyists unable to fill their quotas.

Satan:”No! This won’t do! Seitz is already scheduled to fester in the burning pits of Azmagazadon. That’s another seven eons in Foulikia [lake of acid filled with very large thorny intestinal parasites] for You!”

Fool's avatar

Are there really adults in the US and A who don't wear their seatbelts? Who get in a car and don't automatically just reach for the belt?

There's a Mr. Darwin on line 2 for you.

insert_something_creative's avatar

Most modern cars beep at you incessantly until you do it too.

Anti-Social Socialist's avatar

Not in the rust belt. Many there can't afford fancy new cars with fancy dinging noises. And there are no safety or emissions inspections to force their hand. It's not at all unusual to see more 2005 than 2020 vehicles in any given Wal-Mart parking lot in Michigan/Ohio/Indiana.

Joe Christmas's avatar

ER Doc here:

Rule #1 of Emergency Medicine: Humans do not make good projectiles.

Seat belts save necks, heads and lives.

Or, why Princess Di died. She would’ve walked away from that accident if she had her seatbelt on.

Jensie's avatar

Er nurse here. Can confirm. If people started listening to things we said, we would both likely be out of jobs, so good/bad? 🤔

Sarah Smile's avatar

I've known 2 in my whole life, one younger than me and one older (I'm turning 49 next month). They both thought seat belts trapped you inside the car* after a wreck and you'd burn to death. I did not try to disabuse either of them by citing studies, because frankly neither one of them was anyone I gave a shit about. One of them was married to a parent's cousin whom I heartily disliked, and the other was briefly a co-worker.

*As opposed to flying through the windshield, I guess it's technically true.

Fool's avatar

I bet they didn't get vaccinated either.

Megan Macomber's avatar

Sad. Ohio had so much to live for.

Oberlin, orchestras, the Cincinnati Zoo, all those Amish baked goods...I moved away 36 years ago (lost my job there, got a new one out here in the Blue Zone) but will always miss the heart of The Heart of it All. Of memory, at least.

Satanic Pancake's avatar

Live by the derp, die by the derp.

John Thorstensen's avatar

Ohio University (mentioned in the article) is a small university in Athens, Ohio, not to be confused with The Ohio State University, which is immensely ginormous and in Columbus. I know and like people from both.

Even more O/T anecdote: Ohio State and U Michigan, along with Dartmouth, Columbia, and Ohio U., jointly operate an observatory on Kitt Peak, Arizona. Ohio State built an instrument for the observatory some years ago that required a special prism that passed blue light, which they sourced from an outfit in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan. When they unwrapped the prism, they found a message etched neatly into the end of the prism, out of the optical path: "Go Blue!".

Pexas Teat's avatar

That observatory burned, naturally.

John Thorstensen's avatar

Amazingly, it didn't, nor did any other scientific structure on the mountain. I was just there last month. (I'm also director of the observatory in the story.)

Pexas Teat's avatar

Oh fun. I did a bunch of forest ecology and dendro up on Mt Graham, and was amazed at the astronomers walking around breathing supplemental oxygen. Also the canine cops.

John Thorstensen's avatar

Supplemental oxygen seems like a stretch at that elevation. Didn't know about canine cops ... ?

Pexas Teat's avatar

Oh definitely. They were UArizona canine cops, and the dogs even had trading cards with their facts on them: weight, training language, etc.

I definitely have a few of those in a box somewhere...

PaulDietzel's avatar

Other universities, and I'll bet there are lots of them, have a "The" as a part of their official name. I checked out "Penn State Diploma images" on the google and sure enough on that very formal document it's headed "The Pennsylvania State University" in that font that just might even be called "diploma." It's just that only the cement-heads at THE Ohio State are dumb enough to make a big deal out it. Remember Philip Roth's "Goodbye, Columbus" and Brenda's dunderheaded brother Ron?

𝔅𝔢𝔢𝔩𝔷𝔢𝔟𝔲𝔟𝔟𝔞's avatar

It's how the GOP cuts down on Social Security spending.