Donald J Trump, your thoughts on his Presidency

[LTS]

2 hours ago, SABRES 0311 said:

This is what I’m talking about in my last post and a few others. People who want power want voters to think right versus left. This keeps them distracted so they don’t think big picture. 

Some people we elect are genuine I hope. But cmon, look at the majority of them. This isn’t the best America has to offer. News flash, you don’t need someone else to decide how you live your life and feelings do not mean more than facts.

It's certainly not the best there is to offer. But why do people go into politics in the first place? It's not a well paying job, in theory.  Sure, it's better in salary than a lot of jobs out there, but the people who enter politics (many lawyers, etc.) are talented enough to make good money in a different profession.  There aren't a lot of electricians or line workers going into politics.

The real money of politics is, of course, not in the salary. It's in all the stuff that surrounds it. It's those surroundings that corrupt everything.

It's just clear that while so many people, at least in my circles, seem to be aware of the issue, there are far too many who are living each day oblivious to their world or at the very least so misinformed and sold on it that they don't want to know different.

[SABRES 0311]

7 hours ago, LTS said:

It's certainly not the best there is to offer. But why do people go into politics in the first place? It's not a well paying job, in theory.  Sure, it's better in salary than a lot of jobs out there, but the people who enter politics (many lawyers, etc.) are talented enough to make good money in a different profession.  There aren't a lot of electricians or line workers going into politics.

The real money of politics is, of course, not in the salary. It's in all the stuff that surrounds it. It's those surroundings that corrupt everything.

It's just clear that while so many people, at least in my circles, seem to be aware of the issue, there are far too many who are living each day oblivious to their world or at the very least so misinformed and sold on it that they don't want to know different.

Too many people take what Fox or CNN tells them and regurgitate it as their own thought. Now we have this weird thing starting from AOC’s area how feelings are as important as facts which is an excuse to lie. Oh look I’m mad at big, evil, scary corporations so let’s not allow Amazon to open a HQ. People don’t need those jobs. 

 

[LTS]

10 hours ago, SABRES 0311 said:

Too many people take what Fox or CNN tells them and regurgitate it as their own thought. Now we have this weird thing starting from AOC’s area how feelings are as important as facts which is an excuse to lie. Oh look I’m mad at big, evil, scary corporations so let’s not allow Amazon to open a HQ. People don’t need those jobs. 

 

I think people were onboard with Amazon HQ2 until the number $1.2B was thrown out there with regards to the tax breaks they were getting. That's pretty damn significant for a company of Amazon's stature.  It's not a healthy way to try and grow. But that's a different topic.

I do agree with the media influence.  If only media were truly unbiased. I've not found a single unbiased one yet.  Even NPR, who people like to point to, has a pretty clear agenda.  At least in much of their news programming.

[SABRES 0311]

20 minutes ago, LTS said:

I think people were onboard with Amazon HQ2 until the number $1.2B was thrown out there with regards to the tax breaks they were getting. That's pretty damn significant for a company of Amazon's stature.  It's not a healthy way to try and grow. But that's a different topic.

I do agree with the media influence.  If only media were truly unbiased. I've not found a single unbiased one yet.  Even NPR, who people like to point to, has a pretty clear agenda.  At least in much of their news programming

My question is how did the people of that district benefit?

The whole dynamic of our country got weird in a hurry. Kid at the University of California said he’d cut his penis off if one mile of wall was built. Really buddy, you are racking up loan debt and that’s what you learned about how to take a stand? We have Amazon who would’ve got tax breaks to create jobs but we don’t want that because big corporations are bad. Meanwhile these same people use big company social media to broadcast their views. What???

Someone please tell me what is the end goal for our society. What is life like for the American family and how do we get there?

[SwampD]

2 hours ago, SABRES 0311 said:

My question is how did the people of that district benefit?

The whole dynamic of our country got weird in a hurry. Kid at the University of California said he’d cut his penis off if one mile of wall was built. Really buddy, you are racking up loan debt and that’s what you learned about how to take a stand? We have Amazon who would’ve got tax breaks to create jobs but we don’t want that because big corporations are bad. Meanwhile these same people use big company social media to broadcast their views. What???

Someone please tell me what is the end goal for our society. What is life like for the American family and how do we get there?

My guess is they benefit by actually getting to keep there neighborhood that will still be filled with other businesses creating jobs and tax revenue, and not having  to have a 4 city block completely automated warehouse that created about 20 jobs slinging plastic Chinese garbage to driverless trucks.

Just a guess though.

[SABRES 0311]

9 minutes ago, SwampD said:

My guess is they benefit by actually getting to keep there neighborhood that will still be filled with other businesses creating jobs and tax revenue, and not having  to have a 4 city block completely automated warehouse that created about 20 jobs slinging plastic Chinese garbage to driverless trucks.

Just a guess though.

Fair enough. Why are other Dems mad about it if it’s a better decision?

[LTS]

1 hour ago, SABRES 0311 said:

Fair enough. Why are other Dems mad about it if it’s a better decision?

Politics.

That's the reason.  It plays well to be mad about someone else making the tougher decision to turn down what was sold as a major benefit for jobs and a community. I can applaud any politician who makes the tough decision and goes against popular opinion to do so.

