The USA Political Thread

DOJ reclassified bump stocks as automatic weapons. All are illegal now.

offthehandle said:

That's the traditional issue and problem without any oversight. If the money is sent, then a bunch of bureaucrats spend the money working on program administration jobs doing little but growing their own departments and it never gets to the individual people.

There should be unique ideas- contests, entrepreneurial investment seminars, and a lottery to receive start-up funding. But, I don't see that happening, I have no idea how bloated their gov't are up north but know that the goal of many latinos are to work for the cushy govt job- they trade economic reward and uncertainty for a lifetime, cannot-be-fired job working in the Govt.

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I agree. Would have been better to arrange a summit with business leaders from the southern Triangle and the USA. There people are as smart and resource full as anyone else, just bad Gov holding people back.

@wormfood

Big Win for Churches as Judge Rules Wisconsin Ordinance Violates Religious Freedom
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/2018/de...isconsin-ordinance-violates-religious-freedom

The ordinance, which was approved last year by the city council, labeled religious organizations as places of public accommodation. That means churches would have been in danger of discriminating against transgender and gay individuals if they preached that God determines gender and prohibits homosexuality.

Alarmed by the decree, five churches and a faith-based radio station filed a lawsuit seeking an exemption, noting that the ordinance is so broad that it undermines their constitutionally protected right to freely exercise their faith.

enlytend said:

Yup although I did graduate college, I’m a lifelong self-learner also. My parents and grandparents were too, big readers, houses floor to ceiling with books. They would have loved the internet! My current career was built and bootstrapped completely on my own after a merger and subsequent lay-off from my corporate career right before 9/11 (and the subsequent crash of the tech job market.) I speak 4 additional languages to varying degrees (learned Spanish and German as a kid so those are my strongest after English), and am always finding something else I want to know more about and setting about to learn it. I find most classes too slow to hold my attention, so anything self paced works for me.

The odds of someone living for 3 months... that’s a tough issue. Where do you draw the line? And what about the ones who beat the odds? And why are chemo drugs so outrageously expensive here in the first place? Very complex issue, both financially and morally. Personally if I was certain my life was toast I would probably opt for quality of life for a shorter time than be tortured with chemo to the bitter end, but I don’t pretend to walk in anyone else’s shoes and I can understand how others might have other priorities.

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You were lucky to have met your grandparents and knew them, 3 generations of learners. Nice. It's something that nobody can take away from you is knowledge and only increases value for the world is education and "doing things" instead of just studying them. I was fortunate enough to raised into technical stuff as a kid then great jobs I enjoyed and involved with technical support of customers in aerospace/space/defense programs. Computers, Robotics, Imaging, Data acquisition, etc. all in early 80's. The best part was later going self employed of course.

Being bootstrapped by force is great actually, I think everybody should have to face it and be independent small businesses, that's the way it was until the early 1900's. No real large corporations like now. Farmers who didn't produce, starved. Or if failed, due to unforeseen circumstances like bad weather their neighbors assisted in a coop. People helping people, without gov't "programs". This is why I don't see Amazon being a good thing, it is shrinking an entire industry of retailing and cuts out small local stocking distributors. But the marketplace is voting for that model, like I see people gobble up cheap chinese crap here because it's cheaper, no long term thinking.

I will never have chemo, it's my choice and probability is high to someday get the news. Morphine drip and poof, lol. Common sense is the line. Been there and seen that Chemo thing personally in my family and not on me but someone close to me, so I just think it's ridiculous. I watched the system get used up by borderline "fraudulent" doctors arriving daily to say "I am your new doctor", get their questionaire out of the same drivel and write up a bill to medicare and get their piece of the pie- it's disgusting. In Children and those people with fixable things that make sense.

