Trump Presidency Round 2

[Gladiator]

This is just some ridiculous riddle. What does any of this mean.

Are you admitting you have an ideology that you can't follow up on? Independent media- USAID Media.
I'll give you the first couple of examples that come up.


The reason the powers that be (USAID) have named your local, and main stream media to be Independent Media. It sounds better.
You tell me Tonto







This must be extremely dangerous to those on the left.

 

[calvegas04]

Guess you can't have your own thoughts in the "GOP"

 

[TorontoGold]

Are you admitting you have an ideology that you can't follow up on? Independent media- USAID Media.
I'll give you the first couple of examples that come up.


The reason the powers that be (USAID) have named your local, and main stream media to be Independent Media. It sounds better.
You tell me Tonto







This must be extremely dangerous to those on the left.

So, this is your response to the WH saying "Fake news losers"?

All the best on your journey to seeking the truth, I'm going to tap out on this convo.

 

[GATTACA!]

Are you admitting you have an ideology that you can't follow up on? Independent media- USAID Media.
I'll give you the first couple of examples that come up.


The reason the powers that be (USAID) have named your local, and main stream media to be Independent Media. It sounds better.
You tell me Tonto







This must be extremely dangerous to those on the left.

This isn't a conspiracy and isn't political. News stations are profit driven businesses. It costs money to have a writing staff produce stories to fill all the hours needed per day. It's far cheaper for stations to instead pay companies that produce news stories for the right to air their reporting. There are a handful of these companies so many news stations are all buying the same stories.

 

[Sea Turtle]

So, this is your response to the WH saying "Fake news losers"?

All the best on your journey to seeking the truth, I'm going to tap out on this convo.

I know you're engaged in a conversation but I have a question.

Im starting to come around to not liking tariffs but what about this?

The US and Canada or whatever modern country have zero tariffs on each other. But say the other country puts tariffs on some US goods. Should the US retaliate? If not, then why?

 

[Irish#1]

Pizza Wednesday's, Fish Friday's don't exist anymore, and garbage food every other day of the week does. The fluoride, and high calorie diets, shouldn't cost 1 billion dollars.
But, I'm sure you all think fluoride Is good for our teeth still.
If you're that interested in understanding the processed food our children are either forced to eat, or we as parents must send food with them.
We pay the tax, and pay for the lunch we send with our kids. My kids don't want to take lunch with them, because they feel alienated and different.
Go to your local elementary school. Eat that food. Let me know what your gut feels in 1 day.
Local establishments are no longer involved with our schools dietary nutrition.
That's a thing of the past and I'm sure not too many people on this thread understand what you're talking about.

As a high school student, the only local establishment involved was Dominoes Grease Pizza, amazing as It was. It was terrible for all of us.
This was 1985-89 era.

My MIL use to work in a HS cafeteria. She would bring home the pizza they served. The crust was like cardboard, there was so little sauce and cheese and it tasted like crap. She never could understand why I never ate it, but I hope it's been improved.

 

[Irish#1]

This isn't a conspiracy and isn't political. News stations are profit driven businesses. It costs money to have a writing staff produce stories to fill all the hours needed per day. It's far cheaper for stations to instead pay companies that produce news stories for the right to air their reporting. There are a handful of these companies so many news stations are all buying the same stories.

That's lazy reporting anyway you look at it, but there are the politicians saying the exact same thing. I doubt all of them are having the same creative thought.

 

[Giddyup]

Al I know is we need to make it illegal to have pharmaceutical companies advertising on tv, like ever other developed country. Please for the love of god no more dancing fat people and Aids commercials.

 

[calvegas04]

My MIL use to work in a HS cafeteria. She would bring home the pizza they served. The crust was like cardboard, there was so little sauce and cheese and it tasted like crap. She never could understand why I never ate it, but I hope it's been improved.

Sounds like an ungrateful son

 

[GATTACA!]

That's lazy reporting anyway you look at it, but there are the politicians saying the exact same thing. I doubt all of them are having the same creative thought.

Agree completely. It’s just not the giant conspiracy Gladiator is trying to make it seem like.

Al I know is we need to make it illegal to have pharmaceutical companies advertising on tv, like ever other developed country. Please for the love of god no more dancing fat people and Aids commercials.

But then how will we know not to take Skyrizi if we are allergic to Skyrizi?

 

[Old Man Mike]

I suppose that I shouldn't hope for more, but I "hope eternal", so:

on the food program cancellations mentioned earlier -- these programs don't directly have anything to do with McDonalds nor greasy pizzas nor products of restuarants of any kind, but aimed purely at local farms and ranches, which might therefore be able to sell their produce directly to the school systems (there is also a portion of this cancellation aimed at local food banks for the poor.)

My understanding is that these programs came into existence during the time when COVID had disrupted distribution lines significantly so that sufficient food delivery by large corporations did not always happen on time. The thinking was that it was a good idea to increase local food production security (i.e. encourage local farmers) by helping them with these direct sales. (Encouraging local food production by local farms and ranches is considered pretty universally to be a good thing for everyone, and I've read a great deal about the issues of food security in my prof's time and afterwards, so I have done "homework" on this.)

Secondarily, such programs MIGHT be opportunities not only for small community economic stability, but also teaching the students vital facts about how things really happen in the most basic system upon which civilized life depends. Though I doubt that was in the intention of the legislation, it is still a fact as an opportunity.

Now these programs are cancelled (and apparently more to come.) I still have not seen any rationale given for doing this except "we don't want to spend this money." If that's it, then it's pretty simple decision-making. Just one I don't at all agree with.

 

[ColoradoIrish]

Agree completely. It’s just not the giant conspiracy Gladiator is trying to make it seem like.