We're talking about a society that makes fiscal decisions with such intelligence that credit counseling is a lucrative business. We're the reason credit cards were invented. All they see is "so many jobs". What they fail to see is that the corporation still pays the same basic wage, pockets the additional revenue, and moves on. Meanwhile, you bring an extra 25k jobs into an area that is already overcrowded and what happens?

Streets have to be changed. Housing costs go way up (as if they weren't already extremely high). There's a ton of other collateral damage that comes from it.

If Amazon really wanted to make a difference, they could open their HQ2 in a place like Detroit or another area that could truly benefit from having a large portion of jobs created to help stimulate the economy.  They could do it without all the tax incentives.  

As for the University of California comment, I have no knowledge of it nor can I see its application here other than to say the world is full of very stupid people and somehow they find a way to get their names into the headlines.

[SABRES 0311]

3 hours ago, LTS said:

Politics.

That's the reason.  It plays well to be mad about someone else making the tougher decision to turn down what was sold as a major benefit for jobs and a community. I can applaud any politician who makes the tough decision and goes against popular opinion to do so.

We're talking about a society that makes fiscal decisions with such intelligence that credit counseling is a lucrative business. We're the reason credit cards were invented. All they see is "so many jobs". What they fail to see is that the corporation still pays the same basic wage, pockets the additional revenue, and moves on. Meanwhile, you bring an extra 25k jobs into an area that is already overcrowded and what happens?

Streets have to be changed. Housing costs go way up (as if they weren't already extremely high). There's a ton of other collateral damage that comes from it.

If Amazon really wanted to make a difference, they could open their HQ2 in a place like Detroit or another area that could truly benefit from having a large portion of jobs created to help stimulate the economy.  They could do it without all the tax incentives.  

As for the University of California comment, I have no knowledge of it nor can I see its application here other than to say the world is full of very stupid people and somehow they find a way to get their names into the headlines.

Well thank you guys for bringing me up to speed. Makes sense.

[LTS]

On 2/19/2019 at 5:03 PM, SABRES 0311 said:

Well thank you guys for bringing me up to speed. Makes sense.

I should add.  NYS is a ----hole to do business with.  This state will continue to shrink and while it does that it will continue to try and resolve the problem by taxing the rest of us to make up for the shortfall.  You can't tax yourself to prosperity.

I would have liked the Amazon HQ to be built in in NY overall, but not at $1.2B in tax breaks.  It seems every time I hear about a company getting large tax incentives to bring their business into the area (the state), etc. It's usually followed by some garbage about how after a few years there were issues were not resolved. They pocketed money and there are far fewer to no jobs to show for it.

Organic growth is what is needed.  Many smaller to medium size businesses build a much stronger fabric than a single large fish.  Granted, there are large fish, especially in NYC, but Amazon would be an extremely large fish and would hold a lot of sway over the state.  After all, look how many cities put bids in to get Amazon to show up at their doorstep.  Amazon could move its warehouse operations elsewhere with little pain and leave NYS high and dry.  That would be the continual threat hanging over politicians heads. 

Imagine going into a negotiation and the Amazon people say, "Do you want to be the person who is responsible for 25k jobs disappearing overnight?".  

[LGR4GM]

I agree on NYS. They need to figure out how to grow those mid-cap and small-cap businesses in the area. Currently they do tax everyone to death and a lot of times that money gets spent on nothing useful. 

As for Amazon, I think the scenario you lay out is exactly what would happen. Look at Seattle where there are major housing problem. Look at what happened when the gov tried to get Amazon to help. That got shut down fast. For a company making 11billion in profit to not pay any income tax last year, it is crazy to think they would be a good business to work with. They are cut throat and that is there right. Will it hurt NYC to not have those jobs, probably. Would it have hurt NYC to get those jobs, also probably. 

[SABRES 0311]

[Sabel79]

Cohen testifies at 10:00 this morning.  His prepared statement is floating around already.  Hoo boy... 

[Samson's Flow]

7 hours ago, Sabel79 said:

Cohen testifies at 10:00 this morning.  His prepared statement is floating around already.  Hoo boy... 

It's been pretty interesting so far IMO. Testifying under oath that the President gave him 11 checks to reimburse him for the Stormy Daniels hush payment. Mentioning multiple times that Trump indicated to him that he should take care of certain things with respect to staying on message, omitting key information in carefully worded statements and being involved in the Russia meddling stuff.

It is a bit painful to watch since it is SO partisan. Every Republican that gets their 5 minutes looks to de-legitimize Cohen with personal attacks and establishing his history of lying and referencing his recent convictions; meanwhile, the Democrats are looking for verification of any ammunition they can get to attack Trump and build an impeachment case.

[LTS]

The best I got from the "discrediting" is that they claim he is trying to get a lighter sentence.

As I saw someone say somewhere... "So the guy who was convicted of lying for President Trump is now being accused of lying about lying for President Trump?"

As I read the statement, it's pretty damning and frankly needs to be followed up on.

[North Buffalo]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

The best I got from the "discrediting" is that they claim he is trying to get a lighter sentence.

