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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

I'll be busy at work all day and wouldn't be watching the inauguration regardless of who was being sworn in. I enjoy politics, but it's more the processes and political/bureaucratic systems that I enjoy, not the pomp and circumstance.
 
Live streaming is against our network policy, so I won't be watching. My anxiety is super through the roof today, though, so it's probably a good thing.
 
I hope the military is brushing up on the whole "when you can disobey an illegal/immoral order" thing.

I'm serious about this.:not:
 
I'm streaming it now. I don't like Trump one bit, but I won't boycott or refuse to watch the Inauguration. This is our nations history, for better or worse, and I'll be a part of it one way or another. Take the good with the bad and stop whining about it. Is he a pile of shit, sure...but whether you like it or not, he's our pile of shit and we have to deal with it.
 
From the Wall Street Journal.

"The S&P 500 was up 182% from Mr. Obama's inauguration in Jan. 2009, delivering an annualized return including dividends of 16.3%. "
 
"The S&P 500 was up 182% from Mr. Obama's inauguration in Jan. 2009, delivering an annualized return including dividends of 16.3%. "

Exactly. The economy was horrible under Obama. I needed at least 17%.
 
DONALD TRUMP IS PRESIDENT, CHECKMATE

AMERICA IS GOING TO BE GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh wait.............the President is batsh*t insane and a manchurian candidate for Putin and hella racist:

151229155850-muslim-trump-quote-super-169.jpg


F**k this big piece of real estate scum.

#nevermypresident

I have no respect for the man or the office he holds.
 
I saw a bumper sticker on a pickup truck this afternoon that said "He's not my president" - I think it's funny that person didn't realize the irony of leaving that on his truck.
 
I saw a bumper sticker on a pickup truck this afternoon that said "He's not my president" - I think it's funny that person didn't realize the irony of leaving that on his truck.
But....it's different this time. :p
 
The idea that you don't respect the office of the President is sad. No matter who holds that position, the position is something to be respected.

Disagreeing with a President is nothing new. Having one side whine about losing, and the other side talk in their inaugural about winning, is nothing new either (although Trump was a bit silly today).

We are all going to live. The world isn't ending. This country is still by far the best in the world. Those who dislike Trump have a right to protest. They have a right to complain and be displeased by his rhetoric and tone.

But in the end, he won. Respect our process. Respect our Country. Get involved and if you don't like it.... make a change.
 
Only because I had to drive fifty miles to inspect a house today, (about my limit) I listened to some of it, and heard nothing new, nothing eloquent, nothing that reflects any kind of depth of thought or strength of resolve. I've heard on NPR that there will be a tsunami of lawsuits very soon, not to mention political actions such as impeachment motions. Donald's road to Dublin will be rocky indeed.
 
The idea that you don't respect the office of the President is sad. No matter who holds that position, the position is something to be respected.

Disagreeing with a President is nothing new. Having one side whine about losing, and the other side talk in their inaugural about winning, is nothing new either (although Trump was a bit silly today).

We are all going to live. The world isn't ending. This country is still by far the best in the world. Those who dislike Trump have a right to protest. They have a right to complain and be displeased by his rhetoric and tone.

But in the end, he won. Respect our process. Respect our Country. Get involved and if you don't like it.... make a change.

:slow_clap:
 
DONALD TRUMP IS PRESIDENT, CHECKMATE

AMERICA IS GOING TO BE GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh wait.............the President is batsh*t insane and a manchurian candidate for Putin and hella racist:

151229155850-muslim-trump-quote-super-169.jpg


F**k this big piece of real estate scum.

#nevermypresident

I have no respect for the man or the office he holds.



Word.


I will never use any presidential words of respect like I would other presidents. E. G. "Mr President", "President Obama", "Mr. Reagan" etc).

No it will be "GODDAMN TRUMP" or "Donnie Boy" from now on.
 
Well this weekend was interesting. Lots of political undertones, lots of clear political mumbo jumbo.

I don't think Sean Spicer is really going to do very well. His tone, and general attitude towards the media is going to make everything worse. I hope he starts to figure that out.

So first 3 days are pretty crazy.... what will the next 97 bring?
 
I can't believe the White House actually expended time and resources trying to disprove/counter-claim that more people were present at Obama's inauguration than Trump's! Who freakin' cares?

Maybe we shouldn't be surprised. But I fear this kind of thing is going to become the new normal. :r:

1i5bvw.jpg
 
The idea that you don't respect the office of the President is sad. No matter who holds that position, the position is something to be respected...

You are correct, the position and the office is something to be respected. However, the person who holds the position has to earn their own personal respect and I haven't seen Trump do anything during his campaign or up until now to earn that yet.
 
