Politics

[Hogpatrol]

Just goes to show you how stupid people really are

Or as one of my wisest relatives once said, "He's doing the best he can with the mental horsepower God gave him".

 

[Ray B]

And he was elected three times!

Actually FDR was elected FOUR times, but he died a few months after the fourth inauguration.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Actually FDR was elected FOUR times, but he died a few months after the fourth inauguration.

Roger that! He served three full terms.

 

[Ray B]

It wasn't much, but I see it as a good thing that FDR lived through his fourth inauguration, thus giving us Harry (S for nothing) Truman. Had FDR died pre inauguration we'd have had Henry (Communist) Wallace as the President. Hard telling how much of planet Earth would have been controlled by the Bolsheviks by 1952.

 

[sgt_zim]

And he was elected three times!

4X - '32, '36, '40, and '44. He died about 3 months after his 4th inauguration.

 

[Royal27]

Trump announces a tariff on Mexico until illegal immigration stops. What are the odds the money collected on tariffs goes to pay for the wall?



Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied,..

4:30 PM - 30 May 2019



Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump 2h2 hours ago
....at which time the Tariffs will be removed. Details from the White House to follow.

5,608 replies10,800 retweets45,414 likes

And Mexico beginning to negotiate how they will pay. Trump happy to stop tariffs just as soon as they are done.

https://theconservativetreehouse.co...response-results-first-tariffs-will-commence/

 

[Hogpatrol]

And Mexico beginning to negotiate how they will pay. Trump happy to stop tariffs just as soon as they are done.

https://theconservativetreehouse.co...response-results-first-tariffs-will-commence/

And the news media, congress and financial markets are all crying the sky is falling and the world is ending. All I can say is if they're so smart, why aren't they the President of the United States?

 

[markm]

And Mexico beginning to negotiate how they will pay. Trump happy to stop tariffs just as soon as they are done.

https://theconservativetreehouse.co...response-results-first-tariffs-will-commence/

It's way past due .

 

[sgt_zim]

It wasn't much, but I see it as a good thing that FDR lived through his fourth inauguration, thus giving us Harry (S for nothing) Truman. Had FDR died pre inauguration we'd have had Henry (Communist) Wallace as the President. Hard telling how much of planet Earth would have been controlled by the Bolsheviks by 1952.

Not sure it would be terribly different than it is now. Keep in mind the state department has been filled with communists since the 1930s. In fact, I think Tailgunner Joe was getting close to naming some VIPs in the movement when he got shut down.

Either way, I'm glad we didn't have to find out how awful Wallace would have been, and I'm certain he'd have been awful.

 

[Wheels]

And Mexico beginning to negotiate how they will pay. Trump happy to stop tariffs just as soon as they are done.

https://theconservativetreehouse.co...response-results-first-tariffs-will-commence/

Really messes up the payoffs the politicians are getting from the cartels to look the other way. The court has now been told that Nieto was paid $100M by one cartel for his six years as President of Mexico. We still don't know what the other cartel's paid Nieto.

Now Obrador get's his turn to feed at the trough and Trump puts the screws to his honey jar. Now he is faced with the decision of taking the money and loosing his economy, his electorate and his job at the trough. Life is tough as a nail, when you are hit by a hammer. Nice being the hammer and not the nail.

 

[Saul]

As if we needed any more evidence of how corrupt the Mexican government is, watch the documentary Cartel Land. It follows a group of Mexican citizens who arm themselves to fight the cartels and the government wants to disarm them but then they are infiltrated by the cartels and as soon as that happens the government endorses them.

 

[Royal27]

Really messes up the payoffs the politicians are getting from the cartels to look the other way. The court has now been told that Nieto was paid $100M by one cartel for his six years as President of Mexico. We still don't know what the other cartel's paid Nieto.

Now Obrador get's his turn to feed at the trough and Trump puts the screws to his honey jar. Now he is faced with the decision of taking the money and loosing his economy, his electorate and his job at the trough. Life is tough as a nail, when you are hit by a hammer. Nice being the hammer and not the nail.

There is a saying in Mexico - Plata o Plomo?

It means silver or lead? Do you want to be rich or dead? Guess which choice is made most often when dealing with the cartels?

And our politicians make the same decision more often than we admit. Don't think for a second that blackmail isn't used in Congress to get votes to turn a certain way .

 

[markm]

There is a saying in Mexico - Plata o Plomo?

It means silver or lead? Do you want to be rich or dead? Guess which choice is made most often when dealing with the cartels?

And our politicians make the same decision more often than we admit. Don't think for a second that blackmail isn't used in Congress to get votes to turn a certain way .

You got that right in this country more than you know. Doesn't take a genius to figure it out .just become a congressman and in 10 years you will be worth 5-10 million or more on a 175000 salary.

 

[Royal27]

You got that right in this country more than you know. Doesn't take a genius to figure it out .just become a congressman and in 10 years you will be worth 5-10 million or more on a 175000 salary.

Exactly....

And with what we are finding out now surveillance and the intelligence agencies I don't think for a second that some at the point relatively honest Congressmen haven't been turned .

"Hey, we'd like you to support such and such .if you do it will pass and lots of money will be made. In fact if you invest right now you'll make a ton virtually overnight. Your wife and family will be SO happy with the extra incone! Much happier than they would be if they heard the recording of you and your girlfriend...."

