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Reports of protests are overblown. A few incidents around the country, but nothing major.

5 (45.5%)

A few major incidents in capitals, but nothing much in DC.

5 (45.5%)

A major incident in DC, but nothing much around the country.

0 (0%)

More than 10 capitals have major upheavals, but nothing much in DC.

0 (0%)

A major incident in DC plus more than 10 capitals with significant upheavals.

1 (9.1%)

More than half the capitals around the country have problems with protesters, but DC is quiet.

0 (0%)

DC has major problems, while more than half the capitals around the country also have considerable trouble with protesters.

0 (0%)

Huge disruption to the day.

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 9

Voting closed: January 19, 2021, 10:49:21 PM

[NeedsAdjustments]

My second choice for new homestead should things not go well in 2020.

Enjoy the socialist health care.

[barton]

The argument against raising the minimum wage from no less than the great Socialist.

After taking fire for paying some members of his salaried unionized campaign staff the equivalent of the market rate of $13 an hour, Bernie Sanders had to announce “he will cut staffers’ hours so that they can effectively be paid a $15-an-hour minimum.”


Thanks Bernie.

Thats what happens.  Businesses will have lower numbers of staff.

Insurance premiums also rise with higher wage scale

Data?  Evidence?

[Yankguy1]

It appears that this President is off to a slow start on his promise to reduce the national debt "very quickly." Red got a tax cut.

[barton]

Bravo, Boris Johnson - and good luck to you, sir.

"No one person, no one party has a monopoly of wisdom"

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/23/next-prime-minister-boris-johnson-new-conservative-leader

  There is nothing to celebrate in this moment but the symmetry. The leave campaign had no more plans for leaving the European Union than a dog chasing a car has to drive it. Now its most prominent spokesman is in charge of making it happen. For the past three years they have been able to claim that only if a true believer were in charge everything would be different. With Johnson in charge they are running out of people to blame for the situation they created. That, of course, will not stop them. But it does expose them.

When Theresa May produced her agreement, Johnson said it was like polishing a turd. He was right. He just failed to acknowledge that it was his turd. Now he finds himself with an unfamiliar task for a man of his pedigree – to clean up after himself.   

[barton]

So this occurs in NO business settings at all?  Affects no small businesses in negative fashion?

Big picture, lad.  If people make a living wage, they have more disposable income which means they can purchase goods and services that small businesses want to sell.   

[josh]

Illegal aliens are not American citizens. They are not trying to escape the US because of persecution but trying to get in to share the wealth.

But you're missing the point, Luee - ICE is taking US citizens, not just non-citizens and not just illegal aliens.

And they are proposing deportation without hearings. They are already running hearings without legal representation, including for minors way too young to know what's going on.

And if there is nobody to whom you can "prove" your citizenship, then what protection does any of us have? Our looks?!

So, everything you say about illegal aliens is irrelevant to what my post was about.

[kiidcarter8]

It appears that this President is off to a slow start on his promise to reduce the national debt "very quickly." Red got a tax cut.

Yes

Gets an F when judging national debt reduction in first 2.5 years of office.

[kiidcarter8]

So this occurs in NO business settings at all?  Affects no small businesses in negative fashion?

Big picture, lad.  If people make a living wage, they have more disposable income which means they can purchase goods and services that small businesses want to sell.

Thalib says they need an $18-20 wage to buy milk and eggs

[NeedsAdjustments]

It appears that this President is off to a slow start on his promise to reduce the national debt "very quickly." Red got a tax cut.

Yeah but Trump is delivering on the trade deficit...sorry, on Wall (!)...no?  And nothing says America First like a tax cut that ends up being a huge windfall to foreign banks.

But at least he is on it when it comes to foreign policy right?  No?  From Edward Luce of the Financial Times:

Worth elaborating on the level of incompetence Trump showed today on Kashmir. Those unfamiliar with Indo-Pak situation may not realise that his offer to mediate on Kashmir dispute ranks among the most consequential mistakes he has made. But that's the least of it.

He lied in the most idiotic way possible - one that would e immediately refuted by a fellow leader. "I was with Modi two weeks ago and we talked about this subject. And he actually said, would you actually like to be a mediator or arbitrator? I said, where? He said Kashmir." Within an hour India declared that what Trump said was false: https://twitter.com/MEAIndia/status/1153371327371173895 … The slightest knowledge of India would have told Trump that this is the kind of lie that would a) immediately be shut down and b) cause material harm to a critical US diplomatic relationship.

