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grant_west 06-18-2015 11:14 AM

TRUMP for Prez
 
Ok I just watched his 45+ min You Tube video and one thing is for sure. He is no silver Tounged OBAMA. But I do like his message and what he has to say. BUT the way he says things will be his biggest opponent. Not sure if he can ever over come that obstacle. I don't mind the straight talk but I'm sure the Majority of America will find the truth offensive and instead opt for a candidate that will tell us what sounds good. Things like "yes we can" and "change" tell me how has that worked out?

I do like the fact that he knows how to get things done and I do believe he could bring more jobs back to the the U.S. Then ANYONE on either side of the isle. He is NO politician by any means and mabey that's exactly what this country needs.

One thing is for sure I feel sorry for the next person that's President the bubble that we are currently living under is sure to pop by the time we have a new president.

King12 06-18-2015 11:23 AM

Trump to me is the idol of the opposite of a blue collar hard working man. Repeated bankruptcy and bailouts don't impress me. I'll agree he played our country like a fiddle so there's that. I'd rather someone that actually cared about the people of America and someone that has gotten their hands dirty and smelled like **** from sweat lead our country into the future.

bcrider 06-18-2015 11:24 AM

I think your first paragraph sums it up. Nobody ever wants to hear the truth. Politicians for the most part only say and do what they need to get in and once they are they just try and stay there for as long as possible to collect the $ and the long term benefits.....again $. Being a straight talker will get him in trouble at some point by offending people who probably need to be offended or called out in the first place. There is too much wishy washy BS that happens today. It's damn near political suicide to make the comments and cuts to certain programs/benefits that do need to be cut. The have nots and the bleeding hearts that stick up for them have more of a say now.

ifishok 06-18-2015 11:52 AM

Ross Perot had the ears, Trump has the the hair, both are a joke.

cowwboy 06-18-2015 12:19 PM

I would support him over any of the sack of ****, sweet talking politicians.
We need a government who isn't already on someones payroll before they take office.

fly135 06-18-2015 12:20 PM

I love politics. It's such a freak show.

grant_west 06-18-2015 12:31 PM

^^^ I agree ^^^ both sides of the aisle have their freaks .


What do you think America's most pressing items are

grant_west 06-18-2015 12:34 PM

I would say
1. Deficit
2. Jobs
3. Middle East
4. China
5. Immigration

fly135 06-18-2015 12:41 PM

"What do you think America's most pressing items are"

1) Exporting our economy to other countries and killing decent job opportunities for Americans.
2) The mentality that it's our job to fix the ME.
3) Partisan fake 24/7 news outlets making tools out of the public.
4) Excessive manipulation of public policy with tax code.
5) Hyperinflated healthcare costs.

psudy 06-18-2015 1:08 PM

Nice list John!

ralph 06-18-2015 1:16 PM

IMO America's most pressing issues:
Lack of compassion for fellow citizens
Poor custodian of the environment
Social media addiction.

This isn't a dig at the USA so much, all western society has these issues.

Trump is an embarrassment, surely there is someone better for President

DenverRider 06-18-2015 1:49 PM

It would be nice if we could get someone who wasn't immediately going to sell his soul for a dollar, selling out the average American with it. Trump's history of greed ensures that he isn't that guy. Telling you straight that you will have to work harder than anyone has ever worked in order to obtain half of what the previous generation was able to may be a truth that isn't popular. I'd rather see someone that was instead offering potential solutions to the problem as opposed to someone who doesn't share the problem (because he is part of the problem) telling me to just suck it up and rub some dirt on it.

skiboarder 06-18-2015 2:00 PM

1.) Term limits
2.) Campaign finance reform

I think if there was a way to fix these, most problems would get solved over time. You can't have lifer politicians that are allowed to insider trade and only elect presidents with a 1 Billion dollar war chest.

grant_west 06-18-2015 3:02 PM

Do you guys think other country's like China Japan and Mexico, are taking advantage of the US?

Is our current trade practice with these country's fair and even?

If not what candidate do you think would or could negotiate the best deal for the US?

ralph 06-18-2015 7:05 PM

Terms of trade etc are just the deck chairs on the titanic, the reality is that the political system is so broken that nothing will get better until this is changed. House of Cards has convinced me of this, ha ha.

phillywakeboarder 06-18-2015 7:43 PM

Global warming, followed closely by ballast bans.

shawndoggy 06-18-2015 9:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grant_west (Post 1913794)
Do you guys think other country's like China Japan and Mexico, are taking advantage of the US?

Is our current trade practice with these country's fair and even?

If not what candidate do you think would or could negotiate the best deal for the US?