 

[sgt_zim]

There is a saying in Mexico - Plata o Plomo?

It means silver or lead? Do you want to be rich or dead? Guess which choice is made most often when dealing with the cartels?

And our politicians make the same decision more often than we admit. Don't think for a second that blackmail isn't used in Congress to get votes to turn a certain way .

We could bankrupt the cartels tomorrow by decriminalizing drugs. But our government (especially the legislators, but also via accumulation of power) profit immensely off this so-called war.

"The only power governments have is the power to crack down on criminals." -- Ayn Rand

Consider the income tax. Create more criminals. We could switch to a revenue-neutral federal sales tax of about 22-24%. The only entities who would then have to deal with the federal taxing authority are businesses, which they already do anyway. It's a win for we individuals for no longer having to file, for no longer having to manage our finances around a constantly changing and ultimately unknowable tax law. It's a win for businesses, since tax compliance becomes MUCH simpler. It's a win for taxpayers in another way - the taxing authority would no longer need to be the size of 8-10 infantry divisions. Another win - without a corporate income tax, every business in the world would domicile themselves in the US. That would mean more jobs, and likely higher pay all the way around.

With all of that, and we still have an income tax. One needn't ponder for very long on why we still have an income tax. It benefits somebody, but it certainly is of ZERO benefit to we the people.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Well, that didn't take long.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...n-border-with-armed-forces-idUSKCN1T62YC?il=0

 

[Wheels]

Exactly....



"Hey, we'd like you to support such and such .if you do it will pass and lots of money will be made. In fact if you invest right now you'll make a ton virtually overnight. Your wife and family will be SO happy with the extra incone! Much happier than they would be if they heard the recording of you and your girlfriend...."

Also makes you wonder how a Supreme Court justice makes a ruling on Obamacare that baffles and puzzles everyone in the nation that reads the opinion. Possibly the justice decided that Congress and the President enacted the legislation and they should be the ones to deal with it and not SCOTUS. Possibly blackmail is a very real option. Especially when we have individuals getting FISA 702 information on American citizens with out court orders! According to the NSA audit performed by Admiral Rodgers in 2016, 85% of searches were without authorization. Wonder how many 702's were performed in 2010 without authorization?!?! Oh yea, it would have only taken one to get that SCOTUS decision.

I sure am getting cynical in my old age.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Also makes you wonder how a Supreme Court justice makes a ruling on Obamacare that baffles and puzzles everyone in the nation that reads the opinion. Possibly the justice decided that Congress and the President enacted the legislation and they should be the ones to deal with it and not SCOTUS. Possibly blackmail is a very real option. Especially when we have individuals getting FISA 702 information on American citizens with out court orders! According to the NSA audit performed by Admiral Rodgers in 2016, 85% of searches were without authorization. Wonder how many 702's were performed in 2010 without authorization?!?! Oh yea, it would have only taken one to get that SCOTUS decision.

I sure am getting cynical in my old age.

I call it realistic. I'm in my 7th decade and I've seen enough of these politicians' methods of operation to know it's them first, their benefactors/contributors second and the voters get whatever crumbs are left over (which ain't much).

 

[Mort Hill]

You can agree or disagree with Trump on tarriffs, and who pays for them(yes, the taxpayer). However, Trump uses the tariff as a bargaining tool, and you only need to look at China to see the results. If you go to the table with no cards in your hand, you are destined to lose. He knows that and for now the tariff at least allows him to bluff his hand.

 

[Wheels]

You can agree or disagree with Trump on tarriffs, and who pays for them(yes, the taxpayer). However, Trump uses the tariff as a bargaining tool, and you only need to look at China to see the results. If you go to the table with no cards in your hand, you are destined to lose. He knows that and for now the tariff at least allows him to bluff his hand.

Against China, Trump is not bluffing. When America's average tariff is 3.54% and China's is 12%. When American exports to China are around $130B and imports are $500B+. When China steals American technology. This is like playing a game of Hold-em. China may think they have a good hand, but Trump holds the nuts and he knows it. There is no way he can loose.

Now regarding the tariff's on Mexico to stop illegal immigration, perhaps Trump is bluffing. I don't think so, but perhaps. The problem for Mexico is they can't afford to play the winning hand thinking Trump is bluffing. If by chance Trump isn't bluffing, Mexico's economy craters. Obrador looses the next election and is gone.

Mexico's problem is the government and the military aren't as strong as the Cartel's. Mexico has to stop the flow of Central American's at the Guatemala border. They do not have the power to stop them at the American border.

So how does this all play out? Possibly Mexico acknowledges that they have no ability to fight the cartels. America declares the cartels as terrorist organizations for invading America with illegals and killing a million American's per year with illegal drugs. Mexico invites America to take out the cartels.

Will this happen? No clue but Trump has just positioned Obrador under Damocles sword.


It is absolutely amazing the geopolitics we are seeing played out. Most presidents are happy to have a couple major items completed in their term. Trump is setting the pendulum in motion on a major item every month or two. Watching a President keep 20 balls in the air at one time is crazy. Dropping one or two may not be disastrous. Letting a dropped ball or two cause you to loose focus and thus drop them all...........