Well... it's Trump... again. #47, here we go.

[Ford]

Interest expense of the deficit is more than the military budget now. This is how empires fall.

Interesting. You blame the deficit on lazy government workers but then choose interest on the debt as your example of over-spending!
What? Do you think a large percentage of the interest payments ends up in the paws of the lazy bureaucrats?

Scrutinizing the Federal Budget is a pastime many of us have indulged in off-and-on for decades.

But this is how empires fall!!!

Speaking of decades, a few of them ago (early 1990s) I was listening to an AM talk radio show that was promoting a book that sure sounded ominous. It was making the case that the staggering $4 trillion dollar debt (which was run up under Reagan/Bush but they were blaming it all on Clinton for some reason) was unsustainable and the country would go bankrupt soon.

In fact the title of the book was "Bankruptcy 1995." I got a copy of what they were shilling, and it seemed pretty doom and gloom as advertised.

Welp, bankruptcy didn't happen...for the country or for me. In fact, 1995 was a very good year in my world. I was making money, having fun, and not worrying about the empire falling because the boom was just ramping up. And though the "dot com" bubble burst, the President that the book claimed would leave our country a smoking, bankrupt ruin actually left office with a budget surplus.

 

[TV and credit cards]

You're right. There's almost nobody in DC who is not a federal government employee. Corporate lobbyists, foreign diplomats, lawyers, journalists... They are all fictional.

Not to mention the army of hair and makeup consultants

Grand Old Spray Tan is looking to expand and there’s just no place to go.

 

[ZiprHead]

Given the prospect of mass deportation — the expulsion of working people who are not murderers or rapists or drug dealers or otherwise dangerous — the consequences for New York’s economy could be quite severe.

That's why he's only removing undocumented from Blue areas, the economic consequences.

 

[ZiprHead]

Interest expense of the deficit is more than the military budget now. This is how empires fall.

Can you provide an example of an empire that failed due to interest payments?

 

[ZiprHead]

I happen to know property in Washington DC is the most expensive in the country, even rivaling what can be found in California.

Washington DC is not even in the top ten. Who told you this crap???

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Google Maps plans to use Trump's new names for Denali & Gulf-of-Mexico.


I understand that it's bad form to just drop a link and run, but I honestly don't know what to say....

Trump changing these names, stupid.
People cheering on the changing of these names, head scratching.
Large conglomerates just going along with it... a bit alarming.

Large conglomerates don't have a choice.

 

[Elixir]

I happen to know property in Washington DC is the most expensive in the country, even rivaling what can be found in California.

Washington DC is not even in the top ten. Who told you this crap???

Inquiring minds are fascinated.
How do trumptards learn so many things that are “not even wrong”?

 

[GenesisNemesis]

An impeachment petition? Really guys? Because that totally worked the last two times.

 

[RVonse]

But for most everyone else on this thread knowing how dumb and corrupt Trump and MAGA are, could I hear your response on Biden's pre-emptive pardons for INNOCENT people prior to leaving office?

Are you in some sort of contest with yourself for inanity?

Pardoning GUILTY people can be problematic. What is your objection to pardoning INNOCENT people?

In the unlikely event that you deign to address this question, but "need" to turn it into a long dialog where concessions of actual thought are squeezed out of you, one short phrase at a time, I will not participate. Just declare yourself the winner now if that rouses your balls.

1. It may not even be legal
2. Pardoning innocent individuals lifts the flood gate they are free to commit crimes pre-emptively. Big time moral hazard.
3. It tells the public these are really guilty people that got away with it.

 

[RVonse]

Interest expense of the deficit is more than the military budget now. This is how empires fall.

Interesting. You blame the deficit on lazy government workers but then choose interest on the debt as your example of over-spending!
What? Do you think a large percentage of the interest payments ends up in the paws of the lazy bureaucrats?

Scrutinizing the Federal Budget is a pastime many of us have indulged in off-and-on for decades.

But this is how empires fall!!!

Speaking of decades, a few of them ago (early 1990s) I was listening to an AM talk radio show that was promoting a book that sure sounded ominous. It was making the case that the staggering $4 trillion dollar debt (which was run up under Reagan/Bush but they were blaming it all on Clinton for some reason) was unsustainable and the country would go bankrupt soon.

In fact the title of the book was "Bankruptcy 1995." I got a copy of what they were shilling, and it seemed pretty doom and gloom as advertised.

Welp, bankruptcy didn't happen...for the country or for me. In fact, 1995 was a very good year in my world. I was making money, having fun, and not worrying about the empire falling because the boom was just ramping up. And though the "dot com" bubble burst, the President that the book claimed would leave our country a smoking, bankrupt ruin actually left office with a budget surplus.