The worse is here though. I personally know an Oncologist who when I was discussing this with, after a long discussion, he even actually reluctantly admitted to me with a hushed low tone voice, that it was mostly a scam- that it was in most cases a waste of money, imagine that. ha. He is millionaire several times over. Tax dollars at work. Increased insurance premiums too for the rest.

offthehandle said:

Being bootstrapped by force is great actually, I think everybody should have to face it and be independent small businesses, that's the way it was until the early 1900's. No real large corporations like now. Farmers who didn't produce, starved. Or if failed, due to unforeseen circumstances like bad weather their neighbors assisted in a coop. People helping people, without gov't "programs". This is why I don't see Amazon being a good thing, it is shrinking an entire industry of retailing and cuts out small local stocking distributors. But the marketplace is voting for that model, like I see people gobble up cheap chinese crap here because it's cheaper, no long term thinking.

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Just out of curiosity. Do you like small businesses to stay small? What if people liked them and they got big, would you be ok with that?

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Asked why Trump is trying to make taxpayers pay for his wall after promising Mexico would, Sarah Sanders just said, "We're not asking American taxpayers for that, we are looking at existing funding through other agencies right now..."

"We’re not asking American taxpayers for that." -- Sarah Sanders on looking for funding for the wall through various agencies. Turns out all the federal agencies are funded by taxpayers. Also, she seems to think that money from private trade goes into the federal treasury.

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Mnuchin Backs Off Trump's Promise of 10% Middle-Class Tax Cut

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ff-trump-s-promise-of-10-middle-class-tax-cut

offthehandle said:

I am a lifelong learner, that's my goal, education my entire life.

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Just like me.... Before the internet age I'd spend a fair amount of money on books and magazines to learn stuff that helped me become self employed.

Now, thanks to the internet all the info I need is there, for a relatively low monthly payment...

Dumbing Down University...
Closing the minds of tomorrow today.

Uh, this was low on my Netflix Q, I think it's now available via free streaming but I'm watching on blu:

mr-x said:

Yes. Because we don't want to take care of them here. It's a bribe to their Gov. to do more for their people so they don't immigrate.

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They can not immigrate if the boarders are locked down, Americans are the ones getting tough love, fuck

enlytend said:

Yup although I did graduate college, I’m a lifelong self-learner also. My parents and grandparents were too, big readers, houses floor to ceiling with books. They would have loved the internet! My current career was built and bootstrapped completely on my own after a merger and subsequent lay-off from my corporate career right before 9/11 (and the subsequent crash of the tech job market.) I speak 4 additional languages to varying degrees (learned Spanish and German as a kid so those are my strongest after English), and am always finding something else I want to know more about and setting about to learn it. I find most classes too slow to hold my attention, so anything self paced works for me.

The odds of someone living for 3 months... that’s a tough issue. Where do you draw the line? And what about the ones who beat the odds? And why are chemo drugs so outrageously expensive here in the first place? Very complex issue, both financially and morally. Personally if I was certain my life was toast I would probably opt for quality of life for a shorter time than be tortured with chemo to the bitter end, but I don’t pretend to walk in anyone else’s shoes and I can understand how others might have other priorities.

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That is awesome Kate!’ A great achievement!! I speak Spanish almost fluently, I don’t know that I could have passed college courses, but I sure do wish I had tried, my better half, my wife, she graduated college in 1991.

Anyone know what ever happened to curing illnesses????

Perhaps thier is just far to much money to be made to actually release a cure, I hate to think that, but it kinda seems that away.

If I were diagnosed with a type of cancer that could only be treated to be shrunk down and would only extend my life a few months, even one year, I would refuse the chemotherapy or radiation and let Mother Nature run it’s course, quality of life is far more important to me than quantity + I would not put my family through all of that.

offthehandle said:

The war on drugs is a huge state funded failure, I am in the minority but believe legalize it all, and let those who want help get it. Those who don't- poof they are gone.

The border security issue is only partial success- employer sanctions on hiring would be the only way, but it isn't politically popular or correct.

The gang issue- is a multi-facted complex issue- as complex as health care. Remember, every law enforcement officer would lose his job in the prison system or on the street if the problem went away, there is big dollars in that sacred cow of increased law enforcement expeditures.

