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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

Air Force One has some "extra" stuff installed to defend the Pres and handle emergencies. It is an Air Force plane, so yes, it is public, sort of.
 
michaelskis said:
In regards to Trump, with all the issues going on today, it makes me wonder what the next administration will be like
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Wow, how topical, the internets has many Star Wars memes addressing this.

The monster is coming for us all.

palps.jpg
 
Wannaplan? said:
Wow, how topical, the internets has many Star Wars memes addressing this.

The monster is coming for us all.

View attachment 64660
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You know, there was a document, written almost 250 years ago, that kind of talked about this.
www.archives.gov

Declaration of Independence: A Transcription

Note: The following text is a transcription of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence (the document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.) The spelling and punctuation reflects the original.
www.archives.gov www.archives.gov

It is more than a little frightening to see how many of these grievances are coming to light once again.
 
michaelskis said:
I caught some flack when I questioned Biden's mental capacities...

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I maintain that people age-eligible for medicare and social security retirement should be ineligible to hold elected Federal office. There's an age memorialized in the Constitution for "too young," so there's a logical basis to establish something for "too old." The gerontocracy is a major contributor to American leadership & political challenges.
 
SlaveToTheGrind said:
And Trump has his share of mental issues, too.
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I don't think anyone is arguing that point, albeit Trump's are different than Biden's.

According to a book published during his first term:
A forensic psychiatrist, who has studied the principles on which the assessment of current and future dangerousness in violent criminals is based, concludes:

‘Trump is now the most powerful head of state in the world, and one of the most impulsive, arrogant, ignorant, disorganised, chaotic, nihilistic, self-contradictory, self-important, and self-serving. He has his finger on the triggers of a thousand or more of the most powerful thermonuclear weapons in the world. That means he could kill more people in a few seconds than any dictator in past history has been able to kill during his entire years in power.’
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*Maybe that is why the NIH had their funding cut....
 
Wannaplan? said:
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Are you implying that Biden was "impulsive, arrogant, ignorant, disorganised, chaotic, nihilistic, self-contradictory, self-important, and self-serving."?

Or are you implying that Trump suffers from the same ailments as Biden? Because this video says otherwise:

Overall, the differences in the mental states make Trump dangerious. Trump does not come across as an old bumbling fool with dementia causing a portion of the population to believe him.

But hey, if you rather just post GIF's instead of engage in conversation because your hate towards Trump clouds your judgement, that is ok too.
 
michaelskis said:
Are you implying that Biden was "impulsive, arrogant, ignorant, disorganised, chaotic, nihilistic, self-contradictory, self-important, and self-serving."?

Or are you implying that Trump suffers from the same ailments as Biden? Because this video says otherwise:

Overall, the differences in the mental states make Trump dangerious. Trump does not come across as an old bumbling fool with dementia causing a portion of the population to believe him.

But hey, if you rather just post GIF's instead of engage in conversation because your hate towards Trump clouds your judgement, that is ok too.
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There may be a middle ground too. Seems like Trump's most obvious issues center on a personality disorder, but both Trump and Biden seem to frequently suffer from that lost cluelessness you see present in some octogenarians. Biden calling people by the wrong name or talking about an oddly not relevant topic, Trump thinking he's in the wrong city, spewing nonsensical word salad sentences devoid of context, or can't remember telling the lies he told last week. There appears to be some age-related overlap. But I'm not a doctor, just know that they manifest in a similar fashion sometimes.
 
michaelskis said:
Are you implying that Biden was "impulsive, arrogant, ignorant, disorganised, chaotic, nihilistic, self-contradictory, self-important, and self-serving."?
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It’s the Armchair Therapist vibes you give off. That’s why it’s so funny - “…albeit Trump's are different than Biden's…” Green Shirt Guy is my Spirit Animal. It’s definitely not the partisan griping you think I’m doing.
 
Wannaplan? said:
It’s the Armchair Therapist vibes you give off. That’s why it’s so funny - “…albeit Trump's are different than Biden's…” Green Shirt Guy is my Spirit Animal. It’s definitely not the partisan griping you think I’m doing.
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I guess you didn't read my post above. The line you quoted from my post was a direct quote from a forensic psychiatrist in the post with the link to the book on the NIH website.