Specifically inflation is how empires fall. The inflation (which is caused by money printing to relieve borrowing even more) has to be resolved or all of society is in deep trouble. That is why Volker went after inflation during the 70's (then caused by the viet Nam war and oil shortages) in a big way. But that will not work this time because interest can not be raised without killing the economy. So the fed can't raise interest (like it could in the 70's) nor can it keep interest low without allowing more inflation. It should be noted this was all caused by money printing. In Roman times the government started to clip metal out of their coins, now days all we do is print more money digits. But when things get bad enough the prices are so high people can not feed themselves, the society is lost.

The only possible way out at this point is to somehow reduce the existing debt. But our politicians can not even slow the growth of debt.
Whether you realize it or not the US is seriously screwed right now. No nation in the world since the beginning of man has ever been in debt as much as the US is right now. US debt interest has never been higher than the already bloated military budget and soon the interest will exceed tax receipts. Many (like Peter Schiff who accurately predicted 2008) think there is no way out now. At least Trump thinks he can recover where we are at.

So the problem of US debt is real and I hope that Musk can somehow come up with some solutions in order to save the country.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I hate to say it but part of the dumbing down of America happened when people started to listening to comedians for political guidance. Instead of coming to their own conclusions through actual thought. This partly allowed people like Joe Rogan to become popular.

The dumbing down of America (and much of the West) started when leftists started to get control of the education system, the schools, the universities etc. and turned these institutions into madrasas, churning out the blue haired, tattooed, pierced antisemites we see trashing university campus and targeting Jewish students with their bile. The vast majority of them voting democrat.

Except the massive stupidity is from the right. You want simplistic answers, you get simplistic "answers", accuracy is unimportant.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Also education was generally fine for decades before Republicans ramped up their interference in it, bringing their ideological biases into play. For instance Texas has control of what's in many school texts, and Florida is on an anti-intellectual rampage, banning books, specifying weird things that must be taught and stopping traditionally taught facts and concepts, and so on. Both of these are Republican states.

I am not familiar with these states but I expect you are disappointed that porn books have been purged from the kindergartner's library or something.

And therein lies the problem--you believe the garbage and thus think the actions make sense.

There were no porn books in kindergarten libraries, other than perhaps the Bible. That's not what they are after. What they are after is anything that depicts a reality other than one white man, one white woman, kids, and Christian. And anything that might help kids identify abuse, especially sexual abuse.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

lol. The left has always hated the Jews.

Cite?

It's normally couched in terms of hating what Israel does, but it's about the Jews. Modern Jews are pretty much like pre-civil-rights blacks.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

So Trump has his goon Hegseth remove General Milley's security detail and starts an investigation into him. Trump is behaving more and more like a terrorist.

Biden's pardons weren't wide enough.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

But for most everyone else on this thread knowing how dumb and corrupt Trump and MAGA are, could I hear your response on Biden's pre-emptive pardons for INNOCENT people prior to leaving office? Because in the final analysis, there can only be 2 possibilities for what just happened in full daylight:

1) Bidens pardons were for people who really were (and are) criminals. People who were family members and friends of his.
or
2) Our justice system is hopelessly incapable of providing non political and unbiased justice, and that Biden (who was our previous president) knows this first hand

NEITHER of these choices speaks well for our government. On Bidens recent actions alone, you can see outstanding evidence our government is truely as corrupt as MAGA accuses it of being.

It aint what you know that can get you into trouble. Its what you know for sure that just ain't so. Mark Twian.

Your first analysis doesn't go far enough.

3) Under The Felon our justice system will be hopelessly incapable of providing non political and unbiased justice.

 

[jonatha]

Pardoning innocent individuals lifts the flood gate they are free to commit crimes pre-emptively. Big time moral hazard.

Pardons apply to past behavior, not future.

 

[southernhybrid]

Interest expense of the deficit is more than the military budget now. This is how empires fall.

Interesting. You blame the deficit on lazy government workers but then choose interest on the debt as your example of over-spending!
What? Do you think a large percentage of the interest payments ends up in the paws of the lazy bureaucrats?

Scrutinizing the Federal Budget is a pastime many of us have indulged in off-and-on for decades.

But this is how empires fall!!!

Speaking of decades, a few of them ago (early 1990s) I was listening to an AM talk radio show that was promoting a book that sure sounded ominous. It was making the case that the staggering $4 trillion dollar debt (which was run up under Reagan/Bush but they were blaming it all on Clinton for some reason) was unsustainable and the country would go bankrupt soon.

In fact the title of the book was "Bankruptcy 1995." I got a copy of what they were shilling, and it seemed pretty doom and gloom as advertised.