As our current congress proves it doesn't matter at all what kind of trade deal the pres can negotiate, they will block.

Term limits -- we already have a two term limit on pres?

Deficit? Who cares. I'm worried about the national debt.

Johns list is a good one. The thing I would add is an energy policy that reduces our dependence on foreign energy sources. It's a national security issue.

buffalow 06-19-2015 1:29 PM

One to help economy - How about 1 year do not tax businesses - Encourage us (especially in California) to spend more on equipment and people. Find ways to keep small/medium businesses here but incentivizing.

timmyb 06-19-2015 1:43 PM

#1 issue affecting our country is campaign contributions! Every single politician is being bought by someone and then given enough money to sell themselves to the American people who are then led to whatever trough it is that the politician's want to lead us to. If it continues at the current rate, our govt will be more corrupt than Mexico's is. :D

06-20-2015 9:34 AM

Grant, You're Fired!

pesos 07-11-2015 12:28 AM

As a growing CA small biz I'm with Buffalow.

Also, http://boingboing.net/2015/07/09/don...ampaign=buffer

Haha

Kjkimball 07-11-2015 6:56 AM

The idea of trying to create jobs here and or keep them here has a vital prerequisite. That being the need to have everyone in the country be willing to work. Not just willing to have a job and collect a paycheck or worse, collect a check for not working. During the great depression and through the WWII era, there was a desire in the US population to DO something not GET something for nothing. I have a small business and the employees that are older than me want to work, love to contribute and are appreciative. Those my age and younger are lax and expect more for doing less. With each generation, the pride of good workmanship becomes more rare in the citizens of this country. The weakness comes from the people up not from the president down.

denverd1 07-16-2015 7:53 AM

Buffalow, section 179 is in ways and means committee to be made permanent instead of last minute extension like last year. 2015 limit is 25000 down from 500K since 2010. Should help businesses quite a bit

Kimball, you make a good point. When part of the population is depending on gov't handouts, then they're going to vote accordingly. Whoever promises the most free stuff will garner a larger % of the vote.

tn_rider 07-17-2015 8:14 AM

IMO a start to fixing the country is this...put a length of term ANYONE in congress can have. Two years and done.

King12 07-17-2015 8:58 AM

I would say with how little gets done 2 years is a little short but agree on the length. Maybe 4 and then like 8 years later or something you can do another 2 years. Get them out of congress and back into the real world.. Then maybe have a chance to do it again

fly135 07-17-2015 9:24 AM

Isn't putting a 2 year limit subverting the will of the voter? Remember... the idiots are voted in by their constituents. What's the point of making sure that your representatives can never stay in office long enough to acquire any job related skills? The real solution is to actually look at what they are doing in office and voting them out if they are bad.

shawndoggy 07-17-2015 9:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tn_rider (Post 1916949)
IMO a start to fixing the country is this...put a length of term ANYONE in congress can have. Two years and done.

We should actually start this for all jobs. Doctors! Judges! Mechanics! Cooks! And for the love of god and country, ice cream men (persons?).

Nobody should be able to have a job for life.

King12 07-17-2015 10:52 AM

I think the point is that those positions aren't supposed to be careers

King12 07-17-2015 11:29 AM

Those as in political office not as in your examples

shawndoggy 07-17-2015 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by King12 (Post 1916997)
Those as in political office not as in your examples

If it's a job anyone can do and experience and skill acquired on the job are negatives, why don't we just hold a lottery and randomly draft average joes to do it? It would be a civic duty like jury duty, just you get paid a living wage and must serve two years.

King12 07-17-2015 11:56 AM

TRUMP for Prez
 
I don't think it's a job anyone can do at all, not what I was saying. More just saying we get people that settle in and get nice and crooked and don't actually represent the people as they are supposed to. I also don't think a jury duty system would represent the people at all either, instead it would be power hungry randos that get a ton of power all of a sudden and aren't educated in anything they make decisions about.
I just don't think your career should be a single job "politician"

Maybe do 4 years and then go back to a various other job, maybe your experience is in farming.. So go into he Ag department, maybe commissioner of Ag, Or you are good at management, maybe run for city Mayer, or go back to your law firm. You can work in like a billion other government positions without staying a senator for 35 years

digg311 07-17-2015 12:07 PM

Term limits are absolutely appropriate for any political office. Yes, the vote is designed to be the checkpoint that keeps the office on its toes... but it simply doesn't work. The vast majority of people don't care enough to really research all of the offices on their ballot. They usually vote for a familiar name or simply for their party of choice.