There is nothing "armchair" about it and it isn't my vibes...
 
I'm ready for a revolution. The democrats hid (poorly, as we all saw) the physical and mental infirmities of Biden throughout his presidency and we are presently living through the most corrupt administration (accepting a $400M gift from a foreign government, etc, etc, etc, etc?) in our nation's history without so much as a peep from the publicans.

Time to power down, unplug, and reboot.
 
Gedunker said:
I'm ready for a revolution. The democrats hid (poorly, as we all saw) the physical and mental infirmities of Biden throughout his presidency and we are presently living through the most corrupt administration (accepting a $400M gift from a foreign government, etc, etc, etc, etc?) in our nation's history without so much as a peep from the publicans.

Time to power down, unplug, and reboot.
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Does it work like an Apple computer? Just restart and it fixes itself?
 
michaelskis said:
There is nothing "armchair" about it and it isn't my vibes...
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Okay, you win. But here’s the deal. Biden’s team that obfuscated the reality of his mental condition operated on fear and a sense of entitlement. It’s like they behaved as if Joe had rightfully earned his place atop the global order after decades of service and sacrifice. Perhaps the greatest insult to him, other than admitting publicly in July 2024 that Harris should steer her Team into the leadoff position, was to defer to HRC in 2016. The delusion and hubris is palpable in hindsight for a democrat like me. He thought he was a modern day Atlas, only to be crushed by the very weight he thought he had under control.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
Does it work like an Apple computer? Just restart and it fixes itself?
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I don't think it works that way and I don't think that a revolution would end well, or be absolutely necessary. If only (I know classic last words), if only we can find a viable candidate that can find that middle ground that the overwhelming majority of Americans are seeking, have the charisma to carry the media's attention for who he is and not what the Rs or Ds try to play him out to be, and not be susceptible to political corruption that seems to coincide with both parties.

The flip side is the recent movie Civil War, and I am quite sure that no one wants that. Although the speech patterns of the 3rd term president in the beginning of the movie sounds quite a bit like Trump.

Wannaplan? said:
Okay, you win. But here’s the deal. Biden’s team that obfuscated the reality of his mental condition operated on fear and a sense of entitlement. It’s like they behaved as if Joe had rightfully earned his place atop the global order after decades of service and sacrifice. Perhaps the greatest insult to him, other than admitting publicly in July 2024 that Harris should steer her Team into the leadoff position, was to defer to HRC in 2016. The delusion and hubris is palpable in hindsight for a democrat like me. He thought he was a modern day Atlas, only to be crushed by the very weight he thought he had under control.
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I am not really out to win. Under the current administration, there are no winners when we discuss politics. I completely agree that he rightfully won the 2020 election and earned his position. I also believe that he is a good man who was delt an unfortunate medical hand. I also believe that his party used him and it came back to bite them. It is in a similar way that the RNC is about to be bitten as more and more people realize that this country is not better under Trump.
 
The way too early Who's next discussion! In an effort to provide hope to those in here, who do you think actually has the potential to win the White House in 4 years? Why do you think this person is an actual contender?

And while it might be way too early to start this conversation, it might also be getting a little late. People who are thinking that they could be contenders are already laying the ground work. Much like planners, we are not just focused on current conditions, but putting systems in place to promote future successes. They just do it for personal gain and not that of the general public...


Planit said:
Yes but most hires have some sort of expertise or a clue about their particular field. Not a talking head to spread propaganda...oh that's what I'm missing!
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It's gaslighting 101...

If you yell a lie loud enough, long enough, and get enough others doing the same, no one will know the truth. (and yes, both sides are guilty of this. The republicans are just not as talented to hide it). After all, the pen is mightier than the sword
 
Planit said:
Yes but most hires have some sort of expertise or a clue about their particular field. Not a talking head to spread propaganda...oh that's what I'm missing!
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WSJ 2022: The troubling trend in the Democratic Party in recent years is its increasing detachment from the private economy. That’s shown itself in the Biden Administration’s economic management, and one reason may be that few of its officials have experience in private business.

