Wouldn't you think that if you heavily taxed the 1% or 2%, they could just move out of the country to somewhere else where they aren't taxed heavily? They have enough money to do anything they want... Same idea of Trump wanting tax cuts to businesses since they have moved out to other countries where it is cheaper. I'm not big into politics, but it's just a thought.
@CaffeinePizza: In Capitalist parlance, it might be called a "repatriation incentive". (I made that up. ) But that's basically what it's about.
Nonsense, they all make their money heavily entangled and sometimes directly influencing the US Gov, all the way to corporations. MJ, indeed, I believe you on this one: I have not changed a bit since you were thanking me for careful explanations of various phenomena - but you... Oh, well...
@gorski: Look at the first line of your post. Then look at the second line. Does that sound like a sensible explanation to you? To me, just about all of your posts here sound like a series of false accusations aimed at a man who is not a professional politician. Who speaks his mind even if it angers other people. Where I'm from, that's called brutal candor. We just came out of an election where the candidates were labelled two of the most despicable people on the planet. And now, we're realizing that most of the negative energy generated is by those who have an alternative agenda. So who is telling the entire truth? And who claims to know the entire truth? Is Trump crazy? He has to be. Who else would take the crappy job of trying to save Americans from themselves? How do you make the people start taking steps to take care of themselves, instead of expecting the Government to do it? And who pays for that? The other hard working taxpayers who are busy working and trying to keep a roof over their heads? Can you explain to me how sending jobs and tax revenues offshore helps America? How flogging the American public for the actions of the government in other countries makes things okay? I am not an easy person to insult. And I do not get "emotional". I simply present my take on the matter as clearly as possible. If we disagree about it, I leave it at that. If I'm wrong, I'm the first to admit it. So answer me this: How would you feel about me if I repeatedly belittled your people and called them stupid? How long would you tolerate me before finally telling me to get lost? Think about what I just said before you insult the people from -ANY- country. Give respect, Get respect. Why do you even need to be told this?!? And how many times do you need to be told ?!? Get over yourselves. Put aside your own personal agendas and start looking at the big picture.
I am. But you aren't. YOU changed your tune tremendously - and you have the cheek to tell me off, when I stayed the same as before. No amount of "first line, second line" without ever analysing it in any sensible depth, heck without ever even quoting me let alone quoting me properly, in a given context, will ever amount to anything serious. So, it is not me who has to get "over myself", sorry....
I think that is the crux of the issues, making compromises. But it seems to me a large faction of those that voted for Donald Trump did so because of his uncompromising rhetoric. Indeed there are different sides to each issue. Only time will tell if the current Health plan he is introducing will actually solve the issues and not disadvantage the poor and elderly as critics are arguing. You have a point, in that, he isn't a politician. He is a business person though, and I would assume then that his policies will skew towards businesses and corporations. Until his decisions and actions begin to negatively affect some of those that voted him into power he is likely to have the support. He said he digs coal, and I think those voters in W. Virginia don't think he is crazy, neither those in Wyoming and so on. This is jobs for them. But, environmental issues won't just disappear. You had auto workers in Michigan voting for him because he said he will get rid of NAFTA. It worked during the campaign, but where the rubber meets the road and one has to navigate retaliatory policies from other nations among other things, that is the other side of the issues. No need to mention the funding issues and whether republicans on the Hill will be willing to go along with the ensuing deficit issues. I guess time will tell and how the human condition comes into play, because there are sides with agendas at play in any political system.
@Techiekid: I couldn't agree more with you. He used the same tools that every politician uses to grab votes. He played on the needs and fears of a large enough group of Americans to sway the vote in his favor. Not by popular vote, mind you. But by the Electoral College. He also played on the apparent insincerity of Hillary Clinton and used it to his advantage, despite the stranglehold that big money has on the main stream media. Given those two scenarios, I think he did an amazing job at winning the election. I'm not saying that he'll be a good president, but I'm acknowledging accomplishment of the victory. From what I understand, the -major- thorn in everybodys' side is the Individual Mandate Penalty. Trump wants to remove it. Common sense calls for this. However: the government has been realizing substantial revenues by collection of this tax. So who absorbs that revenue loss when the tax is rescinded? Some Government program will either be cut or layoffs will take place. In my experience, it's usually social services. But that has to be worked out. @Techiekid: When you say he "digs" coal, I interpret it to mean he likes coal. (US slang) Some of our international friends here may not understand, and assume it to imply that he did hard labor. Take a look here: https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3 Coal is responsible for 33% of the energy produced in the USA. He'd better like coal. And yes. It's dirty. But the technology does not exist to safely eliminate fossil fuels. Alternative energy systems only provide about 7% of our energy. That needs to be reckoned with. I won't even go into my take on fusion; I did that in the "global warming" thread. The problem is that big businesses have the resources to simply pack up and leave the USA. They will go where higher profit margins exist. And that usually means cheaper labor and/or more lax regulations with regards to environmental issues and worker rights. Look at what industry has done to places in the USA. Towns that are still toxic. Radiation spills. Crude oil in the ground. And I'm not talking about remote areas either. Look at North Brooklyn, New York and you'll see what I mean. Where I live, there are at least 30 "superfund sites". When the Williamsburg Bridge was repainted, clouds of Lead dust were showered on Greenpoint. How do we tell them(the US businesses) that we want them to manufacture here and provide jobs, but you'll have to take less profits because you'll have to comply with our environmental laws? Other countries will have to tell them (the US businesses) to get out and take the financial hit. Then they will have to try to clean up their own respective messes. Does anybody here see that happening? I certainly don't. These countries know how We operate. We have a ravenous appetite for material possessions and status symbols, most of which require highly toxic processes to create. We're inherently messy and we rarely, if at all, clean up after ourselves. So, the US businesses move out and these countries will now be hunting for a source of income to fill the vacuum created by the ousting of the US businesses. I've heard it said that nature abhors a vacuum, so I have to assume that Russia or some other country will move in and fill the void, leaving business as usual and the US no longer having any edge in any markets. Once again, I beg the question: How do we fix it? From this moment on, each and every president will inherit this mess. I don't envy this man at all. If there was some way I could help, I'd jump at the opportunity.