I think we need a system where people can "rate" their representatives at the end of their term and designate the amount of additional compensation they'd be eligible to receive at that time. Do a good job for your constituents? You get paid for the next 4 years and then you're able to run again. Do a bad job? You're out... no money and you can't run again for 12 years.

Oh, and while you're running? You can't exceed a certain amount of corporate dollars. If more than say, 20% of your campaign contributions don't come from directly from the people, you forfeit your potential payout after your term and limit yourself to 4 years by default.

shawndoggy 07-17-2015 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digg311 (Post 1917011)
Term limits are absolutely appropriate for any political office. Yes, the vote is designed to be the checkpoint that keeps the office on its toes... but it simply doesn't work. The vast majority of people don't care enough to really research all of the offices on their ballot. They usually vote for a familiar name or simply for their party of choice.

I think we need a system where people can "rate" their representatives at the end of their term.

Isn't this called "voting?"

If people are too lazy to choose between two candidates how in the world are they going to get informed enough to give a performance evaluation?

If you think about it, all term limits do is get us a series of inexperienced newbs who constantly grovel to the same donors. Should we also have term limits for campaign donors? Soros, Koch Bros and Sheldon Adleson get benched for a decade?

digg311 07-17-2015 1:21 PM

The idea would be to incentivize not only the politicians... but the voters themselves. Get them involved. I agree that it isn't a perfect idea... I'm just spitballing.

We shouldn't have "term limits" for corporate donors. We shouldn't allow them at all. Maybe if people weren't raising Millions from manipulative folks like the Koch's, they wouldn't have the ability to saturate the airwaves with their name and images... burying their "competition" and ensuring the lazy voter base moves the way they want them to.

denverd1 07-18-2015 3:23 PM

Oh boy. Trump just called out McCain saying he's not a war hero. He steps in it every time he opens his mouth!

pesos 07-20-2015 5:55 AM

What an a$$hat

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/m...isoner-of-war/

King12 07-20-2015 9:13 AM

That ones gonna burn long time

timmyb 07-20-2015 1:55 PM

Well...Trump kind of has a point but sometimes you just need to keep things to yourself. McCain wouldn't be a war hero if he was following orders as I recall. Didn't he disobey orders and go off and that's how he got captured (unintentionally)?

King12 07-20-2015 4:23 PM

No, he just screwed up and was flying too low and got hit by the anti aircraft fire while trying to bomb a power plant. Mind you after he pleaded to be allowed to fly on the mission.
He messed up, he got shot down, and he got tortured. He was however there, and wanted to be on the mission, he asked to go into the line of fire and then suffered tremendously afterwords.
Was he a good pilot? Seems not.
Did he screw up? Ya
But
"McCain is not a war hero"
"Perhaps he is a war hero"
"if a person is captured, he is a hero as far as I'm concerned"

Come on. If you are gonna play the I tell it like I feel and don't mind being brash card... Then have some backbone and put your foot in your mouth and keep it there. None of this wishy washy bull****.

Not to mention McCain actually was there... And asked to risk his life.

"I like people that weren't captured"

fly135 07-20-2015 6:23 PM

Even though all vets have been exposed to danger in defense of our country, the ones that "took the bullet" are bestowed with additional honor because of their sacrifice. Being a politician and a vet are two distinctly different things. Just because someone may not be a good politician, it doesn't mean that their military service should be diminished. Conversely just because someone is an honored war hero, it doesn't mean you have to want them as a leader. And I definitely don't think that a trash talking cartoonish combover is a suitable leader either.

denverd1 07-21-2015 8:12 AM

no, i'd much rather have a pathological liar who favors Islamic nations running things. Hey at least his hairdo is better

fly135 07-21-2015 8:19 AM

https://scontent-atl1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...fe&oe=5616FCD0

denverd1 07-21-2015 12:26 PM

well John, muslims play basketball. what say you to that??? (where's that red triangle...???)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...wYU_story.html

fly135 07-21-2015 12:45 PM

I say that this is the first time I've really been anticipating the Republican primary debates. Should be a hoot.

timmyb 07-21-2015 7:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fly135 (Post 1917289)
I say that this is the first time I've really been anticipating the Republican primary debates. Should be a hoot.