Actually it isn't so much funding, but allowing the problems to fester with no political will on either side. The Rep and Democrats in congress are more focused on pet projects in their home states. Yep, don't disagree. What about this endless mess in the ME? idiotic. Troops forever in Syria. Unbelievable.

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Yes, the war on drugs = Fail for us. I don’t believe we need legalization of cocaine , heroine and the likes of, but we do need better support systems in place for those who do want help with their addiction. Ongoing support programs as opposed to a 6 week detox “ see ya later” system.

Well, hurting someone's feeling makes her block me...
So damn juvenile....

I don't want to listen to 13 min of this to hear the Rat question

My chemo drug is freaking expensive.
Kudos to Pfizer to set me up with the drug.

JB Lions said:

Just out of curiosity. Do you like small businesses to stay small? What if people liked them and they got big, would you be ok with that?

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How many employees do you have? Zero, I assume. I am an advocate of small, Independent businesses 1-5 person businesses are the life blood of America and the biggest taxpayers afaik too. You have one to one communication, versus decision by committee is my mantra. Certainly, up to say 30 employees, after that it gets bureaucratic and ridiculous. Sure there are large corporations needed to build things in manufacturing that requires a team. Nobody is going to be an oil or telecommunications company with 5-30 people obviously. But using Boeing as an example, with 1000’s of approved suppliers most all are smaller firms, they subcontract with. But some Projects that cannot be subcontrated.

I am no fan cut throat, of the growth at any cost mentality.

Amazon is no new invention, its a logistics, shipping and warehousing company. BFD. Not something that cannot provided by small local businesses. But no way can small businesses compete with their free shipping, undercutting prices, no profit for years, mandated healthcare, mandated outrageous minimum wages, etc well, the Govt screws small businesses and Amazon takes over where value was added locally of small businesses.

Amazon is a great company for commodity products. But with Specialized, its a nightmare hence certain products will never be sold through them.

offthehandle said:

How many employees do you have? Zero, I assume. I am an advocate of small, Independent businesses 1-5 person businesses are the life blood of America and the biggest taxpayers afaik too. You have one to one communication, versus decision by committee is my mantra. Certainly, up to say 30 employees, after that it gets bureaucratic and ridiculous. Sure there are large corporations needed to build things in manufacturing that requires a team. Nobody is going to be an oil or telecommunications company with 5-30 people obviously. But using Boeing as an example, with 1000’s of approved suppliers most all are smaller firms, they subcontract with. But some Projects that cannot be subcontrated.

I am no fan cut throat, of the growth at any cost mentality.

Amazon is no new invention, its a logistics, shipping and warehousing company. BFD. Not something that cannot provided by small local businesses. But no way can small businesses compete with their free shipping, undercutting prices, no profit for years, mandated healthcare, mandated outrageous minimum wages, etc well, the Govt screws small businesses and Amazon takes over where value was added locally of small businesses.

Amazon is a great company for commodity products. But with Specialized, its a nightmare hence certain products will never be sold through them.

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You're anti-capitalist. You don't consider people at all. They got big and successful for a reason.

JB Lions said:

Uh, this was low on my Netflix Q, I think it's now available via free streaming but I'm watching on blu:

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Almost done. Basically, Trump Tower is basically Putin Tower/Little Moscow. Money laundering all over the place. Trump is compromised. I was actually taking some notes, too much that I stopped, some:

Putin - bombed own people, apartment bombing, kgb
RT propaganda machine - a lot of you post this crap
journalists murdered
Oligarchs killed, imprisoned
Trump Tower - money laundering paradise, Little Moscow
Bogatin
Trump Taj Mahal - money laundering charges
Russians saved him
Lost credit lines
Mogilevich
Felix Sater, sitting in room, woudn't know what he looked like Trump said, even tho pics of them together, showed Ivanka around
Russians invaded Georgia
1000's Russian Spies in U.S. more than Cold War
Reelected, Putin blames Hillary for Putin is thief chants
Putin blamed Hillary for protests
Russia, video women on Trump
Republicans afraid of Russian Troll army
From posting stuff from RT to Clinton's murdered people
Wikileaks email leaks hurt Hillary

No wonder Trump said his personal taxes was a red line. If that gets out before next election, he'll take an even bigger ass whipping than I already expect.

