Politics

[rookhawk]

I was shocked to see CNN being more charitable and gracious with news of Dick Cheney passing away than I am. That’s all I’ll say in print

Did Halliburton get the funeral contract for 3 billion dollars?

 

[Red Leg]

I get your point. But the cancer won’t stay in Minneapolis , California, New York and Chicago.

We most likely will find out how New York succeeds or fails with socialism because people will rarely not vote for free things from the treasury.

Unfortunately society’s naturally move farther left over decades and centuries. Each incremental nudge or Over stretching of the rubber band comes back towards center each time a conservative is in charge. But the rubber band never fully comes back to its neutral state in the center. The leftist ideology moves incrementally forward.

Policy that seems like crazy talk now will be law in 20 years.


A small example; People like the new Mayor of New York believe you should not have an individual retirement plan when others don’t. So Yours will be taxed (or confiscated) to pay for others social security or retirement plans. The fair share argument keeps creeping down the economic ladder. That’s why it’s important not to fall for class warfare. There isn’t enough money in billionaires pockets to pay for everything the Leftist wants. He is coming for all of our wallets.

The unfortunate thing is, setting aside the comfortable empathetic liberals, the vast majority of the people supporting the socialists are perfectly fine with the lowest common denominator. The poor and lazy see a steady free stuff supply while the "seasoned citizens," to quote Rush, envision security for their social security checks.

Another sad reality is that portion of the population with any sort of retirement plan other than a 401K is shrinking ever faster. Moat of us are fairly astute at managing our personnel assets and wealth. But you tell me how many baristas will have accumulated enough of a 401K to sustain themselves in retirement.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Red leg you are exactly right. many of them brag about not owning material possessions and they are enlightened because they value experiences on credit cards over possessions.

Well, that may seem like a very Buddhist noble thing to do. it won’t buy you food at the grocery store when you’re 85 years old.

So the tipping point is coming sooner than later, where the government will be the sole provider for over 51% of our population

 

[PARA45]

My mother-in-law who lives in Venezuela, and with all the "benefits" provided by the Maduro dictatorship is not enough for her to live. She would starve if it wasn't for the assistance from her two daughters who live here.

Many have lived in those conditions, and too soon they forget. New York City will get what they want.

 

[mdwest]

I actually get NY putting a socialist up as a serious mayoral candidate… this is the same city that’s given us AOC, Charlie Rangel, and an entire cast of race baiting and far left clowns for the better part of the last 40 years… it really shouldn’t surprise anyone…

What surprises me is THIS PARTICULAR socialist…

A charismatic, Muslim, hip hop DJ, that brings no reasonable education (a BA in Africana Studies????), no reasonable experience, and no reasonable connections… that’s the best a city of 8.48M can do???

Gavin Newsome makes sense… BS in political science… comes from a very wealthy and very politically influential family.. successful in business before entering politics.. etc etc…

But Mandami??? What exactly is more appealing about him than any other extreme socialist roaming around NYC?

Surely they’ve got at least one person in that town that’s a socialist that graduated from Columbia or NYU, that was born and raised in either Brooklyn or the Bronx, that’s been in state politics for the last 6-10 years and is in some way related to either a political power broker or a billionaire…

But instead they pick Mandami???

Pretty sad statement as to the quality of people left living in that city…

 

[mdwest]

My mother-in-law who lives in Venezuela, and with all the "benefits" provided by the Maduro dictatorship is not enough for her to live. She would starve if it wasn't for the assistance from her two daughters who live here.

Many have lived in those conditions, and too soon they forget. New York City will get what they want.

I’m afraid in this country it will never happen…

They’ll either move and take their shitty values and politics with them (I.e. Colorado getting Californicated)… or the state and federal government will bail out the city before it collapses … and you and I will be footing the bill for their stupidity…

 

[Brent in Az]

Brent, the rest of us are here for you……….

There's always that....

 

[rookhawk]

Another sad reality is that portion of the population with any sort of retirement plan other than a 401K is shrinking ever faster. Moat of us are fairly astute at managing our personnel assets and wealth. But you tell me how many baristas will have accumulated enough of a 401K to sustain themselves in retirement.

You’re of course, correct. Just on this point alone, I remind my children every day that the socialists are coming and they have a once in a lifetime opportunity to max their ROTH IRAs as kids.

My 13 year old was astounded that he pays no taxes (because he is below the poverty line) and that his $7000 in contributions will be worth 254x present value when he’s 65. We have to push the kids to exploit this tax free loophole when they are young so they can make it when they are old.

The value of time and compounding interest on trivial amounts of money becomes a large pile when they’ll need it.

I don’t believe the government will screw over the ROTH holders, but the pre-tax IRAs will get raided eventually.

 

[Brent in Az]

I was shocked to see CNN being more charitable and gracious with news of Dick Cheney passing away than I am. That’s all I’ll say in print

Liz is a Trump hater, which means instant love for the Cheney's from the leftwing media

 

[Altitude sickness]

Apparently now leftists hate Kings. until it’s time for the king to hand them their monthly pittance and Food allowance.

 

[Red Leg]

It is somewhat amazing to me that in a city where this occurred, people march in the streets supporting Palestinians and are about to elect a Muslim radical named Zohran Mamdani as its mayor.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Notice how the media is tap dancing around the foiled Halloween terrorist attack in Dearborn, Michigan.

After decades of our educational system preaching that America is an evil empire. It’s no wonder so many people have no issues with its demise.

 

[deewayne2003]

But Mandami??? What exactly is more appealing about him than any other extreme socialist roaming around NYC?

