Politics

[ActionBob]

It is not a question of Ukraine funding or the border security funding, but both surely? Both are time sensitive: Ukraine cannot keep up their brave energy indefinitely, and the USA cannot absorb unplanned for numbers for ever. Time is running out.

Kevin if you watched this drama right at the start of the current Israeli/Hamas conflict.. Biden asked for a combined assistance package for Isreal, Ukraine, and the Border.

The problem Republicans had with that was the Border funding that Biden proposed was for additional services and infrastructure to process and house the illegal border crossers. Not for security or enforcement.

Likewise the Ukraine assistance proposed by Biden was largely unidentified. People are suspicious of humanitarian aid being mis-directed. And fed up with ignoring our economic situation while pouring out aid to others economies. I don’t think there was a lot of pushback from actual military aid.

So Republicans wanted to pull apart those 3 aid packages and debate them each on their own merits.

Now Republicans have decided the only way to get meaningful targeted enforcement at the border is to make it specifically earmarked and to tie it to aid to Ukraine. And now Biden wants it all seperate!

American politics, heck politics in general, is the most disgusting thing on Earth. I'll take dealing with cow shit over politics any day of the week

 

[LivingTheDream]

EBITDA needs to be considered a bit differently with interest rates where they are now. And what will future taxes do to that indicator?

I've never been a fan of using it. The amount of debt carried is pretty much taken out of the equation. I have young managers who think it's all the rage... It justifies borrowing without considering payback! An important point when it is your equity on the line

EBITDA matters when preparing for an acquisition, hard to predict the future with interest rates and taxes, but is a good indicator of current health, but I treat it more as a snapshot in time. You can pretty much make EBITDA go any direction in a given month or quarter.

I agree with you, using it as a justification for leverage is super dangerous, as not all dollars are the same and future contracts/growth is fickle at best. Sounds like a bankers justification to give out 10 to 12% loans. It amazes me the trust people but in bankers and their advice.

 

[spike.t]

China pushing the BRICS agenda along with Russia allover the place at the moment....seems to be building momentum....

BRICS: $2 Billion Copper Trade To Be Paid In Chinese Yuan, Not US Dollar

BRICS: China pushes Zambia to settle $2 billion worth of copper trade in the Chinese Yuan and not the US dollar.

watcher.guru

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

China pushing the BRICS agenda along with Russia allover the place at the moment....seems to be building momentum....

BRICS: $2 Billion Copper Trade To Be Paid In Chinese Yuan, Not US Dollar

BRICS: China pushes Zambia to settle $2 billion worth of copper trade in the Chinese Yuan and not the US dollar.

watcher.guru

I'm not an economist, but if the China economy tanks like a lot of people are predicting (due to the impending real estate & banking issues in China), anyone holding a bunch of Yuan are likely to be wishing they had US Dollars. Heck, they might even wish they had trillions of Zimbabwe dollars!

 

[steve white]

WOW, just WOW! Yes, I thought your remarks were extreme in your condemnation of the Republican party., going to vote for the dim tards next time?

The Republicans have very little else to use for leverage to get the border under control. If they agree to just say OK on funding for Ukraine with a promise to address it later it will probably never happen.

And you dont know what the history will be, it hasnt happened yet. This idea that anyone knows where this ends up is silly, nobody knows for sure until it actually happens.

I for one dont think Putin is going to have much stomach for more fighting regardless how this ends up.
Certainly the Russian people wont and probably his military either.

I dont find wanting to protect our borders to be an extreme position.

I for one am shocked at the level of barbarity in Russian public discourse! A recent video posted here quotes participants all saying that they may have to kill all Ukranians who don't vow unconditional allegiance to mother Russia, one says kill them all, even the woman moderator getting all bloodthirsty. Who is going to reel Putin in--he is surrounded by psychopaths apparently. They surely didn't seem weary of the bloodshed.

 

[bowjijohn]

I for one am shocked at the level of barbarity in Russian public discourse! A recent video posted here quotes participants all saying that they may have to kill all Ukranians who don't vow unconditional allegiance to mother Russia, one says kill them all, even the woman moderator getting all bloodthirsty. Who is going to reel Putin in--he is surrounded by psychopaths apparently. They surely didn't seem weary of the bloodshed.

The dafter you are, the easier the solution (to any problem)

We have just as many twits over here in the west

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Social media..........getting it wrong on purpose to maximize outrage and clicks

War in Gaza: An ethicist explains why you shouldn’t turn to social media for information about the conflict or to do something about it

Social media is designed to keep you engaged by getting a rise out of you, not help you think critically or take effective action on political issues.

finance.yahoo.com

 

[mdwest]

I'm not an economist, but if the China economy tanks like a lot of people are predicting (due to the impending real estate & banking issues in China), anyone holding a bunch of Yuan are likely to be wishing they had US Dollars. Heck, they might even wish they had trillions of Zimbabwe dollars!

Assuming the Chinese economy does tank.. not only will all those holding large sums of yuan suffer.. it will serve as a huge lesson learned and likely create a run on US Dollars that could be problematic/challenging.. but would push the value of the dollar up against other established currencies very quickly..

