Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[froot loops]

[Ghengis Jon]

.....I do like his tax cuts. I like keeping more of my own money. Silly me. I don't give a rat's ass if the 'rich get richer'. That's none of my business....

I'm glad you came out on the positive side with the tax cut. Me, I noticed no difference before or after the cut despite my excessive wages. Smoke and mirrors as far as I can tell. Did you know that Amazon and Netflix paid ZERO federal tax in 2018 due to the tax cut? Did you pay zero federal taxes? Me neither. Allowing multinational corporations to pay less tax than its lowest paid part time minimum wage employee just doesn't seem right. I'd rather see the working class be less paycheck to paycheck than have the rich get richer.

[lineygoblue]

Jon - I can't get specific without revealing some information about myself that I'd rather not share here, but I'll tell you that yes, I paid much less on my federal tax last year, and will do so again this year. I don't make a lot to begin with. And I don't need the government to come along and level the playing field for me. I made my decisions and choices in life, and now I'm living with it.

[Whitley]

Actually, I thought you'd bring up Nixon and Watergate, which was actually a stronger case built by Democrats, but if you want to keep using this one its fine with me.

I mean, even Republicans went to Nixon and told him the jig was up.

Difference is that there were some actual Republicans with a spine back then.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Interesting data that gives an idea at to why Trump would like Biden out of the race

In 2016, 18% of voters said they didn't like either Trump or Clinton. Of that group, 47% ended up voting for Trump. Clinton only got 30% (rest voted for third parties)

Using the last Quinnipiac poll shows that 44% like Biden and 40% like Trump. 12% say they don't like either.

This time Biden wins the 'fuck em both' group. They might not like him but 55% said they would vote Biden, while only 22% said Trump.

And as the final note says, the number of voters who said they disliked both candidates in 2016 was higher than the national average in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.(37% of Wisconsin voters were in the "fuck em both" camp!)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/12/11/biden-holds-big-lead-over-trump-with-key-demographic-cynics/

[WingsFan]

Damn! This would have freaked me out, but like him, I would have had the strength to lift a tank. Qualities required for a particular role

[Jeff Buchanan]

Now go and kick the dog's owner's fucking ass. How stupid can someone be. Great save.

[lineygoblue]

Difference is that there were some actual Republicans with a spine back then.

Ah.

Dems are the only politicians that have a spine.

Got it.

[Ghengis Jon]

Caught a little bit of the hearings last night. The GOP is now actually arguing that abuse of power is not an impeachable offense, aligning with Trump's assertion that the 2nd Amendment grants the President unlimited and unchecked power. They spewed that stuff with a straight face and faux indignation.

Sweet mother of God. The GOP has become the Cult of Trump.

[iam416]

Abuse of power is pretty damn vague. It runs the gamut. That's why they went with it. No matter what you call it, the facts are what matter. End of story. And there's absolutely no consensus as to whether the facts justify impeachment or removal.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Sounds more and more like Trump won't get ANYONE from his wish list of "witnesses". Like I said a while ago, McConnell isn't interested in playing ringleader to the Trump Circus. If any witnesses get called at all it'll only be relevant ones, and McConnell and Graham throwing cold water on the idea of Hunter Biden appearing.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Pentagon IG will review a $400 M contract given to a North Dakota company to build part of The Wall. The company was being pushed heavily by Trump and North Dakota Senator Cramer

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/pentagon-watchdog-plans-review-award-400m-border-wall-contract-firm-n1099911

[iam416]

In a more trivial "I told so" -- Nunes Memo 1, Schiff Memo 0. But, then again, the fact that anyone was peddling the preposterous Steele Dossier goes to exactly what the Ds were ALWAYS about. The fact that their media allies so gleefully peddled in absolute lies is about as unsurprising as The Wizard posting in garbled letters.

The collusion investigation continues to look like a joke.

[froot loops]

Ah.

Dems are the only politicians that have a spine.

Got it.

All the Republicans have become Trumpboys or stay absolutely silent.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Just insane. As the Wizard (and not that fake Wizard that posts here - the real deal Wizard of Oz) ....... "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

The DJIA popped up 300 points after Trump tweeted at 0940 today - right after the opening bell, well, no shit - that a "big deal" with China is "getting very close."

Early this morning, I read a short but interesting piece in the South China News feed. In it, a spokesman for trade negotiators said, "we are in very close communications with our US (trade) partners." When he was asked if China would retaliate if Trump imposed additional tariffs as he has threatened to do on the 15th, he would not address that question directly.

All of this is political show ...... on both sides.

Something is probably going to happen tomorrow before noon. Trump is setting himself up for a big fall if it's not something positive and chances are it will be ...... but won't address ANY of the trade issues that started all this off and need to be addressed. If you look to the various Chinese mouth pieces that are talking about this - mostly unofficial academic organizations - it's pretty clear that there will be movement on the Chinese side to ameliorate some specific barriers to US access to Chinese markets - particularly the AG sector. The prupose of that is to reduce the Chineses trade surplus - an effort by the Chinese long underway. This is not an earth shattering big deal. The US will reciprocate with insignificant concessions. This is easy stuff.

The hard stuff - you know what it is - is going to remain unresolved and that is too bad becasue this isn't a Trump thing. The shit China pulls wrt foreign access to Chinese markets, subsidizing businesses in certain sectors and the market manipulation that sort of thing engenders is a global problem. That important foreign leaders don't like Trump and don't care what happens to the US economy if the trade war between the US and China continues is, IMO, a real problem. If the Trump administration had made this the world against the cheater Chinese, things might have changed. Instead we have a narcissist president who wants to make this trade conflict all about him and with him conquering the Chinese ..... not going to happen. Meanwhile, the world's flourishing economies, large and small, are making side deals to insure business in their own countries improves regardless of what goes on between the US and China.

It could have been a whole lot better.