Welp, bankruptcy didn't happen...for the country or for me. In fact, 1995 was a very good year in my world. I was making money, having fun, and not worrying about the empire falling because the boom was just ramping up. And though the "dot com" bubble burst, the President that the book claimed would leave our country a smoking, bankrupt ruin actually left office with a budget surplus.

Specifically inflation is how empires fall. The inflation (which is caused by money printing to relieve borrowing even more) has to be resolved or all of society is in deep trouble. That is why Volker went after inflation during the 70's (then caused by the viet Nam war and oil shortages) in a big way. But that will not work this time because interest can not be raised without killing the economy. So the fed can't raise interest (like it could in the 70's) nor can it keep interest low without allowing more inflation. It should be noted this was all caused by money printing. In Roman times the government started to clip metal out of their coins, now days all we do is print more money digits. But when things get bad enough the prices are so high people can not feed themselves, the society is lost.

The only possible way out at this point is to somehow reduce the existing debt. But our politicians can not even slow the growth of debt.
Whether you realize it or not the US is seriously screwed right now. No nation in the world since the beginning of man has ever been in debt as much as the US is right now. US debt interest has never been higher than the already bloated military budget and soon the interest will exceed tax receipts. Many (like Peter Schiff who accurately predicted 2008) think there is no way out now. At least Trump thinks he can recover where we are at.

So the problem of US debt is real and I hope that Musk can somehow come up with some solutions in order to save the country.

Regardless of how nonsensical some of your claims may be, do you realize that it's Trump who wants to raise the debt limit? In fact, he recently said he didn't want there to be a debt limit? Do you have any idea how much renewing his tax breaks for billionaires might hurt the economy? Did you know that he wants to lower corporate taxes to 15%? Do you understand that the recent inflationary spike over the last several years was brought down to almost what is considered normal inflation and that it dropped more in the US compared to just about any other country? There might be a few exceptions that I'm unaware of, so I won't claim all countries. Sheesh. Where the fuck do you get your information from? Oh, and did you bother to read how much deporting immigrants will hurt the economy, how much taxes they collectively pay, including into SS? Seriously Rvonse, you might mean well, but you are sadly very misinformed about a lot of things.

Trump is and always has been a grifter, a narcissist and has some signs of early dementia. He cares about nobody but himself and his primary goals it what's in it for him. He cares nothing about the country or the average American. His followers have been played.

Musk is obviously hyper manic, and is also very obsessed with money. What has that deranged person ever done to help anyone? Have you ever read about his lies about Tesla, how he fired about 80% of his staff after he bought Twitter, then lost a huge amount of money when X began to tank? Shit, I read there is some evidence that he originally came to this country illegally, although I apologize for not having the link for that right now. He is not a part of government, but he is doing things that he has no right to do. If you're waiting for Musk to save the country, I think you will be very disappointed. The only thing that may save the country is to get rid of Trump and his MAGA ilk.

You mentioned Biden's pardons. Biden pardoned some people who never committed a crime, but who were openly threatened by Trump and his MAGA extremists. He also pardoned non violent drug users as well as commuting the sentence to home confinement of a man who had already served over 50 years in prison, who had received an unfair trial and is now nearing the end of his life. Imo, Biden's pardons for the most part were acts of compassion, an attempt to save some people from injustice by a madman and his cult. Trump pardoned a lot of violent people who attacked the police and tried to overthrow the government. Get it!

 

[Swammerdami]

Hi RVonse! You're preaching to the converted if you think your Chicken Little act impresses me. But, unlike you, I prefer to ground my financial predictions in reality.

The only possible way out at this point is to somehow reduce the existing debt. But our politicians can not even slow the growth of debt.
Whether you realize it or not the US is seriously screwed right now. No nation in the world since the beginning of man has ever been in debt as much as the US is right now.

Do facts matter? The debt-to-GDP ratio RIGHT NOW is higher today in Singapore, Italy and Greece than it is in the U.S. Japan's debt ratio is more than DOUBLE that of the U.S. For another example "U.S. Federal Debt Held by the Public" was higher (as a percent of GDP) in 1947 than it is now.

And those are just recent examples. Review France's Mississippi Company Bubble of 1717 for a more interesting example. One can look at even more ancient examples given your hyperbolic "since the beginning of man," but what's the point?

... Many (like Peter Schiff who accurately predicted 2008) think there is no way out now. At least Trump thinks he can recover where we are at.

I don't know how old you are but I was already approaching middle-age when the Democrats turned a big budget deficit into a surplus with the Deficit Reduction Act of 1993. This is a story that deserves to be told and retold. It was achieved without a single Republican vote; Newt Gingrich appeared on FoxNews and announced that it would usher in the worst recession in 60 years and that the Democrats were entirely to blame. Instead the 1990's became one of the most prosperous periods in all of U.S. history. Sadly the great gains were reversed when G.W. Bush took the reins in 2001 and, with his advisors whining "Starve the Beast," turned the surplus into a big deficit.

