Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Da Geezer]

Interesting post Entropy. We have known that for quite a while, though. But watch the progs try to draw a moral equivalence between the Clinton Foundation and the Trump Foundation. The Clinton Foundation's basic function was to enrich the Clintons personally, but far more important, to maintain a "government in exile" of well-paid sycophants. That is the crucial "why?" in the Dems arranging Hillary's nomination without consequential input of the Dem rank-and-file.

The CF is on the order of 10-20 times larger than the TF, and public records show it used only 6% of its receipts for charitable causes. I've never seen the charitable efficiency of the TF discussed, and maybe he too is at less than 10%. And remember, Clinton was Secretary of State and was able to "deliver" on bribes. Trump was never in that position.

[AlabamAlum]

Substantively, I feel that the establishment of both parties are indistinguishable - save, of course, campaign rhetoric.

If Mitt had been elected in 2008 and 2012, and had done the exact same things that Obama has, Dems would hate him and decry his failures and the Repubs would love him and talk of his achievements.

In some alternate universe that very thing just happened and Soros, instead of Trump, was just elected.

Be right back. Penning a Turtledove-esque novel.

[SeattleLionsFan]

I'm afraid you are right Talent. Both parties have abandoned the process and pray at the altar of the ends justifying the means. Instead of trusting the process and using the process to try to address the problems of the nation. That needs to return for the country to move forward, but I don't know that it will.

And Geez, I used to think you were a troll or ignorant. Now I'm starting to think you lack the intellectual horsepower to consider new evidence in light of your preexisting misconceptions.

[Da Geezer]

And Geez, I used to think you were a troll or ignorant. Now I'm starting to think you lack the intellectual horsepower to consider new evidence in light of your preexisting misconceptions.

Well, consider my initial reaction to your bringing up the Garland nomination. I simply said that it was a fair point. Then I actually researched the facts surrounding late-term SC nominations and found Garland to be totally within what the Senate has done in the past.

And now you have an opportunity to list matters in which the Rs violated existing norms in the Bork or Harry Reid manner. I'd like to learn, and change my opinion, if necessary. Your silence simply confirms me in my ignorance.

Oh, and while you are at it, I recall asking you what you would do to improve the education opportunities in the inner city. In fact, I asked for ideas from any of you big-government types. SLF, I appreciate your complementing my use of "government schools" v. "public schools", but I'd actually like to hear ideas from you about the problem. That is, of course, if you believe there is a problem.

[CGVT]

Government Schools for Public Schools, Leftists for all Liberals, Fake news to describe mainstream media.

All words thrown about by the Right to mislead and de-legitimize.

[Da Geezer]

I'm a liberal. I believe in liberty.

You are a progressive. You believe in socialism, or any other form of governance that lines your pocket and protects you from a competitive marketplace. You would starve in the real world, CGVT.

[SeattleLionsFan]

Geezer, you simply take new information and recast it to reinforce your dumb ideas. You'll need to find a different monkey to make dance.

[SeattleLionsFan]

I'm a liberal. I believe in liberty.

You are a progressive. You believe in socialism, or any other form of governance that lines your pocket and protects you from a competitive marketplace. You would starve in the real world, CGVT.

Lol.

[CGVT]

I'm a liberal. I believe in liberty.

You are a progressive. You believe in socialism, or any other form of governance that lines your pocket and protects you from a competitive marketplace. You would starve in the real world, CGVT.

Coop? Is that you?

[CGVT]

BTW, this Fake News site is calling out your girl and her pet cause.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/10/opinion/big-worries-about-betsy-devos.html?_r=1

Big Worries About Betsy DeVos
By THE EDITORIAL BOARDJAN. 10, 2017


Credit Lilli Carr?
The director of the Office of Government Ethics, the nonpartisan agency charged with vetting the financial disclosures of cabinet nominees for potential conflicts of interest, sent an extraordinary letter to Senate Democratic leaders late last week. Never in the four-decade history of the agency, he wrote, have ethics officials felt such “undue pressure ... to rush through these important reviews,” leaving “some of the nominees with potentially unknown or unresolved ethics issues shortly before their scheduled hearings.”

As the Senate races forward with confirmation hearings this week, the spottiest disclosures have come from wealthy private-sector nominees with no governing experience and many potential conflicts. In other words, the people most in need of a complete ethics review.

Exhibit A is Betsy DeVos, a billionaire and education lobbyist who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary. Ms. DeVos’s finances are a tangle that could take weeks to investigate. Despite that, Republicans had set her confirmation hearing for Wednesday. But late Monday night, they pushed it back to next Tuesday.



People who have seen her financial disclosures so far say that Ms. DeVos and her husband, Dick DeVos, have investments in some 250 companies registered to a single Grand Rapids, Mich., address, entities whose investments could take weeks for the ethics office to research. Already, though, there are reports that the DeVoses are indirect investors in Social Finance Inc., a private company that refinances student loans. Private lenders like Social Finance are banned from most of the direct student lending market; their lobbyists have already written to the Trump transition team pitching to change that. That’s only one potential conflict. What if her family has holdings in educational technology or for-profit colleges? Given time, the ethics office will learn this, and reach an agreement with Ms. DeVos to sell off assets that could pose a conflict.

Beyond erasing concerns about her many possible financial conflicts, Ms. DeVos also faces a big challenge in explaining the damage she’s done to public education in her home state, Michigan. She has poured money into charter schools advocacy, winning legislative changes that have reduced oversight and accountability. About 80 percent of the charter schools in Michigan are operated by for-profit companies, far higher than anywhere else. She has also argued for shutting down Detroit public schools, with the system turned over to charters or taxpayer money given out as vouchers for private schools. In that city, charter schools often perform no better than traditional schools, and sometimes worse.

Mr. Trump has at times displayed breathtaking ignorance about the powers and basic function of government. Many on his transition team are new to government service as well. But the Senate, and people advising him, including Reince Priebus, his chief of staff, have no excuse.

Mr. Trump’s nominees will need only a simple majority vote to be confirmed. So what’s the hurry? Republicans seem worried that the more time the Senate has to examine some of these nominees’ backgrounds, the more chance a Republican or three could break ranks. Maybe they’re afraid of Mr. Trump’s ire, should any of his picks generate red flags. That’s backward thinking, of course: The potential for conflicts is more reason, not less, to take the time needed for thorough vetting, and the only route to a responsible vote.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Congressman Coffman (CO-R) flees from his constituents when he can't answer their questions about a replacement for Obamacare

http://www.9news.com/news/congressman-coffman-leaves-frustrated-crowd/386167135

[The Oracle]

I'm a liberal. I believe in liberty.

You are a progressive. You believe in socialism, or any other form of governance that lines your pocket and protects you from a competitive marketplace. You would starve in the real world, CGVT.

God you post a lot of dumb shit.

[Whitley]

Pruitt and DeVos are the nominations that could do the most damage long term.

In other news, Michigan's state legislature has introduced a bill that will take the state income tax (of which the state gets 9.4 billion in revenue) down to zero. Is there a plan to replace this revenue? Nope.

[Da Geezer]

Geezer, you simply take new information and recast it to reinforce your dumb ideas. You'll need to find a different monkey to make dance.

I didn't think you had any ideas about inner city schools or about norms of political behavior, or, frankly, much else. You behave exactly like a well-trained parrot, except the parrot doesn't have a government-subsidized job.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Trump and everyone on his team continues to lie about this, possibly revealing a deep insecurity

[ame]https://twitter.com/GlennKesslerWP/status/820735018230251520[/ame]