Politics

[Wheels]

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[John Wasmuth]

Hmmmm I wonder if Comey has already fled to a no extradition country ahead of Kash’s wrath…… lol

 

[Red Leg]

I would hope someone in the administration would realize they can’t take the same blow torch to the DOD as they have to the rest of the government agencies. Find the waste, get rid of it and make sure we still have the most powerful force on earth and space. If it’s 1% waste or 20%, get rid of it but don’t muck around with the war fighting capabilities.

That had been my hope as well. Roll savings into combat capability. But that is impossible under this guidance. The only way this sort of radical budget cut can be realized on this timeline is through massive cuts in programs and structure.

 

[steve white]

Don't always agree with Gutfeld, but one of his opening monologues was about "forgetting what Trump SAYS, and paying attention to what Trump does. What he did last term was great, for the courts and for the economy. What he is doing with DOGE is even better--and I wish he could expand it to the state beauracracies. We would keep getting those refund checks.
I want to ask a serious question: would anyone but Donald Trump have gotten a DOGE like operation off the ground, AND, would you have been just as pleased if it had never happened? Would it have been OK with you if DeSantis had done business as usual with a few improvements, but never have disturbed the status quo enough to identify 4.7 trillion dollars that can't be traced thus far, and 50+ thousand NGOs associated with USAID, and the hundreds of billions in fraud and waste thus far discovered? Would you have been content to roll ignorantly along on the path to plunder and bankruptcy with a president who "acted and sounded presidential?" If you are a fan of the old status quo, then would you please identify yourself as in that camp before you crucify Trump at every turn? IMO, the 4.7 trillion and all the rest would have been beyond recovery in 4 years with anyone else, on either side of the aisle in charge. If the enemy of the good is the perfect, why expect it from him--you never put the burden of perfection on anyone else.
BTW, buckle your seat belts--Patel is confirmed, and competent, and motivated, and that just really made my day.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Don't always agree with Gutfeld, but one of his opening monologues was about "forgetting what Trump SAYS, and paying attention to what Trump does. What he did last term was great, for the courts and for the economy. What he is doing with DOGE is even better--and I wish he could expand it to the state beauracracies. We would keep getting those refund checks.
I want to ask a serious question: would anyone but Donald Trump have gotten a DOGE like operation off the ground, AND, would you have been just as pleased if it had never happened? Would it have been OK with you if DeSantis had done business as usual with a few improvements, but never have disturbed the status quo enough to identify 4.7 trillion dollars that can't be traced thus far, and 50+ thousand NGOs associated with USAID, and the hundreds of billions in fraud and waste thus far discovered? Would you have been content to roll ignorantly along on the path to plunder and bankruptcy with a president who "acted and sounded presidential?" If you are a fan of the old status quo, then would you please identify yourself as in that camp before you crucify Trump at every turn? IMO, the 4.7 trillion and all the rest would have been beyond recovery in 4 years with anyone else, on either side of the aisle in charge. If the enemy of the good is the perfect, why expect it from him--you never put the burden of perfection on anyone else.
BTW, buckle your seat belts--Patel is confirmed, and competent, and motivated.

Highly motivated…..

 

[spike.t]

I would hope someone in the administration would realize they can’t take the same blow torch to the DOD as they have to the rest of the government agencies. Find the waste, get rid of it and make sure we still have the most powerful force on earth and space. If it’s 1% waste or 20%, get rid of it but don’t muck around with the war fighting capabilities.

Way it's going looking in as an outsider I would say dream on......I wished I had followed my gut feelings and placed a bet back when trump and Boris Johnson were up for election..I was definitely in the minority thinking both would win...fk me I would still be drinking vintage krug.....and was subdued happy trump won this time...but I had reservations.....and fk me has he delivered on those.....I don't care what people say about his play book.....this is a total fkup of unbelievable proportions....he might as well go give putin a blow job.....I await the responses.....but then as always you confusing me with someone that gives a fuck...postscript...love my predictive crap has that in its memory.....

 

[John Wasmuth]

Way it's going looking in as an outsider I would say dream on......I wished I had followed my gut feelings and placed a bet back when trump and Boris Johnson were up for election..I was definitely in the minority thinking both would win...fk me I would still be drinking vintage krug.....and was subdued happy trump won this time...but I had reservations.....and fk me has he delivered on those.....I don't care what people say about his play book.....this is a total fkup of unbelievable proportions....he might as well go give putin a blow job.....I await the responses.....but then as always you confusing me with someone that gives a fuck...postscript...love my predictive crap has that in its memory.....

That’s dandy, and I don’t give a F either so cheers mate!

 

[Wheels]

Kash Patel confirmed as FBI director

The talking heads show up at FBI headquarters and no protestors are even willing to show up.

The next 72 hours within the FBI should prove interesting.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1892584062910365886

 

[spike.t]

That’s dandy, and I don’t give a F either so cheers mate!