That’s the headline of a report to be released Wednesday by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, compiled by Stephen Moore and Jon Decker. The pair studied the résumés of 68 top executive-branch officials whose work shapes the economy—from President Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to White House special assistants on economic policy.

“Average business experience of Biden appointees is only 2.4 years,” the authors found. Any fresh-faced 25-year-old on Wall Street has clocked more private business hours than most of Washington’s top officials. Sixty-two percent have “virtually no business experience.” By contrast, the average Donald Trump cabinet official had 13 years of experience in the private economy, the authors say.
 
Planit said:
So are you saying that you should run the government like a business?
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I don't think he's saying that. But when you don't have people that don't even UNDERSTAND business it's problematic because you solve problems with solutions that may just cause other problems. To think there aren't lessons that can be taken from business and applied to some aspects of government is kind of silly.

I have always been leery of those elected officials who have never had any other kind of job.
 
Planit said:
Business works to make goods and a profit.
Government works to provide service.
There is an inherent difference there.
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Not to mention the two are bound by very different systems of ethics and accountability. Representative governments ultimately must answer to We The People in a manner prescribed by law, whereas businesses answer only to their owners or shareholders. If a business can save a buck and screw over some customers they'll do that provided their profits can be maximized.
 
I haven't read the article, but I'm not sure its argument is that government should be run like a business. I assume the point is that the Democratic Party is insulating itself from how the economy operates and perhaps putting itself further out of touch with reality.

And I say all of this with the understanding that private business does not need any more of an influence in government than it already does.
 
Jon Stewart Popcorn GIF




Ok. I will bite.

Government isn't, nor should it, be a business. Unfortunately the two have been intertwined in so many ways that it is impossible to keep track. I was once told that Government sets the bar for society and picks up the slack when the commerical market drops below that bar. In some ways, I believe it still does that, but in other ways I think it acts as a ceiling as well.

I think having an understanding of business is a good thing when you are working in the government at a minimum to under stand where the two should be alike and where the two should be different.

I also think that there are 'services' that the Government once offered because the private market wasn't good with them, such as the USPS, but the quality and stability of some of those has declined to really poor perception.
 
michaelskis said:
I also think that there are 'services' that the Government once offered because the private market wasn't good with them, such as the USPS, but the quality and stability of some of those has declined to really poor perception.
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True, we should always look to see if the private sector can handle something more efficiently than government, but some of those services, USPS, have been intentionally sabotaged and as you mention meeting a bar of service. USPS still has superior service in terms of getting a package to ALL final destinations. private delivery has issues in more rural areas. Locally, tribal land.
 
Kakistocracy (noun)

A state or country run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens.
 
DVD said:
True, we should always look to see if the private sector can handle something more efficiently than government, but some of those services, USPS, have been intentionally sabotaged and as you mention meeting a bar of service. USPS still has superior service in terms of getting a package to ALL final destinations. private delivery has issues in more rural areas. Locally, tribal land.
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I think that there are situations where USPS is still better, but by net volume, they are not the clear winner. For example, for letters and small packages, USPS appears to be cheaper, but as a whole, it does not appear that USPS is any more reliable than the others.

1747748329732.png


www.digitalcommerce360.com

Carriers struggle with on-time performance in 2024 peak season

The largest three national parcel carriers — FedEx, UPS and USPS — each struggled with on-time performance in the peak period of 2024.
www.digitalcommerce360.com www.digitalcommerce360.com

From a customer service perspective, I will go into UPS or FedEx before I go into USPS.
 
DVD said:
True, we should always look to see if the private sector can handle something more efficiently than government, but some of those services, USPS, have been intentionally sabotaged and as you mention meeting a bar of service. USPS still has superior service in terms of getting a package to ALL final destinations. private delivery has issues in more rural areas. Locally, tribal land.
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On that note I'm starting to think daily mail service is mostly obsolete. Personally I already have a credit card and don't need more and most things aren't that time sensitive, if they were there are faster means of communication as opposed to USPS which can take their sweet old time, almost a week to send a card between Illinois and Buffalo, I feel a few years ago they were pretty consistent two day time frame.
 
