popper wrote:doclinkin wrote:Meh. I consistently welcome opposing opinions and learn a great deal from this thread -- yourself, da1andonly, a few others --and even when I disagree it forces me to do the research and come back with receipts. I agree there are pointless insults flung about, but don't beat up monte about it since the tone was established in this thread by pine early on that we allow for a bit more rough and tumble conversation here than in other threads. We are going to disagree, sometimes heatedly, about things that actually matter. Basketball pretty much doesn't, unless you're in the sports industry. I personally find it somewhat absurd that people who support a party and particularly a president, who regularly breaks the norms of polite discourse, get their actual feelings hurt when they bump into an off color word. Still, I think it doesn't help the debate, just shuts it off. I'd rather fight it out. But then I'm the guy who started the insults and trolling thread.
As for the value of the thread. Personally I appreciate the insiders look at the local industry. There are plenty of ways to distract ourselves with the 'bread and circus' of sports etc, but few places where you can hear from people who are a couple degrees of separation away from decision makers. I have dozens of other interests, writing, art, etc, that draw my time, especially since I seem to need less sleep than most people, but come back here because of the brainy discourse, whether on sports or policy. Seems dumb to read the thread and then say you don't think you should have read it. Shrug.
So. Seems similarly silly to pop in and ask for people to cordially invite you back, then drop an insult on your way out the door. Doesn't really add anything to the conversation. If you have information or an opinion, bring it here. Just don't expect people to always be measured or reasonable in the back and forth. People are pissed. An unelected un vetted trillionaire with red flag conflicts of interests has appointed himself a super cabinet member, without oversight check or balance and is dismantling the concept of governance. If anybody wants to step in here to defend that with facts and links and citations, I'd love to hear it. But don't flinch and be a pantswetter if someone loudly disagrees with you. Just come back with better facts. Or even, maybe, listen and be convinced. Or hell, admit when your party got it wrong. And be willing to do something to fix it.
I appreciate the post but I have no desire to reenter the thread. In fact I'm certain I won't. But highly partisan and personal attacks like "you're a piece of sh$t, and a liar and evil" might dissuade others with differing viewpoints from participating.
Trump has:
- Paused all federal grants and loans, blocked by courts.
- Froze federal hiring without a plan
- Fired probationary workers without a plan
- Mandated return to office without a plan
- Mandated the US build an iron dome, even though it's not a priority for US defense
- Eliminated DEI programs and hiring, the bulk of which facilitated veteran preference in hiring
- Declared immigration as a national emergency without justification to use emergency powers (reserved for war and natural disasters) such as deploying National Guard and military
- Pushed for elimination of birthright citizenship
- Declared hispanic gangs specifically as terrorist organizations (not Eastern Europe or Asian Gangs) so he can justify using authority against hispanics specifically
- Declared previously legal pathways to citizenship, the "right way" of as many conservatives say they're ok with immigration, as illegal, including refugee and asylum. The "right way" used to include 5 ways: marriage birthright, employment, "special immigrant," and refugee/asylum. He has attempted to eliminate three of them, leaving only marriage and employment. Employment is reserved for immigrants of extraordinary ability and skill. "Special" immigrant were largely used by Afghani translators, clergy, and other specific use cases.
- Implemented tariffs that will increase consumer spending
- Dismantled CFPB, which protects consumer interests
- Pulled out of the Paris Climate Accords
- Ended Green New Deal, which included investments for energy sector jobs
- Withdrew from the World Health Organization
- Declared an Energy Emergency without justification so he can more easily deploy federal funds to purchase energy (funnel money) to energy companies
- Pardoned Jan 6 rioters
- Commuted Oath Keepers and Proud Boys who committed hate crimes outside of Jan 6
- Pardoned the creator of Silk Road, the infamous dark web site where you were able to purchase drugs, weapons, and trafficked humans, from his life sentence.
and this doesn't even get into the international destabilization he's causing in the Middle East, Ukraine, and China. Or DOGE. Or cutting Medicare/Medicaid. Or mass-firing 1300 CDC employees. Or mass-firing 800 NOAA employees. Or the firing of essential nuclear arsenal employees that was later rescinded. Or firing essential Department of Ag scientists working on avian flu research that was later rescinded. Or the self-dealing from crypto. or his uniquely unqualified cabinet members. Or making himself the board chair of the Kennedy Center. Or Elon and Bannon seig heiling on camera. Or quietly removing the ban of Trump Org refraining from doing business oversees during his second term. Or repealing the ethics rules that prohibited executive branch employees from receiving gifts from lobbyits, or the ethics rule prohibiting executive branch employees from hiring lobbyists, or waiving conflict of interest requirements for executive branch employees.
GDP for Q1 2025 is expected to drop 2.8%. The US GDP hasn't dropped since Covid, and before that it was the 2008 recession. The GDP growth for Q4 2024 was +2.3%, and the cause of the 5% swing is being attributed to a decrease in investment and imports, direct effects of Trump's tariffs.
There are dozens of posts like this where people have tried to engage with you substantively but you only remember the namecalling ones, so maybe be more selective in your takeaways.
) continues with yet another supreme court landmark.