16 candidates now...who will they invite? They can't have them all, that would be a 3 day debate and nothing would get accomplished. :D

King12 07-21-2015 7:42 PM

Sounds good to me

pesos 07-22-2015 12:05 AM

haha this guy's on fire

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/21/politi...am-cell-phone/

07-22-2015 6:55 AM

^^^ LOL - look at the people on the stage behind him. Looks like they took the tour bus by the old folks home first and then stopped by Luby's around 4:00pm to fill out the rest.

fly135 07-22-2015 7:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmyb (Post 1917313)
16 candidates now...who will they invite? They can't have them all, that would be a 3 day debate and nothing would get accomplished. :D

If they don't invite Trump I will be really disappointed.

digg311 07-22-2015 12:44 PM

Here are a couple quotes from the past. I'll let you guys guess who said them:

On President Obama -
"I would hire him. He’s handled the tremendous mess he walked into very well. He still has a daunting task ahead of him but he appears to be equal to the challenge. He has kept his eye on both national and international issues and his visits to foreign countries have shown him to be warmly received, which is certainly a change from the last Administration. I believe he should pay more attention to OPEC and what’s going on there, but overall I believe he’s done a very good job."

On the economy in general -
"I’ve been around for a long time. And it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans. Now, it shouldn’t be that way. But if you go back, I mean it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats. We’ve had some pretty bad disaster[s]” when Republicans were president — “Including a thing called the Depression.”

On Taxes -
“I would tax people of wealth — of great wealth, people over $10 million — by 14.25%.”

Note: This person was not talking about taxing income – he wanted to literally re-distribute 14.25% of all the wealth held by people with over $10 million, a tax hike of roughly $5.7 trillion. (For perspective, left-wing French economist Thomas Pikkety outraged conservatives worldwide in 2014 by proposing a global wealth tax of 2%.)

On legalization -
"You have to legalize drugs to win that war. You have to take the profit away from these drug czars.”

On Healthcare -
“If you can’t take care of your sick in the country, forget it, it’s all over. . .So I’m very liberal when it comes to health care. . .I believe in universal health care. I believe in whatever it takes to make people well and better. I think it is. . .an entitlement to this country, and too bad the world can’t be, you know, in this country. But the fact is, it’s an entitlement to this country if we’re going to have a great country.”

On immigration -
"You have to give them [illegal aliens] a path...You have to give them a path, and you have to make it possible for them to succeed. You have to do that.”

This mystery person, it should also be noted, donated to Hillary Clinton campaigns in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007, as well as donating a six-digit sum to the Clinton Foundation.

denverd1 07-22-2015 1:00 PM

Trump

07-22-2015 1:11 PM

LOL - I remember one of his many ex-wives - Marla Maples I believe - who's claim to fame was being a ti**y model - said "his drug is attention". Looks like she was right.

simplej 07-26-2015 8:32 PM

TRUMP for Prez
 
Trump is a fascinating candidate for a multitude of reasons. The biggest of which is the fact that he does not require any special Interest groups to help him run and therefore owes them nothing should he win, unlike, well, the entire rest of the field.

He's political in that he's worked on the other side of the coin and pandered to politicians to advance his business interests, so he's not exactly completely new to the game.

It is a shame he lacks tact, but that's also part of schtick. The veterans thing was appalling, but if you really break down what he was trying to say, is that if you're considered a war hero JUST because you were captured, it's not fair to everyone else who served and was not given a label as a hero. At least that was my trump BS-o-meter was telling me. He was partially lumping McCain into that as a back hand to calling his followers crazies. But he has no tact or fear so it comes out completely appalling and scummy as a return insult. Media doesn't help, either that's for sure.


If I can't have rand, I want trump.


Now the Lindsey Graham stuff, funny as hell right there...

shawndoggy 07-27-2015 10:57 AM

I like that the GOP has a voice that is NOT evangelical. Clearly there's a big segment of motivated non-evangelical GOP voters out there who are tuning in to Trump's message.

Now personally I wish it were a "thinking man's" message (fiscally conservative, socially liberal/libertarian) rather than the xenophobia trump seems to be selling. But that's a general election message, not something that gets you through the GOP's wacko primaries.

denverd1 08-10-2015 9:52 AM

Post debate polls show Trump leading if elections were held today. 23% of GOP vote. Havent heard any sound bites though

shawndoggy 08-10-2015 10:11 AM

Have to think trump's negatives are as high as or higher than Hillary's. Pretty sure trump is going to implode before primary season, but his threat to run as an indy could be a trainwreck. Could play the Nader/Perot foil to turn the election on its head.

As a dem myself, I find the current dem candidate pool to be extremely weak. Sanders is as unelectable as Santorum, and the country has mucho Hillary fatigue. Who are the other dems running? LOL. A Trump candidacy is seriously the only thing that I see keeping dems viable in the general. He is so polarizing and seemingly willing to talk out his rear end without even being goaded into it. For every Joe the Plumber that he inspires, he turns of a female or minority voter. Don't really see him coming back to the center for the general.

fly135 08-10-2015 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simplej (Post 1917782)
Trump is a fascinating candidate for a multitude of reasons. The biggest of which is the fact that he does not require any special Interest groups to help him run and therefore owes them nothing should he win, unlike, well, the entire rest of the field.