So the problem of US debt is real and I hope that Musk can somehow come up with some solutions in order to save the country.

I don't see a sarcastic smiling face, but I assume you ARE joking when you pretend that the plans of Trump and Musk will reduce the deficit and reduce inflation.

Just to be sure, will you take this 1-question quiz for us? It's an open book quiz; take your time.

(1) Which of the following is more likely to reduce the U.S. deficit and reduce the likelihood of inflation?

A. Reducing income taxes, especially on the rich.​

B. Raising income taxes, especially on the rich.​

Take the quiz please. Tell us if you chose A or B. After that we'll know if you need more remedial learning.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Are you OK? What's with this obsession with porn; I certainly didn't mention it.

I’m not obsessed with porn fella but I am sure it’s a fixation for the progressives. And no you didn’t mention porn but since you didn’t actually say what books were being banned I took a wild stab in the dark it would be something to do with porn.

1) It's the right that's obsessed with porn, not the left. Your cult keeps using it as a bogeyman, your "porn" is anything that depicts sexuality in any fashion other than the Nazi approved version.

2) Taking a stab in the dark shows you haven't been paying attention to what's going on. Things like banning books for portraying slavery as bad.

Just look at what has happened--the Bible got banned as pornography. It's a lot more explicit than many of the things the right has sought to ban.

 

[laughing dog]

Interest expense of the deficit is more than the military budget now. This is how empires fall.

Interesting. You blame the deficit on lazy government workers but then choose interest on the debt as your example of over-spending!
What? Do you think a large percentage of the interest payments ends up in the paws of the lazy bureaucrats?

Scrutinizing the Federal Budget is a pastime many of us have indulged in off-and-on for decades.

But this is how empires fall!!!

Speaking of decades, a few of them ago (early 1990s) I was listening to an AM talk radio show that was promoting a book that sure sounded ominous. It was making the case that the staggering $4 trillion dollar debt (which was run up under Reagan/Bush but they were blaming it all on Clinton for some reason) was unsustainable and the country would go bankrupt soon.

In fact the title of the book was "Bankruptcy 1995." I got a copy of what they were shilling, and it seemed pretty doom and gloom as advertised.

Welp, bankruptcy didn't happen...for the country or for me. In fact, 1995 was a very good year in my world. I was making money, having fun, and not worrying about the empire falling because the boom was just ramping up. And though the "dot com" bubble burst, the President that the book claimed would leave our country a smoking, bankrupt ruin actually left office with a budget surplus.

Specifically inflation is how empires fall. The inflation (which is caused by money printing to relieve borrowing even more) has to be resolved or all of society is in deep trouble. That is why Volker went after inflation during the 70's (then caused by the viet Nam war and oil shortages) in a big way. But that will not work this time because interest can not be raised without killing the economy. So the fed can't raise interest (like it could in the 70's) nor can it keep interest low without allowing more inflation. It should be noted this was all caused by money printing. In Roman times the government started to clip metal out of their coins, now days all we do is print more money digits. But when things get bad enough the prices are so high people can not feed themselves, the society is lost.

Volker's Fed wrung inflationary expectations out of the economy at the expense of the economy. It was neither costless nor painless. The high inflation was not simply caused by money printing - the oil price shocks played a significant role.

The only possible way out at this point is to somehow reduce the existing debt. But our politicians can not even slow the growth of debt.
Whether you realize it or not the US is seriously screwed right now. No nation in the world since the beginning of man has ever been in debt as much as the US is right now. US debt interest has never been higher than the already bloated military budget and soon the interest will exceed tax receipts. Many (like Peter Schiff who accurately predicted 2008) think there is no way out now. At least Trump thinks he can recover where we are at.

So the problem of US debt is real and I hope that Musk can somehow come up with some solutions in order to save the country.

Reducing debt does nothing to reduce inflation, even by your analysis. If inflation is caused by printing more money, debt is the accumulated face value of past borrowing. Reducing debt requires saving: spending less than one receives. Assuming debt is an important issue, it can be reduced without any necessary direct effect on the supply of money (i.e. "printing of money"). In fact, it is plausible that if the federal gov't engaged in fiscal austerity that the Federal Reserve might increase the supply of money in order to mitigate the contractionary effects on the economy.

More importantly, debt alone is not the issue. It is debt relative to one's ability to repay that is the issue. Plenty of nation's have had (and still do have) debt to GDP ratios much higher then ours. Hell, during WWII our debt/GDP ratio is higher than is today.

I don't know from whom you are getting your ideas and analysis, but they are not consistent with our history or reality.