As I saw someone say somewhere... "So the guy who was convicted of lying for President Trump is now being accused of lying about lying for President Trump?"

As I read the statement, it's pretty damning and frankly needs to be followed up on.

Mot of what he said has been out there, he provided some actual evidence. Hard to tell much other than a few membes making themselves look bad.  Maybe gave us some idea where the inestigations are going.  Still defended Trump, both sides got some red meat to campaign on.

[Sabel79]

I watched more of Cohen’s testimony this morning/afternoon than was probably good for me, mental health-wise.   Takeaways, in no particular order:

1. The basic gist of the attempted Republican rebuttal to what Cohen says effectively cedes the argument that Trump is, in fact, guilty of everything he’s accused of, but Cohen is not to be trusted since he was there too.  The logic is really hard to follow.  Nobody, outside of the dude who cringe-inducingly trotted the token black lady out to refute the racism claim even bothered to defend Trump at all. 

2. Cohen himself did Trump some favors by batting back some of the more out-there stuff (pee tape, Prague, beating Melania, sex assaults).  This does a lot for his credibility in general.

3. Jim Jordan is almost incomprehensibly dense.  The backbench giving him their time so he could further drool on himself was funny for awhile, but it got old.  And find yourself a suit jacket, son.  You’re not working the sales floor at radio shack.  

4. Cohen is, of course, only doing this because Trump put him in a corner, still a huge sleaze, and I hope he enjoys prison.  Doesn’t mean he’s not on the level here, though.  

5. This happening today, with Trump in Vietnam agreeing to who knows what with Kim Jong Un effectively unaided, save for the Russian Foreign Minister who just happened to be in the neighborhood, makes me want to howl into the uncaring void until the last of my mind mercifully deserts me.  

5. It’s become apparent that all any of this was ever about was a real estate deal in Moscow.  Trump is such a venal, stupid man that he gladly sold us out to a hostile power so he could pocket (admittedly, a large amount of) money.  That’s all there ever was to it, on his end.  And the damage done will take generations to repair, assuming by the time he’s done it even can be.  

6. I need a drink.  

[Eleven]

Pop quiz:

The first person to testify before Congress this month who previously had been convicted of lying to Congress?

Elliott Abrams, Trump's special envoy to Venezuela. 

[Sabel79]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

Pop quiz:

The first person to testify before Congress this month who previously had been convicted of lying to Congress?

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Elliott Abrams, Trump's special envoy to Venezuela. 

 

Argh.  I knew who it was, couldn’t remember the name.  

[LGR4GM]

I wish a Democrat had turned the tables on the character assassination.

"So Mr. Cohen it has been well established that you lie and that you deceive to get things done. Our Republicans colleagues have made that abundantly clear. Are there other people in Trump's circle such as yourself?"

"Yes"

"And is a person only as good as the company they chose to keep?"

"Yes"

"So then Trump keeps liars and frauders and other people around him that are bad people and yet we aren't supposed to apply the same traits to Trump. If he is okay with these people in his circle than he must be okay with the things they do or in some cases even direct them. He takes advice from them, asks them to fill key roles in his businesses and at the white house, and even has them secretly payoff people that would make him look bad.  Interesting that a man who is supposedly so good keeps such poor company. I yield my time." 

[drnkirishone]

Sure is going to suck when orange man gets re-elected

 

 

 

*note* I do not want it to happen. But pessimism is how I cope

[LTS]

Pessimism is the coping mechanism of the masses.

You are either right, or pleasantly surprised.  There's no negative in it, except in being right, which you really didn't want but you expected it, so it makes it better.

Also... I'm not sure I disagree with you.  I'd like to hope that he doesn't even get the nomination for his party.

And i guess I do.. and I will be disappointed, but not surprised by any outcome.

[Eleven]

45 minutes ago, drnkirishone said:

Sure is going to suck when orange man gets re-elected

 

 

 

*note* I do not want it to happen. But pessimism is how I cope

If he's still alive (at 74 and with that diet and "physique," if that's the right word, this is not guaranteed) and a free man, he will be reelected in 2020.  Unless Mark Cuban runs.

Edited February 28, 2019 by Eleven

[LGR4GM]

11 minutes ago, Eleven said:

If he's still alive (at 74 and with that diet and "physique," if that's the right word, this is not guaranteed) and a free man, he will be reelected in 2020.  Unless Mark Cuban runs.

I don't think he will. He only won the last election because we had some of the lowest voter turnout ever and he still lost the popular vote. 

People genuinely hate his policies. I think with a Kamala Harris or someone along those lines running against him, Trump will lose.

Edited February 28, 2019 by LGR4GM

[Samson's Flow]

On 2/28/2019 at 2:58 PM, Eleven said:

If he's still alive (at 74 and with that diet and "physique," if that's the right word, this is not guaranteed) and a free man, he will be reelected in 2020.  Unless Mark Cuban runs.

I don't know man, it's gonna be tough to re-elect an impeached president.

[Eleven]

52 minutes ago, Samson's Flow said:

I don't know man, it's gonna be tough to re-elect an impeached president.

Please.  They're unlikely to impeach him and they're certainly not going to convict him.