It makes perfect sense when you get back to the "power to the people!" chants of socialists/Marxist koolaid drinkers.

Look at AOC - A bartender that is young and motivated; which to the leftist voter is a breath of fresh air compared to the octogenarian swamp hags that have come to be the face of their party.

A somewhat personable younger person promising free stuff to everyone and it's a nod to the......

"Boot strap yourself up and layoff the avocado toast!/We paid into this!" That so many of the aged boomer liberals love to spout.

Mandami is the poster child for a liberal self made man of the people boot strapping himself into power by means of the people......

It also gives the aged liberals a minority to vote for so they can virtue signal and oh how the elder statesmen of the liberal tribe put their self professed moral superiority above all else!

 

[Mountainshadows]

Did Halliburton get the funeral contract for 3 billion dollars?

I will say, they are the only ones that were able to come into a war zone and within a week set up shop and start feeding 3000 people with good chow. Did not see one other logistics company able to do this in the early days (and I bounced to quite a few places around Iraq '03-'06)

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I genuinely don’t get all the boomer hate. Every generation has their flaws. Casting blame is counterproductive and surface level nonsense. Literally every generation alive today has had a hand in the ills of this country. Every generation since Adam has thought they had it figured out. One day the ones criticizing the boomers now will be the old man yelling at clouds. The kids of Gen X and the older millennials are the most problematic at the moment. The kids are not alright. Constantly looking back isn’t helping a thing. Human pride is pride regardless of age and the young are just as guilty as the old..

 

[Tanks]

Red leg you are exactly right. many of them brag about not owning material possessions…

Yet, all have cell phones.

 

[BonUm16]

I actually get NY putting a socialist up as a serious mayoral candidate… this is the same city that’s given us AOC, Charlie Rangel, and an entire cast of race baiting and far left clowns for the better part of the last 40 years… it really shouldn’t surprise anyone…

What surprises me is THIS PARTICULAR socialist…

A charismatic, Muslim, hip hop DJ, that brings no reasonable education (a BA in Africana Studies????), no reasonable experience, and no reasonable connections… that’s the best a city of 8.48M can do???

Gavin Newsome makes sense… BS in political science… comes from a very wealthy and very politically influential family.. successful in business before entering politics.. etc etc…

But Mandami??? What exactly is more appealing about him than any other extreme socialist roaming around NYC?

Surely they’ve got at least one person in that town that’s a socialist that graduated from Columbia or NYU, that was born and raised in either Brooklyn or the Bronx, that’s been in state politics for the last 6-10 years and is in some way related to either a political power broker or a billionaire…

But instead they pick Mandami???

Pretty sad statement as to the quality of people left living in that city…

“One may smile and smile, and still be a villain.”

I thought I had purged all high school Shakespeare from my mind but that line from Hamlet runs through my head every single time I see an image of that Marxist prick.

 

[Tanks]

Things must be pretty bad in the NYC mayor situation if Trump is endorsing Cuomo. A bad Democrat over a communist.

I am not sure whether that is to make sure Mamdani wins or to get Republicans voting for Silva to switch and vote for Cuomo.

It is better for the GOP if Mamdani wins, assuming he will not be successful.

 

[mdwest]

I will say, they are the only ones that were able to come into a war zone and within a week set up shop and start feeding 3000 people with good chow. Did not see one other logistics company able to do this in the early days (and I bounced to quite a few places around Iraq '03-'06)

Yep... Halliburton and KBR (which at the time was owned by Halliburton) pulled off some major logistics feats in both Iraq and Afghanistan that Im not sure the other major players at the time (Fluor, Parsons, etc) could have pulled off..

I was sort of blown away when I made a run to Victory Base at BIAP in early 2004 at just how well everything was running.. My team was living off the local economy outside of a little town called Iskandariyah.. about 25 miles south of Baghdad.. we had it kind of tough.. shitty quarters.. REALLY SHITTY food.. shitty vehicles.. pretty much shitty everything.. but we were a small project out in the middle of nowhere... about 20 expat engineers rebuilding part of the Iraqi power grid.. supported by a team of about 20 expat security contractors and a small kurd security force that we hired (I think we had about 20 kurds with us as well).. and that was it.. so we didnt expect a whole lot of support.. and didnt get much..

Rolling onto Victory was eye opening.. fully functional post office (supported by KBR).. fully functional laundry service (supported by Halliburton).. EXCEPTIONAL dining facilities (supported by Halliburton).. EXCEPTIONAL vehicle maintenance facilities (KBR).. above average housing (Halliburton).. a very well stocked and well managed PX (AAFES run, but supported by KBR).. several outstanding gyms (KBR).. etc..etc..

guys working out of Victory Base were living large..

I cant tell you how freaking overjoyed and excited I was when the company I was working for in 2007 won the security contract for Victory Base (and all of the other associated bases surrounding the airport.. Slayer, Sather, Liberty, etc..etc..).. we moved our HQ operation out of the IZ/Green Zone (which wasnt bad at all by then) around mid 2008.. it was freaking heaven.. (and still almost entirely managed by Halliburton)..

 

[Tanks]

There isn’t enough money in billionaires pockets to pay for everything the Leftist wants. He is coming for all of our wallets.

There is a proposition in CA, if approved by state AG, will go on the ballot for a one-time wealth tax of 5% on billionaires. Supposedly to make up for Medicaid cuts.

When WA implemented an extra capital gains tax on any transaction over $250M Bezos and others bailed out to FL etc.. It cost WA millions on the regular capital gains that they could have gotten.

I expect many billionaires from CA to bail if it comes to pass.