Political Roundtable Part XXVIII

[Zonkerbl]

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/20/former-trump-advisor-steve-bannon-arrested-on-charges-of-defrauding-donors-in-fundraising-scheme.html

The first of many criminals associated with Trump's crime wave to face justice

[dobrojim]

For the QAnon crowd

Watch on YouTube

[dobrojim]

Read on Twitter

?s=19

Yes unknown but certainly suggestive of traitorous motivation.

[Ruzious]

And for the hundredth (?) time, it is literally impossible for a sane person to believe Trump would fight so hard to not disclose his tax records if he's not trying to cover up fraud.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/judge-throws-out-trump-challenge-to-manhattan-da-subpoena-for-tax-records/ar-BB18bKgi?li=BBnb7Kz

Anyone who still... doesn't get this should be part of a study on abnormal psychology.

[JWizmentality]

And for the hundredth (?) time, it is literally impossible for a sane person to believe Trump would fight so hard to not disclose his tax records if he's not trying to cover up fraud.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/judge-throws-out-trump-challenge-to-manhattan-da-subpoena-for-tax-records/ar-BB18bKgi?li=BBnb7Kz

Anyone who still... doesn't get this should be part of a study on abnormal psychology.

I'm no expert of the American judicial system, but why hasn't this been made public yet? Lost numerous times, lost at the supreme court, but just appeal appeal appeal. Seems to me the common man doesn't get that kind of grace.

[JWizmentality]

Steve Bannon nooooooo. He seemed like such an honest guy.

[Zonkerbl]

Washingtonpost showing Trump sponsored ads saying the radical left takeover of the Dems is complete, with Kamala Harris as veep. Way to focus your ad spends where it counts buddy. Maybe you'll win DC?!?!?!

[Zonkerbl]

Read on Twitter

?s=19

Yes unknown but certainly suggestive of traitorous motivation.

Maybe he just hates America

[dobrojim]

And for the hundredth (?) time, it is literally impossible for a sane person to believe Trump would fight so hard to not disclose his tax records if he's not trying to cover up fraud.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/judge-throws-out-trump-challenge-to-manhattan-da-subpoena-for-tax-records/ar-BB18bKgi?li=BBnb7Kz

Anyone who still... doesn't get this should be part of a study on abnormal psychology.

I'm no expert of the American judicial system, but why hasn't this been made public yet? Lost numerous times, lost at the supreme court, but just appeal appeal appeal. Seems to me the common man doesn't get that kind of grace.

(You and others here probably already know all this **** but sometimes I can't help myself)

Tax law does prohibit public disclosure. By custom all presidents since Nixon have fully disclosed
their recent tax records, but it's not a law (although it should be) that you have to.
As you probably know, the DA in Manhattan is suing to get his records (from a 3rd party).
Even if he gets them, they cannot be disclosed unless/until an indictment is filed.
And Congress is likely to get them as well but is probably not able to simply
release them as much as they'd like to.

Your essential point still stands however. Why would he fight so hard to prevent
their disclosure if there wasn't 'bad stuff' in there? Why are or were people so
willing to accept the lame excuse that he was under audit? Like so what?
That in no way prevents him from releasing the returns he signed and
sent to the IRS.

[dobrojim]

Read on Twitter

?s=19

Yes unknown but certainly suggestive of traitorous motivation.

Maybe he just hates America

America doesn't love him monetarily the way Russia does.

[Zonkerbl]

Erp, I stand corrected. Bannon of course is not the first criminally charged Trump associate.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/08/20/each-trumps-2016-campaign-managers-has-now-faced-criminal-charges/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-high_bump-1240p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

[Zonkerbl]

Latest tally was done in January...

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-associates-prison-faced-criminal-charges/story?id=68358219

[Ruzious]

Yes unknown but certainly suggestive of traitorous motivation.

Maybe he just hates America

America doesn't love him monetarily the way Russia does.

And maybe he doesn't want to have to worry every time he has a sip of tea when he's doing business with his buds in Russia.

[Pointgod]

And for the hundredth (?) time, it is literally impossible for a sane person to believe Trump would fight so hard to not disclose his tax records if he's not trying to cover up fraud.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/judge-throws-out-trump-challenge-to-manhattan-da-subpoena-for-tax-records/ar-BB18bKgi?li=BBnb7Kz

Anyone who still... doesn't get this should be part of a study on abnormal psychology.

I'm no expert of the American judicial system, but why hasn't this been made public yet? Lost numerous times, lost at the supreme court, but just appeal appeal appeal. Seems to me the common man doesn't get that kind of grace.

(You and others here probably already know all this **** but sometimes I can't help myself)

Tax law does prohibit public disclosure. By custom all presidents since Nixon have fully disclosed
their recent tax records, but it's not a law (although it should be) that you have to.
As you probably know, the DA in Manhattan is suing to get his records (from a 3rd party).
Even if he gets them, they cannot be disclosed unless/until an indictment is filed.
And Congress is likely to get them as well but is probably not able to simply
release them as much as they'd like to.

Your essential point still stands however. Why would he fight so hard to prevent
their disclosure if there wasn't 'bad stuff' in there? Why are or were people so
willing to accept the lame excuse that he was under audit? Like so what?
That in no way prevents him from releasing the returns he signed and
sent to the IRS.

