• 0110010001100010@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    How does one get to the point where literally their entire existence revolves a conman, grifter, liar, and now convicted felon?

    • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      Probably for them, it’s not unlike being a professional Star Trek fan. They get to travel around the country and meet people, make some money, and have a few interesting stories to tell. Owning the libs is a bonus.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      The Trump Merch Grift Bus is pure carny bullshit. These folks are taking advantage of a popular sales trend and they put too many eggs in one basket, then dropped the basket. 3 years ago, they’d be shilling for bitcoin. 30 years ago, they’d be selling beanie babies. 200 years ago, they’d be selling tulips.

      The conman is just the face you put on your bus full of cheap plastic crap sold at 100x markups. And you get to this point because its an ostensibly quick way to turn a few thousand bucks into a few hundred thousand.

  • dhork@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    She added that only recently it became eligible to be fully insured, less than 48 hours before the incident.

    That’s quite the coincidence…

    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      In many states, driving a vehicle uninsured is a crime. They’re admitting they’ve been committing this crime for quite awhile?

      Also, most people driving buses require a CDL (Commercial Drivers License). Is this one of those vehicles? Do they have the proper license?

      Now, the duo has no clue what the future holds for them.

      Its a good thing their candidate supports a strong social safety net, so they can still know their basic needs are taken car of, right? Right?!

      For now, the flag and Trump merchandise sales are on hold, as the duo plans to ask for donations to repair the vehicle.

      So they’re supporters of Socialism now? Where are their bootstraps in times like this?

      • PsychedSy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        5 months ago

        Fully insured. They likely had liability but couldn’t get full coverage, which is perfectly legal.

        It’s hard for me not to go off on speculation like this. Bunch of random assumptions for no reason. You can look up the requirements. For my state it’s a weight/passenger limit.

      • dhork@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        In many states, driving a vehicle uninsured is a crime. They’re admitting they’ve been committing this crime for quite awhile?

        The mandatory insurance tends to be liability insurance, for injuries. Insurance may not be mandatory on the cost of the vehicle itself. It would not surprise me if their insurer didn’t want to write a collision policy until some time had passed. (Particularly since they also seem to be living in it, I’m sure that has an affect on insurance.)

        Do they have the proper license?

        It’s not out of the realm of possibility that one of them had a CDL, there are all sorts of jobs that require them and the company would pay for the training. Heck, my local school district is always trying to find more bus drivers, they would pay for the CDL if you agreed to drive a bus full of snotnosed middle schoolers every day

      • isles@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        most people driving buses require a CDL

        RVs do not require a CDL and this bus was being used as one. CDLs are required, generally, when hauling more than 15 passengers or using a heavy vehicle for commercial purposes.

        • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          heavy vehicle for commercial purposes.

          They were transporting and selling merchandise out of it. I bet they wrote its expenses off their taxes. Sounds commercial to me.

      • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
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        5 months ago

        In many states, driving a vehicle uninsured is a crime. They’re admitting they’ve been committing this crime for quite awhile?

        In many states (mine included), you don’t technically need insurance. You have to show proof of financial responsibility, and that only has to meet some surprisingly low standards. IIRC, you only have to prove you can pay for $7,500 in damages. Or if you meet certain other criteria, you can self-insure.

  • BigMacHole@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    Asking for Help is SOCIALIST! These people are COMMIES! REAL Trump Supporters would be FINE! TRUMP will PERSONALLY PAY THEM money so they can continue going! I’m a Republican and I think ALL THESE THINGS at the SAME TIME because I Think for Myself!

  • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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    5 months ago

    "For now, the flag and Trump merchandise sales are on hold, as the duo plans to ask for donations to repair the vehicle.

    “Just like that, we’re homeless,” sighed Grenata."

    I’m sure the Donald will get right on that for them…

    Also… you can buy a bus for $15,000?

    • Billiam@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      the duo plans to ask for donations to repair the vehicle.

      That doesn’t sound very bootstrappy. In fact, it sounds downright socialist.

      • jmfwnsfw@lemmynsfw.com
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        5 months ago

        When it’s conservative white people asking for money, it’s just a community pulling together. Totally different /s

      • barsquid@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        MAGAs are fine with socialized expenses as long as it is the country subsidizing the wealthy or if they are personally allowed to determine who receives money (so they can exclude black people).

        • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Brakes?! Ahmahgud I thought you said “breaks.” Breaks is included, yes. Breaks, no brakes. No brakes cause many breaks, will be for sure many breaks included because no brakes. For you, I throw in wipers free of charge. Wipe wipe, see good what you gonna hit.

    • PahassaPaikassa@sopuli.xyz
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      5 months ago

      A few years ago I was looking into buying a old bus and building a eurocruiser out of it. Had plans for putting a sauna in the back lol… anyway, you could get a volvo or a scania bus from the 1980s or early 1990s for a few thousand euros. Those things will have a million billion kilometers on the dial but they will do another million quite easily if needed.

  • TammyTobacco@lemmy.ml
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    5 months ago

    “She added that only recently it became eligible to be fully insured, less than 48 hours before the incident.”

    Oh, so this is a scam to get insurance and go fund me money.

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        When I was in middle school, it was a highlight of my year, when my bus slid into the ditch! No one got hurt and no visible damage so it was just a free day off when everyone else had to go in …… plus they let us walk home.

        As an adult, I realize there was a series of questionable choices here. However I hope the bus driver didn’t get in much trouble: they should not have been on the road. It clearly should have been a snow day

  • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    First, I am highly irate of the misuse of the word ‘decimate’ in the article. It means to destroy a tenth part of something, not totally obliterate it.

    There is no second!

    • PlasticExistence@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      That’s the historical definition of the word, but colloquially it just means a large part.

      It’s like how historically retro meant something new inspired by something or a style from the past, but now people are using it as a substitute for “classic” (in particular with respect to video games). I dislike that too, but I’m not the arbiter of language. Not yet anyway, but soon. Soon…

      • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        ). I dislike that too, but I’m not the arbiter of language. Not yet anyway, but soon. Soon…

        Your legions await your orders, Sire!

    • tiredofsametab@kbin.run
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      5 months ago

      Shouldn’t “to destroy a tenth part of something” be in quotes there? Unless you mean the article has the intention of destroying ten per cent of things.

      Language changes.

    • sparkle@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      This is wrong. Decimate can mean the killing or destruction of any large portion of something. E.g. one definition you might see is “To devastate: to reduce or destroy significantly but not completely.”