You are correct, the position and the office is something to be respected. However, the person who holds the position has to earn their own personal respect and I haven't seen Trump do anything during his campaign or up until now to earn that yet.

I don't have any issue with people disagreeing with the President. Honestly, I think that is a very important part of our democracy. What I don't agree with though is that we denigrate the Presidency because of who was elected. There is a group who does it every 4 to 8 years. Bush wasn't the best President, but he was still our President. People disagreed with Obama, but putting down the Presidency because you disagree with Obamacare or his policies is not helpful.

I think people can dislike Trump, question him, and push him to try and be a better person. But in the end, you have to accept he is our President. He was voted into power democratically. He won. We should focus on making him better, not trying to tear him down, like many in the Republican party did for the last 8 years and honestly the democrats did the previous 8 years. This is counter productive and really just increases the already toxic environment.
 
Well this weekend was interesting. Lots of political undertones, lots of clear political mumbo jumbo.

I don't think Sean Spicer is really going to do very well. His tone, and general attitude towards the media is going to make everything worse. I hope he starts to figure that out.

So first 3 days are pretty crazy.... what will the next 97 bring?

Spicer ain't gonna last 90 days at this rate. My thoughts...

  • Cotton-mouthed, nervous & flustered
  • He reminded me of the kid that goes to confront the bully with a big speech, only to have the bully ask a simple question and fluster him
  • Get a suit that fits. You are in f-ing Washington D.C... There is no excuse.
  • Get ready for the next presser, because I'm pretty sure the press is going to break their collective foot off in your ass over this "alternative facts" debacle."
 
  • Get a suit that fits. You are in f-ing Washington D.C... There is no excuse.

For the billions of dollars Trump has, he never wears a good looking suit. Everything he wears looks extra baggy and frumpy. His tie is usually like 3-4 inches too long as well. Spicer is just literally following suit. :D
 
For the billions of dollars Trump has, he never wears a good looking suit. Everything he wears looks extra baggy and frumpy. His tie is usually like 3-4 inches too long as well. Spicer is just literally following suit. :D

That drives me nuts with Trump as well. I feel like he shops in the tall section due to some body dismorphic disorder or ego making him believe he is taller than he is. I mean, you are 6'2"... it isn't like you're swatting airplanes out of the sky. The jackets look a size or two too large and often are too long in both length & sleeve. And there is simply no excuse on the tie. I have a very long torso (I'm 6'3", but my torso is proportionate to someone about 6'6" and I have short legs for my height), but I think only a handful of my ties are actually a "tall" length.

Sorry... just a pet peeve. If you're putting forth the effort to wear a suit, make sure it looks good.
 
I shared a link to an article from WaPo with pictures from the women's march on facebook. One person asked me what the march was for. That was bad enough. I gave a short response about how the issues were varied, no specific action was being demanded at the time, but that the participants wanted to make sure their concerns were heard by the Trump administration. Then someone else (who actually flew from MN to attend Trump's inauguration) responded that it wasn't about Trump at all. :-|
 
That drives me nuts with Trump as well. I feel like he shops in the tall section due to some body dismorphic disorder or ego making him believe he is taller than he is. I mean, you are 6'2"... it isn't like you're swatting airplanes out of the sky. The jackets look a size or two too large and often are too long in both length & sleeve. And there is simply no excuse on the tie. I have a very long torso (I'm 6'3", but my torso is proportionate to someone about 6'6" and I have short legs for my height), but I think only a handful of my ties are actually a "tall" length.

Sorry... just a pet peeve. If you're putting forth the effort to wear a suit, make sure it looks good.

The suits could just look ill proportioned because of his tiny child hands.

I shared a link to an article from WaPo with pictures from the women's march on facebook. One person asked me what the march was for. That was bad enough. I gave a short response about how the issues were varied, no specific action was being demanded at the time, but that the participants wanted to make sure their concerns were heard by the Trump administration. Then someone else (who actually flew from MN to attend Trump's inauguration) responded that it wasn't about Trump at all. :-|

I appreciate the marches, and was genuinely impressed with the tremendous turn out, but I sincerely hope that participants weren't going into it with the mindset that the Trump administration would listen to any of it. He has shown no regard for women, and a march isn't going to change that any time soon.

In other news, Trump officially axed TPP today. I suspect he means to show tremendous job growth over the course of his presidency simply by repealing various regulations (particularly environmental) and slashing taxes. It's much easier to drop a business wherever you want if you're unregulated, but that's just a temporary solution to a long term problem that affects far more than those in the US. I fully believe we might see some federal legislature limiting the power of local zoning ordinances nationwide. He means to ram these manufacturing jobs down our throats by whatever means necessary. Similarly, slashing taxes is a band aid.