Trump pretty much came out and said his sense of values is nothing more than "playing by the rules". IOW as long as he can get away with it, then it's legit. Who needs to worry about special interest groups when your man comes right out and says he'll do whatever he wants if nothing stands in his way? Making the assumption that Trump won't find any "special interests" makes little sense when he has expressed no reservations about doing whatever he wants to whoever he wants if it suits his agenda.

simplej 08-10-2015 1:09 PM

TRUMP for Prez
 
Special interest groups meaning the Koch Brothers, NRA, et al. His special interests are not bought, they're his own opinions. He doesn't need to pander for money and can speak freely without worrying about his funding drying up.

The face of the Democratic Party is Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, both of whom bend the rules and you're gonna complain about trump's "good" business practices (ie. bankruptcy) and purchase of politicians. And let's not talk about "getting away with it" when it comes to the Clintons...

I'm not saying he has a strong moral compass, but if the barometer is either political party and/or those gaming our public assistance programs that continually put dem's in office, he looks pretty appealing.

I don't care about Political Correctness, or Even Morality: you just need to do an effective job running the country and upholding the constitution.

I'm not saying that trump is the right man for the job per se but he's certainly started some wildfires and raised some eyebrows about politics as a whole.

shawndoggy 08-10-2015 1:52 PM

Trump is basically the american Putin. He can mug it up for the cameras and say some semi offensive things and a segment of the electorate loves that.

Whether or not he can be an effective politician remains to be seen.

TerryR 08-10-2015 4:10 PM

I don't see the big attraction for trump but poll shows that it's there. He doesn't seem to offend Hispanics over his immigration stance. I see him and his "I don't need their money I'm independent" as the same rhetoric as Obama's "hope and change". Considering his point of view has changed so much over the years you would be getting an unknown just like we did with Barack.
But, even with his close association with the Clintons and the Democratic Party, he still seen as a Republican conservative Who is not an establishment Republican.

pesos 08-10-2015 7:57 PM

http://www.theonion.com/graphic/how-...al-women-51055

brettw 08-11-2015 10:45 AM

I can't believe people are falling for this guy's bull****. I keep catching parts of interviews and the guy has no real solutions. He doesn't offer specifics on anything from what I've seen so far. I just saw a reply of his on the Iran deal. He just says he'd double sanctions (although none of our allies are with us on this). Then he would get the prisoners back and then would have gotten a better deal. Simple - right? The dude is in fantasy land. I just don't get how ppl are going for this clown.

TerryR 08-11-2015 11:57 AM

I wondered how long it would go before it got ugly and unproductive.
Wes, what's the average age of the Dem party candidates? I guess 60. Should they apologize to young people?

pesos 08-11-2015 11:59 AM

Terry, are you familiar with The Onion? :-)

shawndoggy 08-11-2015 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TerryR (Post 1919187)
I wondered how long it would go before it got ugly and unproductive.

C'mon man we are talking about Trump, right? One man's "ugly" is another man's "politically incorrect."

Trump is on record with “I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct,” in defense of calling women fat pigs (no wait, only Rosie O"Donnell) and all illegal immigrants murders and rapists.

So if you can't take ugly and unproductive, you'd better get off that Trump Train now!

pesos 08-11-2015 12:11 PM

Here's one for you Terry http://www.theonion.com/r/38414

shawndoggy 08-11-2015 12:48 PM

This one is awesome!

Who said it... Trump or Mr. Krabs?
http://www.mtv.com/news/2236934/dona...mr-krabs-quiz/

pesos 08-13-2015 12:52 PM

1 Attachment(s)
lulz

pesos 08-23-2015 2:38 AM

http://assets.rollingstone.com/asset...9.28.31-PM.jpg

grant_west 08-23-2015 11:45 AM

Trump keeps saying all the right things, I admit sometimes not in the best way.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-t...y-with-murder/


I can't figure out if his crazy way of saying things is a tactic. He is getting and has gotten so much free Press from new outlets like CBS. Everyday he is making headlines because of what he said and how he said it meanwhile you hardly hear a peep from the 15 other candidates. He is defiantly unconventional.