.X. said:

Anyone know what ever happened to curing illnesses????

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There is only money in prolonging the problem, hence the mess. Just like some crooked academics publishing b.s. useless research papers to stay perpetually employed. The published papers paid for with tax grants usually end with the last sentence... “more development and further research is needed...”

Or consulting, no money in quick fixes.

https://despair.com/products/consulting

JB Lions said:

You're anti-capitalist. You don't consider people at all. They got big and successful for a reason.

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Do you seriously think “considering people” means hyper growth? Cubicle incarcerated robots towing the corporate mantra, programmed by Stanford or Harvard?

I see, you believe in the myth of only big business is good business and creating monster monopoly corporations and mergers and acquisitions at all costs, consolidated small companies under one umbrella like GE did. Now GE screwed up entire industries with this mentality. Pray at the alter of the FAANG, they will rule you. Meanwhile, I can still walk down to get shoelaces and know the shop owner, or a family owned restaurant.

Big faceless corporations provide jobs for programmable people, clones of themselves, following the rules of their leaders. They also pay dividends to 401k’s.

offthehandle said:

Do you seriously think “considering people” means hyper growth? Cubicle incarcerated robots towing the corporate mantra, programmed by Stanford or Harvard?

I see, you believe in the myth of only big business is good business and creating monster monopoly corporations and mergers and acquisitions at all costs, consolidated small companies under one umbrella like GE did. Now GE screwed up entire industries with this mentality. Pray at the alter of the FAANG, they will rule you. Meanwhile, I can still walk down to get shoelaces and know the shop owner, or a family owned restaurant.

Big faceless corporations provide jobs for programmable people, clones of themselves, following the rules of their leaders. They also pay dividends to 401k’s.

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Amazon has some of the highest customer satisfaction ratings out there, I do 90%+ of my online shopping there for a reason. Small companies are selling on Amazon as well, all the 3rd party sellers they have. Probably helping out a lot of small businesses with that.

Again, do you consider the consumer? Tell me why people shop there and at the numbers they do. They're an American success story. Start off small, grow big.

Less crying, more competing.

As far as:
"I see, you believe in the myth of only big business is good business"

You don't see, because I didn't say that. You can have both, it's not either or.

American Success Story, Internet Pioneer Jeff Bezos Interview in 1997, over 20 years ago

Timely, Ralph Nader was on tonight. His new book.

How The Rats Reformed The Congress

offthehandle said:

Meanwhile, I can still walk down to get shoelaces and know the shop owner, or a family owned restaurant.
Big faceless corporations provide jobs for programmable people, clones of themselves, following the rules of their leaders. They also pay dividends to 401k’s.

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This goes back to the general dehumanization promoted by large governments. In addition to replacing family and religious functions, they replace societal functions. This is why brainwashed Americans believe their food would all be poisoned if not for the FDA, USDA, etc. - as though their fellow citizens would poison them to make a few extra bucks.

I like going to restaurants where the owner is the chef, and he is there to greet you when you walk in. He knows you and everybody knows him and his food. His reputation is valuable, and he takes care to maintain sanitary conditions and serve the freshest and best foods. He has pride in his business.

Contrast that with any number chain restaurants so popular in the US. The owner is a corporation, no person has any reputation riding on the place in the same way. The staff, from the manager on down, are all hired guns who come and go. It's all about profit. No wonder you need a government agency to watch over their food. But even with that agency, food poisoning is rife.

Americans are happy with McFood and McJobs if it saves a few pennies. Happy with crap made in China. So happy that 30% of the population is taking some form of anti-depressant medication.

The striking thing about the US every time I visit is how much pent up anger and unhappiness the people carry around. Amazon is the perfect employer for such a country.