"When you want to expand your plant, or when Mark wants to come in and build a big massive plant, or when Dell wants to come in and do something monstrous and special – you're going to have your approvals really fast," Trump said, referring to Mark Fields, CEO of Ford, who sat around the boardroom-style table in the Roosevelt Room."
Realistically, the majority of those approvals comes from state and local sources.

To be honest, I don't believe the American workforce is ready for manufacturing jobs to return. The educated work force for those jobs just isn't there anymore. Those skilled laborers who worked manual machine based jobs before their outsourcing are retired or not physically able or willing to get back into a factory job, and the education system in the US now isn't geared towards those types of jobs. Manufacturing didn't die in the US simply because of over regulation or the desire to squeeze more profit out, it began as a major shift in education policy towards a college oriented degree. We are in an odd era where most average high school graduates are prepared for service jobs, and nothing else. You begin to rebuild manufacturing in this country by starting with education reform to prepare young people while they are still in high school towards technical hands on degrees.
 
Trump should fire his tailor or hire one. Maybe get an image consultant while we're at it. If I can pay to have an occasional suit tailored I think he can afford it. Can't he?

I shared a link to an article from WaPo with pictures from the women's march on facebook. One person asked me what the march was for. That was bad enough. I gave a short response about how the issues were varied, no specific action was being demanded at the time, but that the participants wanted to make sure their concerns were heard by the Trump administration. Then someone else (who actually flew from MN to attend Trump's inauguration) responded that it wasn't about Trump at all. :-|

Went with the wife and kids to the march in Wichita. Only about 2,000 people there, but the bigger march was in Topeka. If you look at the alternative facts, it's not about Trump at all. It's about women's rights, equal pay, and not being grabbed in the @%#$. Trump isn't creating any of those problems. Just ask him.
 
In other news, Trump officially axed TPP today. I suspect he means to show tremendous job growth over the course of his presidency simply by repealing various regulations (particularly environmental) and slashing taxes. It's much easier to drop a business wherever you want if you're unregulated, but that's just a temporary solution to a long term problem that affects far more than those in the US. I fully believe we might see some federal legislature limiting the power of local zoning ordinances nationwide. He means to ram these manufacturing jobs down our throats by whatever means necessary. Similarly, slashing taxes is a band aid.

To be honest, I don't believe the American workforce is ready for manufacturing jobs to return. The educated work force for those jobs just isn't there anymore. Those skilled laborers who worked manual machine based jobs before their outsourcing are retired or not physically able or willing to get back into a factory job, and the education system in the US now isn't geared towards those types of jobs. Manufacturing didn't die in the US simply because of over regulation or the desire to squeeze more profit out, it began as a major shift in education policy towards a college oriented degree. We are in an odd era where most average high school graduates are prepared for service jobs, and nothing else. You begin to rebuild manufacturing in this country by starting with education reform to prepare young people while they are still in high school towards technical hands on degrees.

Living in a manufacturing-heavy area like Detroit, I don't think it's a lack of skills or education that is going to keep those manufacturing jobs from returning (though there is definitely a labor shortage in certain occupations) so much as it is automation. Domestic manufacturing capacity and productivity has been growing for decades while employment in the sector has been steadily declining primarily because advances in technology, robotics, and efficiency has automated those jobs away. Yes, there will be a growing need for workers who are skilled in building, operating, and maintaining those automated systems but it takes many fewer workers to do those jobs than it did to fill a factory with the same output back in the 1940s or 1960s or 1980s.

Regarding the TPP - If you are an executive at a large American company looking for a site to build a product that is going to be sold primarily in faster growing markets like Vietnam or Malaysia, removing ourselves from free trade agreements with those countries really puts us at a disadvantage compared to countries like Mexico which has much cheaper labor (though the labor cost there has been growing pretty steadily over the past decade+). If the product isn't going to be sold in our domestic market, there really are very few reasons an American company would locate that facility here anymore.
 
Living in a manufacturing-heavy area like Detroit, I don't think it's a lack of skills or education that is going to keep those manufacturing jobs from returning (though there is definitely a labor shortage in certain occupations) so much as it is automation. Domestic manufacturing capacity and productivity has been growing for decades while employment in the sector has been steadily declining primarily because advances in technology, robotics, and efficiency has automated those jobs away. Yes, there will be a growing need for workers who are skilled in building, operating, and maintaining those automated systems but it takes many fewer workers to do those jobs than it did to fill a factory with the same output back in the 1940s or 1960s or 1980s.