But then how will we know not to take Skyrizi if we are allergic to Skyrizi?

Gladiator isn't completely wrong tho. Most local new stations across the country are owned by two media conglomerates, Sinclair and nexstar, but they happen to be conservative leading.

 

[TorontoGold]

I know you're engaged in a conversation but I have a question.

Im starting to come around to not liking tariffs but what about this?

The US and Canada or whatever modern country have zero tariffs on each other. But say the other country puts tariffs on some US goods. Should the US retaliate? If not, then why?

As a principle? Absolutely there shouldn't be tariffs. If we were practicing a truly free market economy it shouldn't have tariffs.

For example the dairy tariffs, there is a "tariff free" buffer amount that the US never hits with Canada. So, yes it does exist but it's a defensive tactic for protecting Canadian dairy farmers in case the market gets flooded.

 

[BuaConstrictor]

Secondarily, such programs MIGHT be opportunities not only for small community economic stability, but also teaching the students vital facts about how things really happen in the most basic system upon which civilized life depends.

Not only is this 100% true, in many school districts the book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is part of ELA curriculum and many times has practicum based around the school/class having a garden and/or having local farmers come into the class/school.

 

[BuaConstrictor]

As a principle? Absolutely there shouldn't be tariffs.

I slightly disagree as I think tariff's are an effective measure in some cases(as you laid out) but also during a wartime footing. Regardless...tariffs, if deployed, need to be intentional and strategic. Nothing about Trump's tariffs are that. In one breath he'll say they are a tool for getting a country like Canada to increase border security.....which would mean that when they(or anyone) complies with the tariffs, the tariffs go away. Ok?

..then Trump also simultaneously makes the argument that the tariffs are going to be used to make money for the US "so much money"...well, then..if that's the case and you're using them to replace large portions/all of the tax base, the tariffs can never go away regardless if a country complies with the "conditions" of them as if you removed the tariffs you remove a massive profit center.
(https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/20/economy/trump-abolish-irs/index.html)

So are the tariffs permanent or temporary? Are they a border negotiating tactic or a long term replacement for tax money?

As with most things Trump/MAGA, they have no idea how things actually work and can never make a cohesive or logical argument for their positions.

 

[bcole2]

Al I know is we need to make it illegal to have pharmaceutical companies advertising on tv, like ever other developed country. Please for the love of god no more dancing fat people and Aids commercials.

I agree with this completely. Decisions of medications should be made for what is best for a patient’s condition and include an open and honest discussion of risks and benefits between physician and patient. A good physician should constantly educate themselves on new and old products with studies performed on them. Way too much outside influence by drug companies and insurance companies in those decisions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TorontoGold]

I slightly disagree as I think tariff's are an effective measure in some cases(as you laid out) but also during a wartime footing. Regardless...tariffs, if deployed, need to be intentional and strategic. Nothing about Trump's tariffs are that. In one breath he'll say they are a tool for getting a country like Canada to increase border security.....which would mean that when they(or anyone) complies with the tariffs, the tariffs go away. Ok?

..then Trump also simultaneously makes the argument that the tariffs are going to be used to make money for the US "so much money"...well, then..if that's the case and you're using them to replace large portions/all of the tax base, the tariffs can never go away regardless if a country complies with the "conditions" of them as if you removed the tariffs you remove a massive profit center.
(https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/20/economy/trump-abolish-irs/index.html)

So are the tariffs permanent or temporary? Are they a border negotiating tactic or a long term replacement for tax money?

As with most things Trump/MAGA, they have no idea how things actually work and can never make a cohesive or logical argument for their positions.

I don't know, I think of tariffs as the equivalent of a "break" in a relationship. Either it's over or not. You are putting your own citizens on the hook for the transition costs to setup the infrastructure to collect and charge tariffs. Joe Smith in KY who runs a manufacturing plant shouldn't be caught in-between governments and trade wars with friendly countries.

For example, Quebec tried to do some stupid tax credit reporting thing a few years back and many of my clients got caught up in having to make a decent capital spend on updating their ERP system. Some clients even dropped doing business over this.

It's easy for the government to flick the switch but the companies caught in the middle pay the price.

 

[BuaConstrictor]

plant shouldn't be caught in-between governments and trade wars with friendly countries.

I'm not advocating for tariffs as a part of trade wars between friendly countries, but they do have usefulness in certain wartime scenarios.

You could also argue that they "useful" in a "break glass in case of emergency", but those are edge cases of edge cases and hyper protectionist or reactionary to when things get really bad.

I'm not a big tariff guy and I view them as an inflationary necessary evil for very specific cases/industries that should be seldom used and when/if used are treated like cruise missiles and not fire bombs.

Trump is wielding them like nukes and acting like Gen. MacArthur when he advocated for the nuking of Japanese beachheads in a proposed allied invasion plan of Japan in 1945. He doesn't understand the tool at all so he's just advocating for it from a place of ignorance/idiocy/bluster.

 

[calvegas04]

 

[BuaConstrictor]

The absolute dumbest person to ever hold the office....and Franklin Pierce was a (low) functioning alcoholic!

 

[Irish#1]

Sounds like an ungrateful son

Damn near spit out my drink reading that. lol

 

[dublinirish]

 

[BuaConstrictor]

 

[BuaConstrictor]

 

[dublinirish]

 

[Irish#1]

Crypto, no thanks.

 

[BuaConstrictor]

Crypto, no thanks.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/trump-signs-order-establish-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-white-house-crypto-czar-2025-03-07/

 

[Sea Turtle]

Crypto, no thanks.

Yeah, I dont even touch that stuff.

 

[BuaConstrictor]

 

[ColoradoIrish]

She's such a POS human