Unlike Zeihan, Im not 100% convinced we're going to see the Chinese economy tank though.. at least not without hugely negatively impacting the rest of the global economy at the same time (to include the US economy where so much Chinese debt is held).. the Chinese get a vote in the matter.. and while all of the macro economic factors are in play that Zeihan very eloquently points out.. there are a lot of micro economic factors also in play that could have impact.. and.. well.. the Chinese could always undertake a large scale action in desperate attempt to right the ships course (that could also put the entire world in a negative position)..

Either way.. I am definitely not buying yuan or betting on the Chinese.. while the US dollar and economy sucks right now.. I'll continue to count on it rather than the Euro, Pound, Yuan, or Zimbabwean Dollar...

 

[Wheels]

Social media..........getting it wrong on purpose to maximize outrage and clicks

War in Gaza: An ethicist explains why you shouldn’t turn to social media for information about the conflict or to do something about it

Social media is designed to keep you engaged by getting a rise out of you, not help you think critically or take effective action on political issues.

finance.yahoo.com

So the main stream media is all we should look at?

Social media is all over the board. Many sources are pathetic click bait. Some sources are the most well rounded, balanced and informative available. Way better than the msm.

The main problem with good social media sites is they are focused on one topic, so a person has to find a number of sites to cover the wide spectrum that make up current events.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

So the main stream media is all we should look at?

Social media is all over the board. Many sources are pathetic click bait. Some sources are the most well rounded, balanced and informative available. Way better than the msm.

The main problem with good social media sites is they are focused on one topic, so a person has to find a number of sites to cover the wide spectrum that make up current events.

No!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone should just read AH Politics thread and they'll get the straight scoop.

 

[Wheels]

Proud to live in Oklahoma.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Ukraine matters, it matters a lot. In the same way as you can’t just have people busting into your house and taking your possessions, you make laws against it, people get punished for doing it. It just isn’t RIGHT. So once you cross that line of ‘allowing’ it, justifying it, making an excuse, the slippery slope is being trodden. Then it will not stop. There will be a next time. Being on the side of right is costly, it is a right pain, it is inconvenient and it saps you. But if you want to do the right thing, for the multitude of reasons that it is necessary to do so, then gird your loins and get on with it. Here is a lesson that the US military shoud surely have known, borrowed from physics. Energy and power are not the same thing.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

No!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone should just read AH Politics thread and they'll get the straight scoop.

Me: scuffs at the ground with my foot, whistles nervously, looks away and thinks "Well, this is the place I rely on the most"...

 

[ActionBob]

Ukraine matters, it matters a lot. In the same way as you can’t just have people busting into your house and taking your possessions, you make laws against it, people get punished for doing it. It just isn’t RIGHT. So once you cross that line of ‘allowing’ it, justifying it, making an excuse, the slippery slope is being trodden. Then it will not stop. There will be a next time. Being on the side of right is costly, it is a right pain, it is inconvenient and it saps you. But if you want to do the right thing, for the multitude of reasons that it is necessary to do so, then gird your loins and get on with it. Here is a lesson that the US military shoud surely have known, borrowed from physics. Energy and power are not the same thing.

Kevin that may be one if the best posts pound for pound ever made on this thread.

 

[mdwest]

Proud to live in Oklahoma.

View attachment 574784

I am ever hopeful other states will follow close behind on this one... and thankful Texas also did this back in September... I am also thankful that the Univ of Arkansas dismantled its DEI office earlier this year and that the state of AR is looking at killing DEI across all higher education institutions now (our youngest accepted a scholarship to UofA recently and will be attending there next year)..

DEI is about the dumbest damn thing rammed down the american peoples throat since the tea act of 1773.

Perhaps Larry Fink and the rest of his ilk will see their companies collapse as we the people grow ever more tired of this insanity.. (while I pray for that.. I seriously doubt it will happen)..

 

[steve white]

Proud to live in Oklahoma.

View attachment 574784

Bout time!! Could other elimination of woke insanities be as simple?

 

[Wheels]

Perhaps America is coming to it's senses.






Mike Sacks

@MikeSacksEsq

2nd Circuit, sitting en banc, finds that non-transgender female high school athletes have standing to sue Connecticut for Title IX sex discrimination over the state's inclusion of transgender female athletes in track and field competitions. https://ww3.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/39926f60-24be-42df-8c74-7fac2d618ab7/1/doc/21-1365_complete_opn.pdf…





ALT

11:02 AM · Dec 15, 2023

 

[F. Vaccaro]

I'm not an economist, but if the China economy tanks like a lot of people are predicting (due to the impending real estate & banking issues in China), anyone holding a bunch of Yuan are likely to be wishing they had US Dollars. Heck, they might even wish they had trillions of Zimbabwe dollars!

I don’t want a chinese pocket knife, let alone a yuan!

 

[wesheltonj]

Perhaps America is coming to it's senses.




Mike Sacks
@MikeSacksEsq

2nd Circuit, sitting en banc, finds that non-transgender female high school athletes have standing to sue Connecticut for Title IX sex discrimination over the state's inclusion of transgender female athletes in track and field competitions. https://ww3.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/39926f60-24be-42df-8c74-7fac2d618ab7/1/doc/21-1365_complete_opn.pdf…



ALT

11:02 AM · Dec 15, 2023

It's just standing, but at least they were not tossed for lack of standing.

 

[Wheels]

It's just standing, but at least they were not tossed for lack of standing.

Understand. Prior to this the girls were not allowed to make a case. Now they can go forward against Connecticut for State Championships, All-State, compensation, etc.