True, but there are still plenty of jobs to be had from manufacturing, particularly on the smaller scale where automation is simply out of the budget. It is incredibly difficult to find a robotics teacher. Part of the new high school centralization project here includes building an early college. Part of that curriculum will introduce robotics as a degree. From what I've heard, hiring the robotics teacher will be close to 100k in salary a year. We could hire 3 to 4 full time teachers for that salary.
 
I appreciate the marches, and was genuinely impressed with the tremendous turn out, but I sincerely hope that participants weren't going into it with the mindset that the Trump administration would listen to any of it. He has shown no regard for women, and a march isn't going to change that any time soon.

I don't know that they thought he was listening, as much as they wanted to voice their concerns and this march provided a good outlet for that. But I have to be delicate how I address some of these questions because contrary to what it might look like, I'm not actually trying to start arguments. Haha.
 
I don't know that they thought he was listening, as much as they wanted to voice their concerns and this march provided a good outlet for that. But I have to be delicate how I address some of these questions because contrary to what it might look like, I'm not actually trying to start arguments. Haha.

I was at the Washington March and it was powerful and inspiring. While there were statements directed at Trump by and large the march was about making the world a better place for all who inhabit it. It was about women's rights, human rights, the economy, access to healthcare, immigrant rights, the rights of indigenous people, climate change, more women elected to office, equal pay, equal rights. It was also a rallying point for what to do next.
 
Yeah

That media graphic has been floating around for a year or more. You could add at least 20 other web based fake news sites to the far right and a few to the far left. The guardian is fast becoming the best source of factual news in my opinion. I like the Atlantic, BBC, AP, NPR and every once in a while the Wall Street Journal does a good job.
 
Re: Dipping Dots

Sean Spicer is correct, Dipping Dots are not the ice cream of the future. Heck, I'd argue that their not even ice cream.




Re: The Journalism Chart

I think that as long as the reader/viewer knows to separate the editorials from the news reporting or journalism, I think that that chart is pretty accurate.
 
That's half the battle for some people. Knowing opinion is just that and news is news. Most of the cable TV stuff I put into the opinion category automatically. There's always that one instance where they report fact or alternative fact.
 
Re: Dipping Dots

Sean Spicer is correct, Dipping Dots are not the ice cream of the future. Heck, I'd argue that their not even ice cream.

Dippin' Dots is the worst ice cream that could be eaten in space. Bunch of little dots floating everywhere. I want a Dippin' Dot. Just one large ice cream ball.
 
Did you or know someone who participated in the Women's March today ?

I did. Took the axe, met these two brothers from NYC playing along by the museums. We set up a second line and developed a chorus.

IMG_0169.jpg

 
The Post and NYTimes are not mainstream papers but lean to the left so they need to be nudged leftwards, aligned with the Guardian.

The British Times is a more reliable and centrist paper than the Guardian. Not sure why it wasn't included. Telegraph is right of centre and parallels the Guardian for the right side.

WSU commented separating the editorials from the news reporting or journalism - the question is: can that be truly done? I try to read all newspapers, left or right or centrist with a critical eye and it's not difficult to see bias creep into the basic news reporting. NYTimes is especially guilty of this, even if I still rank the paper highly.
 
Trump is apparently open to bringing back "enhanced interrogation techniques" like waterboarding because he "absolutely" believes it works.

IT. FU**ING DOESN'T. THIS IS A PROVEN FACT. Read the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture techniques. Hell, even the CIA at the time agreed that the techniques didn't offer the results they wanted, and in fact sometimes resulted in false intelligence because individuals would do anything to end the process.

I wasn't willing to buy in to the whole doom and gloom that many people were complaining about, but now I see it. This man is a raging lunatic and will leave nothing but destruction in his wake. He's an ignorant, narcissistic, sexist, racist, megalomaniac and deserves nothing. Screw this guy and everything he stands for.
 
My favorite part, the GOP complained about how Obama was regulating though executive order and how wrong it is. Now the only thing 45 is doing is pushing out executive orders, but it's okay? Granted, I think this applies to each president down the line. I just love the hypocrisy.
 
Voter fraud?

Bannon was registered to vote in two states: report

President Trump’s chief strategist and senior counselor was registered to vote in two states until this week, according to multiple reports.

Local election officials told NBC News that Stephen Bannon was registered in both Florida and New York until Wednesday, when he was removed from voter rolls in Sarasota County, Fla.

The move came after a notification from the New York City Board of Elections, an official with the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections told NBC News.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/316120-bannon-registered-to-vote-in-two-states-report
 
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