Unlike many of Trump's lies, this one causes instant harm to Trump and America's interests. First, it angers a natural ally that is the best bulwark against a rising China - supposedly Trump's global priority. Second, it pollutes whatever trust remained between him and Modi.  Finally, it emboldens Pakistan in its belief that it can play America for a sucker. Imran Khan, Pakistan's PM, could not believe his luck. The question remains why Trump would conduct such an act of self-harm. Sadly, the answer his simple. It involves two core Trump traits.

He is the vainest leader on the planet; and he is profoundly ignorant. He thinks he can solve any crisis - his own genius is all that is missing. Therefore he does not need to know anything about said crisis. The only knowledge worth knowing is that Trump's skills are absent.

To recap: Trump lied on a big subject. He was instantly exposed. The slightest knowledge of the subject would have stopped him from lying. His lie directly harms his own overriding priority. He will probably never realise any of this because of his Olympian narcissism.



 

[kiidcarter8]

What happens to those on welfare and food stamps?  Do they then demand a higher figure?

Have to buy those $300 sneaks, I-phones and big screen TVs

[NeedsAdjustments]

So this occurs in NO business settings at all?  Affects no small businesses in negative fashion?

Big picture, lad.  If people make a living wage, they have more disposable income which means they can purchase goods and services that small businesses want to sell.

Thalib says they need an $18-20 wage to buy milk and eggs

You also need a photo ID to buy milk and eggs.

[NeedsAdjustments]

What happens to those on welfare and food stamps?  Do they then demand a higher figure?

Unlike the minimum wage law, Welfare and Food Stamps come with annual cost of living increases.

Have to buy those $300 sneaks, I-phones and big screen TVs

Those people on Welfare sure have it easy.

[facilitatorn]

My second choice for new homestead should things not go well in 2020.

Enjoy the socialist health care.

He’ll need it. The Scottish will nut him & the English will kick him in the bollocks. After a few weeks even he will figure out that it’s not the same thing. He’ll need socialized medicine and lots of frozen peas. (Hint: try ASDA or Marks & Sparks for peas).

I’m confident with his level headed leadership and tendencies toward meticulous preparation, Borris will lead the UK directly back to remain.

[facilitatorn]

Some simple good sense about Barr,

http://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/07/special-counsel-investiate-attorney-general-william-barr-perjury.html

[josh]

It appears that this President is off to a slow start on his promise to reduce the national debt "very quickly." Red got a tax cut.

Yes

Gets an F when judging national debt reduction in first 2.5 years of office.

So, here's the President's budget through 2029, Kiiid. He promised to eliminate the deficit by the end of his term, FY2025.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/20msr.pdf

Gee, it looks like even with his cutting Social Security and Medicare from prior versions of the budget he is projecting budget deficit of ~$600 billion, despite bogus revenue projections and everything.

I love that while he provided a sum of the changes for the remainder of his proposed 8 year term and through 2029, he chose to not show the total amount added to the national debt even in his new and improved numbers which are better over the long haul by about $414 trillion.

His former budget projection added $6.55 trillion through 8 years. Now it adds a mere $6.225 trillion.

Get real, would you, Kiiid. Stop lying to yourself and to us. President Trump has no plan to reduce the deficit to $0, even with lies and Social Security cuts! He's got trillion dollar deficits through 2021 and half a trillion in his most fevered dreams.

What do I mean by lies?

The MSR forecasts a growth
rate of 3.2 percent for the four quarters of
2019.

Relative to the Budget forecast, the MSR
forecast includes a substantial decrease in
interest rates in the near term, and a slight
decrease in the long run.

Where exactly is that 3.2% annual growth coming from, pray tell?

What are non-administration folks saying?

GDP Annual Growth Rate in the United States is expected to be 2.40 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate GDP Annual Growth Rate in the United States to stand at 2.00 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the United States GDP Annual Growth Rate is projected to trend around 1.80 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.
~Trading Economics

Overall economic growth will soften a bit. The expectation is for growth in the low 2% range, leaving growth for the year at about 2.6%. It will soften a bit again in 2020, an election year, dropping to about 1.8%. It is expected that the stimulus from the tax cuts will wane, and the trade deficit will again be a worry. Uncertainties about global growth may limit businesses’ willingness to expand, though this could change in a big way, depending on the outcome of U.S.-China trade negotiations.

~Kiplinger

Where is that 3.2% 1st quarter GDP growth from? It's from folks rushing their imports ahead of tariffs! Not happening in Q2, Q3, etc.
Was that the only lie?

Nope.

It's based on "a substantial decrease in interest rates in the near term."

There is no room for a substantial decrease. Trump appointee Shelton is calling for a 50 basis-point drop, but the money is on 25. (Shelton's done nothing but call for more decreases.)