08-23-2015 12:13 PM

Trump / Deez Nuts 2016! YES!!!

ord27 08-23-2015 12:40 PM

......Trump pretty much came out and said his sense of values is nothing more than "playing by the rules". IOW as long as he can get away with it, then it's legit. Who needs to worry about special interest groups when your man comes right out and says he'll do whatever he wants if nothing stands in his way? Making the assumption that Trump won't find any "special interests" makes little sense when he has expressed no reservations about doing whatever he wants to whoever he wants if it suits his agenda.......


sounds a lot like what the wacko from the left does......Harry Reid.....and he's praised as the left's hero

grant_west 08-23-2015 2:05 PM

I wouldn't be too worried about having a president that does whatever he wants that's IMO that's pretty much what we have now and people don't seem to mind. I do think to make this country great once again we need someone that is a non-conformance and has a way of not doing things the status quo. The last thing we need is more political positioning we need to get stuff done.

grant_west 08-25-2015 7:46 PM

Trump tells Hispanic reporter" Go back to Univision "
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-t...-to-univision/

I love this guy

fouroheight68 08-26-2015 7:44 AM

So if he was president would it be OK for him to boot out any reporter who asks questions he doesnt like? I understand Trump is popular because he "speaks his mind", but so does the crazy homeless guy on the corner. That doesn't mean he should be president. It's called tact. It's OK when he is on TV acting like the Kardashians, but the president represents our country and potentially has our lives in his/her hands. Trump is amusing from a reality TV standpoint, but I question anyone's right to vote who thinks he should be president. :banghead:

timmyb 08-26-2015 9:01 AM

1 Attachment(s)
Discuss :D

simplej 08-26-2015 9:09 AM

So it's okay for a "reporter" to heckle him? Did you even watch the video?


I hope social security dies. I don't need the government to save my pennies for me. I can do a better job.

alcarlaw1 08-26-2015 9:19 AM

Is anybody in the US actually getting worried that Trump's ratings are so high. He has zero political experience, he is a bigot and xenophobic amongst other things, yet a high percentage of the public this this is ok? In the bigger picture, the damage that he would do to Americas international standing would be unimaginable.

simplej 08-26-2015 9:25 AM

TRUMP for Prez
 
Yes because what the country needs is another career politician to make minor changes in policy and have very little effect on the direction the country is headed.

Who cares who the rest of the world views "us"? They already hate us. Putin laughs at Obama, China pushes us around, you care what those countries think of us?

If I had any say in the matter I would have Ron Paul directing our foreign policy. Then maybe we wouldn't have to worry so much about who might attack us, cross the border, etc.

Also, since when is being blunt and unfiltered the same as bigotry? The man lacks tact but I haven't heard anything too bad. The Twitter attack on Megyn Kelly has gone a bit far now but you know what they say about publicity...

DenverRider 08-26-2015 9:45 AM

Do you think that if social security is dissolved that you will get any of the money that you already contributed back? Where is it supposed to come from simplej? The boomers already spent YOUR contributions as well as their own on nuclear bombs, Muslim wars, and themselves. Do you think gen Y is going to continue to contribute even after it has been eliminated? Your stupidity astounds me. How about we just have a temporary moratorium on social security where the boomers don't get to collect but it starts up again when gen X retires. Boomers are the reason for all the mess we're in right now anyway. They may as well be the ones who pay the price.

shawndoggy 08-26-2015 9:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simplej (Post 1920648)
Yes because what the country needs is another career politician to make minor changes in policy and have very little effect on the direction the country is headed.

Unless you've missed it, the President has very little power to "make changes in policy." Yes, the president is the face of the country and nominally the leader, but without congress being on board, big changes in policy (like cutting social security benefits, for example) are impossible.

Quote:

Is anybody in the US actually getting worried that Trump's ratings are so high. He has zero political experience, he is a bigot and xenophobic amongst other things, yet a high percentage of the public this this is ok? In the bigger picture, the damage that he would do to Americas international standing would be unimaginable.
He appeals to the disaffected white guy. Nobody gets to the white house on the disaffected white guy vote anymore. To get elected from the right, a candidate is going to need moderates, evangelicals, women, and conservative minorities. He's doing a pretty good job of alienating women and minorities and is letting the others pander to the moral majority.