I won't argue that private carriers provide better service. My problem is that they don't provide 100% service. If they don't want to deliver to rural post number 59 they don't have to, but the person that lives there still needs their medication or whatever they have delivered. I also agree with Jsk, for the most part all I get is junk mail and college recruitment letters for the kid and of course bills. I do have problems with politicians intentionally making it so government can't compete with private sector by adding regulations or just generally bad mouthing the service government provides. It's easy to blame the understaffed, underpaid department for all the problems, yet every day the mailman shows up and drops off letters.
 
For sheer value though, USPS is it hands down. Right now for 73 cents I can put a birthday card in my mailbox and it will show up a few days later in a friend's mailbox multiple states away. Not saying they're perfect, they mishandle mail for sure, but UPS loses stuff too.
 
SlaveToTheGrind said:
The government is very much like a business. How can it not be? Much in common between the two.
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It is very much UNLIKE a business.
jsk1983 said:
On that note I'm starting to think daily mail service is mostly obsolete. Personally I already have a credit card and don't need more and most things aren't that time sensitive, if they were there are faster means of communication as opposed to USPS which can take their sweet old time, almost a week to send a card between Illinois and Buffalo, I feel a few years ago they were pretty consistent two day time frame.
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Over 50% of nail volume is junk mail. Also slower service was planned in a ploy to privatize USPS.

Routine Mail service probably could be reduced to 4/5 days without any significant detriment.
 
"Secretary Noem, what is habeas corpus?" asked Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.

"Well, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country," Noem replied.

"That's incorrect," Hassan interjected. "Habeas corpus is the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea." Instead, habeas corpus guarantees a person's constitutional right to challenge, in a court of law, their detention by the government.
 
Planit said:
"Secretary Noem, what is habeas corpus?" asked Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.

"Well, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country," Noem replied.

"That's incorrect," Hassan interjected. "Habeas corpus is the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea." Instead, habeas corpus guarantees a person's constitutional right to challenge, in a court of law, their detention by the government.
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The follow up by Sen. Kim from NJ was damning as well:

From (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/homeland-security-secretary-kristi-noem-struggles-define-habeas-corpus-rcna207986 (Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem struggles to define habeas corpus at Senate hearing):

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., later asked Noem if she knew what article of the Constitution the clause is in.

"No, I do not, sir," she said. Kim said it was in Article One, which outlines the powers of Congress, not the president.

"Can you confirm to us that you understand that any suspension of habeas corpus requires an act of Congress?" Kim asked.

Noem then noted correctly that President Abraham Lincoln had used the power during the Civil War.

"President Lincoln executed habeas corpus in the past with retroactive action by Congress. I believe that any president that was able to do that in the past, it should be afforded to our current day president," she said.

Kim noted that courts had ruled against Lincoln, and that the three times the right has been suspended since then it was done with congressional authorization.
 
NHPlanner said:
The follow up by Sen. Kim from NJ was damning as well:

From (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/homeland-security-secretary-kristi-noem-struggles-define-habeas-corpus-rcna207986 (Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem struggles to define habeas corpus at Senate hearing):

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., later asked Noem if she knew what article of the Constitution the clause is in.

"No, I do not, sir," she said. Kim said it was in Article One, which outlines the powers of Congress, not the president.

"Can you confirm to us that you understand that any suspension of habeas corpus requires an act of Congress?" Kim asked.

Noem then noted correctly that President Abraham Lincoln had used the power during the Civil War.

"President Lincoln executed habeas corpus in the past with retroactive action by Congress. I believe that any president that was able to do that in the past, it should be afforded to our current day president," she said.

Kim noted that courts had ruled against Lincoln, and that the three times the right has been suspended since then it was done with congressional authorization.
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Awesome Whats Up GIF by Joel Byars


That would be like me saying I didn't know I needed to get a permit for a new house construction.

And Noem was a Governor too. That's the worst part of it.
 
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