Hey you forgot the ... ..just saying

 

[mdwest]

Many here forget why the USA was such a powerhouse during WW2 and why we need manufacturing to come back to our shores. Being able to re-tool and whip up a tank, jeep, or M1 Carbine was key. We don't have that anymore, but we surely need it, and so does the rest of the world! We in the US can't even make a stainless tumbler which I'd think is simple, but our Asian counterparts can, cheaply and easily. Same goes for electronics. Never mind the fact that if it's made in PRC, the government there is capturing technology that could be used against us.

Who are you going to get to work in those factories for a reasonable wage?

The average wage across the US for a fast food worker is now $18.19 an hour.

The average wage across all manual labor is $21.56 an hour.

How are we going to produce items that Americans expect to purchase at low cost, when the average labor unit cost in the US is 121.40... and the average labor unit cost in the UK is 78.32.. and the average labor unit cost in South Korea is 113.80.. and the average labor unit cost in China is 55.88.. and the average labor unit cost in Mexico is 83.89...

The only major trading partner we have where labor unit costs are higher than ours is Canada, with a unit cost of about 133...

Then factor in the cost of energy in the US.. which is much higher than most of our typical trading partners..

and the cost of facilities in the US are much higher than most of our typical trading partners..


Saying we're moving manufacturing back to the US is easy..

Actually doing it is not an easy thing to accomplish at all..

For some things (vehicles would be an example) there are viable models that work...

For other things (most things) the typical American isn't working for the wages that would be offered, and the typical American isn't paying the cost of the manufactured product... it really is that simple..

So.. until we fix the labor cost problem, energy regulatory market and energy cost problem, facilities cost problem, etc..etc.. the disappearing manufacturing base problem doesn't get fixed..

 

[Red Leg]

Don't always agree with Gutfeld, but one of his opening monologues was about "forgetting what Trump SAYS, and paying attention to what Trump does. What he did last term was great, for the courts and for the economy. What he is doing with DOGE is even better--and I wish he could expand it to the state beauracracies. We would keep getting those refund checks.
I want to ask a serious question: would anyone but Donald Trump have gotten a DOGE like operation off the ground, AND, would you have been just as pleased if it had never happened? Would it have been OK with you if DeSantis had done business as usual with a few improvements, but never have disturbed the status quo enough to identify 4.7 trillion dollars that can't be traced thus far, and 50+ thousand NGOs associated with USAID, and the hundreds of billions in fraud and waste thus far discovered? Would you have been content to roll ignorantly along on the path to plunder and bankruptcy with a president who "acted and sounded presidential?" If you are a fan of the old status quo, then would you please identify yourself as in that camp before you crucify Trump at every turn? IMO, the 4.7 trillion and all the rest would have been beyond recovery in 4 years with anyone else, on either side of the aisle in charge. If the enemy of the good is the perfect, why expect it from him--you never put the burden of perfection on anyone else.
BTW, buckle your seat belts--Patel is confirmed, and competent, and motivated.

DOGE hasn't actually recovered anything yet. It has helped the administration to identify some USAID contracts to cut or suspend. The wholesale firings seem to be administrative directives rather than DOGE recommendations. DOGE has discovered 4.7 trillion in treasury payments that were not fully traceable. That requirement was only created in February of this year. While the non-coding makes auditing difficult, it does not mean any of that went anywhere but where it was supposed to go. Indeed, the amount suggests those payments represent most of treasury's outlays. That sounds more like an archaic management system than actual fraud waste and abuse. Glad it is getting fixed. But we'll see how effective DOGE actually turns out to be. I hope that they are hugely successful in identifying real issues that result in real debt reduction. But we are a long way from determining that yet.

I am also very happy with the measured approach Trump has taken with respect to securing the border and focusing only on dangerous illegal aliens rather than mass deportations.

That has nothing to do with my feelings about the hash Trump is making of our foreign policy or the generational damage he is poised to do to our armed forces. I am confident neither a DeSantis nor Haley would have done so, and I am certain that either would have been just as effective with the border. Whether they would have also truly attempted to reduce the bureaucracy I have no way of knowing, but I suspect the level of chaos would be less.

 

[spike.t]

Who are you going to get to work in those factories for a reasonable wage?

The average wage across the US for a fast food worker is now $18.19 an hour.

The average wage across all manual labor is $21.56 an hour.

How are we going to produce items that Americans expect to purchase at low cost, when the average labor unit cost in the US is 121.40... and the average labor unit cost in the UK is 78.32.. and the average labor unit cost in South Korea is 113.80.. and the average labor unit cost in China is 55.88.. and the average labor unit cost in Mexico is 83.89...

The only major trading partner we have where labor unit costs are higher than ours is Canada, with a unit cost of about 133...

Then factor in the cost of energy in the US.. which is much higher than most of our typical trading partners..

and the cost of facilities in the US are much higher than most of our typical trading partners..


Saying we're moving manufacturing back to the US is easy..

Actually doing it is not an easy thing to accomplish at all..

For some things (vehicles would be an example) there are viable models that work...

For other things (most things) the typical American isn't working for the wages that would be offered, and the typical American isn't paying the cost of the manufactured product... it really is that simple..

So.. until we the labor cost problem, energy regulatory market and energy cost problem, facilities cost problem, etc..etc.. the disappearing manufacturing base problem doesn't get fixed..