He is a firebrand and says the semi offensive stuff that's on the minds of many a talk radio caller, but IMHO he cannot build a big enough coalition to get elected. He is a lot more fun to watch than the others tho. And who knows... aside from being overtly sexist, he does have some moderate/liberal palmares.... in the highly unlikely event he gets the nomination, maybe he tacks hard left and tries to draw in some moderates. I kinda doubt the viability of that strategy tho.

grant_west 08-26-2015 9:52 AM

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Also, since when is being blunt and unfiltered the same as bigotry?
Exactly
IMO that's what has happend they have labeled the truth as "Hate Speech" & "Racism" no one wants to be labeled as a Racist so the steer clear of straight talk and the truth. What we have created is talking heads that say what we wanna hear and lie to us to stay popular.

alcarlaw1 08-26-2015 9:59 AM

From a foreign viewpoint, Trump is simply not perceived to be in any way equipped to negotiate on any level with anybody. He does seem to have a passion and talent for school ground style bullying however, will that be his foreign policy?. With his farcical attempts at riding roughshod over the laws of other countries for personal gain, he really should learn that diplomacy, and understanding are essential ingredients for success . Like it or not, people, or indeed countries, only have power to influence if there is respect, and trust. I cant see Trump valuing these two qualities thus America will become ignored on the international stage.

We had a very similar ultra right winged Xenophobic character that gained an alarming amount of traction in the general elections, fortunately Farage was booted into touch, On the other hand I do hope this Trump ego trip goes on a little longer, I really need to start streaming Fox news, their lobotomised and fact-less journalistic flair and the need for instantaneous "news" must surely be very entertaining.

shawndoggy 08-26-2015 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grant_west (Post 1920654)
Exactly
What we have created is talking heads that say what we wanna hear and lie to us to stay popular.

What? I thought Fox was Fair and Balanced?

simplej 08-26-2015 10:30 AM

TRUMP for Prez
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by DenverRider (Post 1920651)
Do you think that if social security is dissolved that you will get any of the money that you already contributed back? Where is it supposed to come from simplej? The boomers already spent YOUR contributions as well as their own on nuclear bombs, Muslim wars, and themselves. Do you think gen Y is going to continue to contribute even after it has been eliminated? Your stupidity astounds me. How about we just have a temporary moratorium on social security where the boomers don't get to collect but it starts up again when gen X retires. Boomers are the reason for all the mess we're in right now anyway. They may as well be the ones who pay the price.


So have you not saved sufficiently for retirement and are depending on social security?
Should we screw only the boomers?
Why would gen Y pay into it if it was dissolved?

I can do better saving on my own than the government can. They can keep what I have contributed to social security. **** it. Buy f-22s or pay down the debt, I don't care. It's a small price to pay for the ability to save and manage my own money.

I can add the percent difference to my 401k contributions that will actually COMPOUND and ultimately allow me to have a better retirement in ~40 years.

Another 7% of my own pay in my 401k. Compound that. I'll make up the difference quick.

simplej 08-26-2015 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grant_west (Post 1920654)
Exactly

IMO that's what has happend they have labeled the truth as "Hate Speech" & "Racism" no one wants to be labeled as a Racist so the steer clear of straight talk and the truth. What we have created is talking heads that say what we wanna hear and lie to us to stay popular.


Comedians refuse to play college campuses because of all the self righteous 17-23 year olds who like to make issues out jokes and turn them into "hate speech"

simplej 08-26-2015 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shawndoggy (Post 1920653)
Unless you've missed it, the President has very little power to "make changes in policy." Yes, the president is the face of the country and nominally the leader, but without congress being on board, big changes in policy (like cutting social security benefits, for example) are impossible.







He appeals to the disaffected white guy.


Yes, that was more of a general statement about the Washington machine. Why can we not have some term limits here? I am well aware that the president is cuffed until he circumvents our checks and balances and gets sued by the house...


And yes, 100% appeals to the disaffected white guy. He has white male interests first and foremost. I am guessing most of us our white males so I am surprised he is not more popular here

lifetimewarranty 08-26-2015 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pesos (Post 1916181)
As a growing CA small biz I'm with Buffalow.

Also, http://boingboing.net/2015/07/09/don...ampaign=buffer

Haha


Wes, did some conservative hack your account and post this?

Or did starting your own company finally cause you to realize how difficult the government makes it for those of us who have our own business? ;)

shawndoggy 08-26-2015 12:00 PM

[QUOTE=simplej;1920661
Why would gen Y pay into it if it was dissolved?
[/QUOTE]

Because that's how it works? It is NOT an investment system, it set up ponzi scheme style so that the current folks paying in pay the benefits of those collecting. That's how it has always worked. How in the world would the system have had the funds to get going if it didn't work that way?

So if GenY quits paying, Boomers quit collecting. In order to land the system with any grace, you've got to keep people paying but extend out their benefit collection date (i.e. 70 instead of 62, then 75 instead of 70, etc).

fouroheight68 08-26-2015 12:24 PM

Thankfully the election is over a year away, and American voters have the attention span of a goldfish.

simplej 08-26-2015 12:24 PM

That's exactly my point it's a bunch of nonsense. A government funded retirement program.