This is quite interesting... https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...t-popular-politicians/?utm_term=.82644da09258
Or: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/why-wont-democrats-embrace-most-popular-politician-america [h=1]Why Won't Democrats Embrace the Most Popular Politician in America?[/h] The Democratic establishment rejects Bernie Sanders at its grave peril.
I have this belief Americans(as in the United States of America citizens) know what is best for them and their country. They would probably vote the incumbent out of power if the need arises. This is their democracy where the USA is highly respected for it level of freedom despite there are shortcomings in the recent elections. No outsiders have any right whatsoever to dictate what they should do. The people choice should be respected and that is president Donald Trump. However, I don't think he is crazy. He is trying to do what he promised the American people during the campaign to the presidential election - the promise includes building the wall, making USA secure, etc. Having taken steps which are obviously disagreed by the parts of opposition in the society it is not far from what brought him to become the president of that great country today. We must accept that the USA has being carrying the world burden on it shoulders for a very long time without lamenting much about it while many things are falling apart at home. Now that it is distancing itself we should accept it with equanimity and only try to know why it is taking such step at this moment in time. Nevertheless, to suggest that Trump is doing the wrong thing because he wants to fix issues believed to be harming the best interest of the country is not a bad thing at all. What is bad is those who are trying to take such opportunity and use it to commit evil, like the man who shot the two Indian expatriates and those belittling others for their skin colour, etc. We shouldn't judge based on those individuals actions but on what will be for the best interest of that nation and how this whole politic playing out from different perspective. We in Nigeria cannot participate in the spectacle because we are almost irrelevant in the scheme of things of the world. Not until we can fix our democracy to a level where there is high standard of human rights, in all, have to embody the most important part of it the right which is the right to freedom of expression we are just onlookers. It is right the Americans lead the right way to have a better followers. My very understanding is that the great power possessed by the United States of America has never always been about that country but about helping to move humanity forward, at least, to stir it to the right direction for a better world. It has made enemies during times when bringing freedom to some and friends during success in others. Like any human alive it is natural to make mistakes while it is very important in correcting the mistakes have a lot to say about what differentiate ephemeral from long term success. On the final note, I don't agree with all the president policies. It is not my right to say what he should do or should be. That is the American people's prerogative as usual. On that ground, I would like you to take my comment with a pinch of salt. After all we are learning a lot from the great USA to find ways to better our own democracy, most especially, my country of Nigeria.
Funny, since the US has dictated the world over what the others around them should do... So, you know what to do with such an "argument" - "Quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi"...
If you read my comment with open mind you would understand the reason why that nation posses that great power. There have been mistakes made while trying to bring freedom to some parts of the world and that is clearly seen in some actions that have failed over the years. I think it is reasonable to look at it from all the right perspectives rather than from a single wrong direction. There is no argument if great power comes with great responsibility in the case of USA - which is obvious the others can cannot perform.
The most important question that was asked about Bernie's programs is: "AND WHO'S GOING TO PAY FOR ALL OF THIS!?!" The taxpayer...that's who.
I know many Hispanic families who would disagree with you. The truth is, -anybody- who chooses to be self-sustaining will be penalized by the liberals. We will be made to feel guilty, and bullied into paying for the those who refuse to contribute to society. The color of the day is green. Not white or black. This is the mantra of the main stream media. Condemning individual achievement and condoning mass-consumerism. Sad to say, we've all seen instances of that happen. I think that Hadron-curious can shed more light on that than any of us can, since He's from Nigeria. I'd like to hear his opinions on that matter. What bothers me is that we have starving children in America. Do we focus on fixing that? No. Because they're Americans, and they're expected to be able to take care of themselves. The only thing that will help them to become independent is education and training. And that's only part of a comprehensive plan designed to rebuild dignity and self esteem. And part of that is the creation of jobs -IN AMERICA-. Not in some other country. No we are -NOT- all the same. There are some of us who, even as children, demonstrate incredible gifts. They should be nurtured. Sadly they are not. One mindset is a whole lot easier to exercise social control over. Diversity means that those who have an agenda of control have to work much harder at coming up with mechanisms of control. Of course, the main mechanism of control is money and status. We're addicted to toys and status; so we work hard to achieve that. Yeah that makes no sense to me. If you preach death to America, you will not be welcome here. But if you come here to live in peace, our doors are open to you. Over the past 50 years, I've watched America being systemically dismantled and sold off to the highest bidder. We've been brainwashed into thinking that the Government should "take Care" of us. It's time for Americans to wake up. It's time for us to fight for our own independence again.