Why didn't you just use my head butting the wall post.....lot easier....just saying... ....maybe if you actually ever get out of your SA safe zone and come to zambia we can sort you out

 

[Vashper]

You speak from my soul.
Putin has wiped out entire cities with civilians in this world, Grozny is just one of many.
People mean as much in Russia as they do in Africa - nothing at all, at least not to the communist leadership.
Unfortunately, it is true that Ukraine is a damn corrupt state (104th out of 180 ,CPI Index)
Nevertheless, children are admitted to the clinics there every day without arms and legs. Mutilated and destroyed by Russian drone attacks - is that their price?
Lavrov went one better on Tuesday in Riad and demanded the withdrawal of all nuclear weapons from Europe!!!
Hegseth's plans are the actions of a greenhorn who has no idea of the Russian power cadres.
Putin pushes forward into every gap left by the USA, Europe, Asia, Africa.
Of course, he doesn't need to be elected and he doesn't need to satisfy his people by talking about good deals.
Putin's coffers are almost inexhaustible thanks to oil and gas and he doesn't care about his own people only his ideology of Big-Russia
People-you can't trust a KGB man.
Too bad that doesn't get through to your leadership.

Foxi

Dear Foxy, I will try to answer you if there is even a fraction of a question in your post: if not, then I will just comment.
I assure you, no one on the Trump team, like Trump himself, likes Russians. And this is natural: Russians are not 100 bucks to be loved by everyone. The point is different: Russia exists, and nothing can be done about it.
There were opinions that it was necessary to save 8% of US GDP and spend it on the war with Russia. It is possible (to save and spend), but will there be a result? There is no analytical law here, just pure empiricism: it didn't work out. Those who tried and persisted died, physically. Sometimes together with his people.
Americans are an inventive and wealthy people, they know how to use various levers to move nations like pieces on a chessboard. They can portray the fascist coup d'etat as a triumph of democracy, and vice versa (I'm not scolding, I'm envious). But there are basic patterns, they were formulated by Marshal Montgomery in his speech in the House of Commons: "....we must first be clear about certain rules of war. Rule 1, on page 1 of the Book of War, is: "Do not march on Moscow". Various people have tried it, .... and it is no good. That is the first rule. I do not know whether your Lordships will know Rule 2 of war. It is: "Do not go fighting with your land armies in China."" There were other rules, but they are irrelevant.
I have the impression that Trump and his team are just smart enough to understand this and not waste trillions of dollars and millions of young lives on a deliberately non-profitable enterprise. However, historical changes are quite possible, and someone will want to rewrite the Book of War - a flag in his hands and a drum around his neck.

 

[mdwest]

Why didn't you just use my head butting the wall post.....lot easier....just saying... ....maybe if you actually ever get out of your SA safe zone and come to zambia we can sort you out

Sooner or later we're definitely going to have to figure out something on a lechwe and a puku... @roverandbrew makes me jealous regularly with his takeri stories!

 

[Hunt anything]

@mdwest, me to.,

 

[spike.t]

Sooner or later we're definitely going to have to figure out something on a lechwe and a puku... @roverandbrew makes me jealous regularly with his takeri stories!

Better bloody hurry up 67 on 3rd of March.....but still 30 or so in the head....so fk knows...born to party from my past history.... .....this one @roverandbrew ...

 

[John Wasmuth]

The talking heads show up at FBI headquarters and no protestors are even willing to show up.

The next 72 hours within the FBI should prove interesting.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1892584062910365886

Why do you think they call him “Dick”?

 

[randallhebert]

Just thank God Trump is president and not the cackling whore.

 

[Wheels]

A question for those of you with a military background regarding spending cuts that are over and beyond waste.

Do you think the Trump administrations view of DOD is a complete change of paradigm from the current line of thought. ie: The age of carrier groups, M1A3 and F35's are over and not a budget line item going forward. The days of cost plus to Northrup, Lockheed, Boeing, Raytheon and GD are over and the future of the military is headed to the Palantir's and SpaceX type firms with lasers, the ability to jam and drop hundreds of drones in a split second and space mounted defensive and offensive systems. Basically a more high tech version of the military and military spending.

I am not a military person but with the people Trump is surrounding himself with it seems plausible that is the type of military Trump envisions going forward.

 

[spike.t]

A question for those of you with a military background regarding spending cuts that are over and beyond waste.

Do you think the Trump administrations view of DOD is a complete change of paradigm from the current line of thought. ie: The age of carrier groups, M1A3 and F35's are over and not a budget line item going forward. The days of cost plus to Northrup, Lockheed, Boeing, Raytheon and GD are over and the future of the military is headed to the Palantir's and SpaceX type firms with lasers, the ability to jam and drop hundreds of drones in a split second and space mounted defensive and offensive systems. Basically a more high tech version of the military and military spending.

I am not a military person but with the people Trump is surrounding himself with it seems plausible that is the type of military Trump envisions going forward.

So is Musk "advising " on this?....just asking.....another fkup I would have thought.....