If you know how to save money it's terrible for you.

If you don't it's good for you.

We are all writing our parents and grand parents SS checks. It doesn't make you the slightest bit angry thinking about what an extra 7% saved will do for you in the long term vs what SS benefit will get paid out?

shawndoggy 08-26-2015 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simplej (Post 1920682)
That's exactly my point it's a bunch of nonsense. A government funded retirement program.

If you know how to save money it's terrible for you.

If you don't it's good for you.

We are all writing our parents and grand parents SS checks. It doesn't make you the slightest bit angry thinking about what an extra 7% saved will do for you in the long term vs what SS benefit will get paid out?

You are looking at it as an investment. It's not... it's a ponzi scheme. The current workforce pays for the retired one.

Also SS is not a "lap of luxury" retirement program. It's a safety net. For some of the weekest and most feeble minded, who could no way no how save up 7% of their earnings for retirement, what's your proposal? Too bad old folks, hunt squirrels at the park?

The thing that probably needs to change is the concept of "retirement" altogether. When SS came on the scene with it's meager payout for those 65+, the avg lifespan in the US of A was 61. Now if you are 65 and a man you have a 50/50 shot of making it to 82, and 85 if a woman. That's a big shift in long term payouts.

It might make more sense to make social security a little more like welfare. Income caps to limit eligibility, for one thing. Put a stigma on it -- it's retirement for poor people. It also makes a lot of sense to raise the retirement age to something like 70 or 75 before benefits would be paid.

timmyb 08-26-2015 12:49 PM

Interesting ideas, Shawndoggy. I figure that I wouldn't retire until I am 70 or so anyways but if I do retire earlier than that, hold off on filing for SS (if that's an option) for a few years.

denverd1 08-26-2015 1:10 PM

Social security used to be called Old Age Insurance. Shawndoggy nailed it, when it was revamped, people didn't live to 90 in some cases. Another broken program. Thanks Democrats!!

fly135 08-26-2015 1:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DenverRider (Post 1920651)
Do you think that if social security is dissolved that you will get any of the money that you already contributed back?

Not going to happen. Nobody is going to elect an extremist that will kill SS. So goodbye Rand Paul.

I love Trump. He is leading a bunch of delusional people down the yellow brick road. He's not electable. So in the off chance he gets the nomination the Republicans are going to lose the election.

simplej 08-26-2015 1:17 PM

I am well aware that it is not "investment" and your money will not grow in SS. Hence why I said we are paying our parents and grandparents SS right now...

Everyone is taxed SS. So you're putting money essentially back into their pockets. That money could be saved and invested. This is neither difficult nor selective based on income. If you make safe investments your retirement fund will grow bigger over your taxable working years than social security will.

The only problem is those who lack the sense to save the money they're given back and end up back on the dole anyways so basically you need to make it an opt in/ opt out program. Even if you half the tax for those that opt out of payment a smart investor could do better than SS over their lifetime and won't take the payments when the reach retirement age, will be better off in retirement, won't be on the dole, and will still have contributed to the system to support those less fortunate or who are not bright enough to handle their finances

shawndoggy 08-26-2015 1:19 PM

what of those who opt out and fail to invest wisely?

fly135 08-26-2015 1:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by denverd1 (Post 1920690)
Social security used to be called Old Age Insurance. Shawndoggy nailed it, when it was revamped, people didn't live to 90 in some cases. Another broken program. Thanks Democrats!!

No problem. Just give me the $350K I've contributed plus a small amount of interest and you don't have to gamble on me living till I'm 100. I have to laugh at people hating on SS who we've all contributed to, but totally ignore the fact that govt is full of people retiring on defined benefit pensions. SS is not nearly in the trouble that people perceive that it is. Too bad we wasted $2T on Iraq. We could have made SS totally solid with that money. It's not in that bad a shape. It's just that people can't understand the difference between borrow and steal. Nobody is claiming that the Fed is stealing from all the people who loaned it the $17T in debt.

denverd1 08-26-2015 1:21 PM

or try to opt back in because they're now in poverty?

SS barely beats inflation. Not the most stellar investment return, but safe. I could do better picking stocks blindfolded

simplej 08-26-2015 1:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fly135 (Post 1920691)
Not going to happen. Nobody is going to elect an extremist that will kill SS. So goodbye Rand Paul.



It would be super fun to watch Rand Paul run as a third part candidate. If he didn't pander to the evangelicals he would be stealing Independents, right leaning liberals, and left leaning republicans.


Should be said I am a hardcore libertarian...


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