Domainace said:

This goes back to the general dehumanization promoted by large governments. In addition to replacing family and religious functions, they replace societal functions. This is why brainwashed Americans believe their food would all be poisoned if not for the FDA, USDA, etc. - as though their fellow citizens would poison them to make a few extra bucks.

I like going to restaurants where the owner is the chef, and he is there to greet you when you walk in. He knows you and everybody knows him and his food. His reputation is valuable, and he takes care to maintain sanitary conditions and serve the freshest and best foods. He has pride in his business.

Contrast that with any number chain restaurants so popular in the US. The owner is a corporation, no person has any reputation riding on the place in the same way. The staff, from the manager on down, are all hired guns who come and go. It's all about profit. No wonder you need a government agency to watch over their food. But even with that agency, food poisoning is rife.

Americans are happy with McFood and McJobs if it saves a few pennies. Happy with crap made in China. So happy that 30% of the population is taking some form of anti-depressant medication.

The striking thing about the US every time I visit is how much pent up anger and unhappiness the people carry around. Amazon is the perfect employer for such a country.

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You said you haven't been here in 20 years, every time you visit?

"So happy that 30% of the population is taking some form of anti-depressant medication."

Your country Japan has twice the suicide rate as the United States.

And there are all kinds of local, family owned restaurants all over the place, along with chain ones. Again, we have choice.

You got another Anti-American post in today, good for you.

JB Lions said:

Again, do you consider the consumer?

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The consumer has spoken, the market dictates- Amazon wins, small businesses lose, so does that mean it's a good thing? Long term? Sure some small businesses thrive with new distribution, no question. Want to buy a book or a 200 watt gas generator than comes in a crate- sure Amazon has it. Amazing really.

Amazon does a great job, the search is great, logistics is great. But I am not a lazy American sitting around clicking and shopping on some items. Sometimes I want to walk in and look at things before I make a decision. I can't argue with how well they operate or what they offer other than being the only option. There will be only frustrated consumers if the lousy QC from Chinese imported crap continues as it is on some products, I had several things come in that were out of spec, unusable- that's life. Amazon just takes refunds, they don't care or know anything about what they sell or answer questions, they let hear say and "reviews", real or fake do their bidding. Irrelevant to you, I cannot return anything from outside the US either as it is a nightmare, and not cost effective. I have to have somebody mule it back for me. The company employs box stuffers, who can you call to ask technical pre-sale questions?

Retail in some cases like say Consumer electronics- has turned to the same- Bestbuy and other chain stores for years has had less than knowledgeable employees. Lot's of bad information with all the PC and accessories and building I did in years past.

What happens when there are no alternatives?

Amazon will wipe out much of retail, it already has. Companies that are in small towns, with mandated govt overreach just called it a day. Some small companies adapted though. A friend has a dress shop in the mall, a few years back things changed in consumer behavior, so she no longer bothers focusing on selling dresses since women seem to buy their formal prom and wedding dresses online- online or from Amazon. They arrive, and don't fit all the time. So she charges to modify them to fit. She used to have good employees, now this current generation is nothing but frustration. Going to close and retire next year when Medicare kicks in.

Amazon competes with it's own commodity customers. I gave you the Paint Ball example earlier this year. I have another acquaintance that sells online guitar lessons and bitches because of no Amazon search visibility mixed in with all the other hundreds of competing, cheaper lessons- not as good as theirs.

I bought a bunch of Electronic components and had them shipped down south to me from Ebay and Amazon. Fulfilled by Amazon, arrived as ordered but quality was semi usable. I cannot go down the street to order those parts, I tried and when I could get what I needed, when I have they are same chinese crap quality locally. Cannot find brand components reasonable locally or on Amazon, and minimum orders with distributors don't work.

offthehandle said:

The consumer has spoken, the market dictates- Amazon wins, small businesses lose, so does that mean it's a good thing? Long term?.

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Amazon is a good thing. Small businesses still exist, you do realize many are online as well? I have all kinds of choices/options.