It’s a well known fact that him and his siblings committed fraud and most likely tax fraud for a number of years. I guarantee those tax returns don’t match up to his business valuations.

[Zonkerbl]

well, I watched Biden's speech and all the convention stuff coming before. They're making a big deal about how he's suffered a lot of tragedy and has a lot of empathy and gave lots of examples of what a nice guy he is and talked about restoring the soul of the nation. They had a lot of Republicans on talking about how they've given up on Trump and are going to vote for Biden.

I appreciate the sentiment of reaching across the aisle but this is just more of the same kumbaya crap that Obama tried and failed. Democrats just don't understand how the prisoner's dilemma is played - brainwashed Republicans are going to look at the Dems hand extended in peace and see it as an opportunity to cut it off. They just don't understand what a stranglehold Fox News brainwashing has on that side of the aisle. Frustrating.

Also couldn't help but notice a lot of full throated neoliberal "your worth to society is determined by having a job" stuff, particularly from Bloomberg (although he applied that logic rather hilariously to Trump). Is your value determined by how much people are willing to pay you, that is, how much other people think you are worth, or how much you value yourself? Republicans are way worse at this but the Dems are fifty fifty right now, I'd say.

It basically boils down to, do you focus exclusively on business as the sole source of worth in society, or is your focus on family? Interestingly, the paragon of neoliberalism in the Dem party right now is Biden, who also however understands the value of family.

Anyway back in 2008 the Dems faced a long laundry list of things they needed to push through, the top two of which was Obamacare and climate change. They chose to do Obamacare first, lost Congress two years later and that was the end of the list.

I hope they don't make that mistake this time. They need to win the senate, eliminate the filibuster, and legislate like their hair is on fire. Because Fox News isn't going away. If anything a huge, humiliating defeat in November is going to energize Fox' base even more, while all the Dem supporters will pat themselves on the back and start paying attention to other stuff next election and bam, same situation we were in in 2010.

And when this happens in 2022 I am going to be here to say I TOLD YOU SO, you can count on it. Well, assuming they even win in November. God knows what's going to happen. Dems kept saying "light is stronger than darkness, love is stronger than hate" but wow is there absolutely no evidence that that is true in the real world. Would be nice I guess.

[dobrojim]

I bet Dolly's charitable work never ends up in her facing a judge to explain
why she cheated on it.

(from a FB post written by Erick Moore, who I know nothing about)

In 1990, the high school dropout rate for Dolly Parton's hometown of Sevierville Tennessee was at 34% (Research shows that most kids make up their minds in fifth/sixth grade not to graduate). That year, all fifth and sixth graders from Sevierville were invited by Parton to attend an assembly at Dollywood. They were asked to pick a buddy, and if both students completed high school, Dolly Parton would personally hand them each a $500 check on their graduation day. As a result, the dropout rate for those classes fell to 6%, and has generally retained that average to this day.

Shortly after the success of The Buddy Program, Parton learned in dealing with teachers from the school district that problems in education often begin during first grade when kids are at different developmental levels. That year The Dollywood Foundation paid the salaries for additional teachers assistants in every first grade class for the next 2 years, under the agreement that if the program worked, the school system would effectively adopt and fund the program after the trial period.

During the same period, Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995: The idea being that children from her rural hometown and low-income families often start school at a disadvantage and as a result, will be unfairly compared to their peers for the rest of their lives, effectively encouraging them not to pursue higher education. The objective of the Imagination library was that every child in Sevier County would receive one book, every month, mailed and addressed to the child, from the day they were born until the day they started kindergarten, 100% free of charge. What began as a hometown initiative now serves children in all 50 states, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, mailing thousands of free books to children around the world monthly.

On March 1, 2018 Parton donated her 100 millionth book at the Library of Congress: a copy of "Coat of Many Colors" dedicated to her father, who never learned to read or write.

Happy 74th Birthday Dolly Parton!

[Wizardspride]

Read on Twitter

?s=19

[Zonkerbl]

Alright, here's a positive post:

If you don't vote because you think your vote doesn't count, have you considered doing more than voting? There's lots to do. You can be a poll worker. You can help drive old folks to the polls. You can volunteer for your local representative. You can go to your local ANC meetings.

You are as politically empowered as you permit yourself to be. Think of it as a fun hobby that also might save the world.

Kind of like that saying from the Dalai Lama: "If you have time, meditate for one hour per day. If you don't have the time, meditate more."

[dckingsfan]

Alright, here's a positive post:

If you don't vote because you think your vote doesn't count, have you considered doing more than voting? There's lots to do. You can be a poll worker. You can help drive old folks to the polls. You can volunteer for your local representative. You can go to your local ANC meetings.

You are as politically empowered as you permit yourself to be. Think of it as a fun hobby that also might save the world.

Kind of like that saying from the Dalai Lama: "If you have time, meditate for one hour per day. If you don't have the time, meditate more."

This - those that are young and feel invincible - now is the time...

[montestewart]

Washingtonpost showing Trump sponsored ads saying the radical left takeover of the Dems is complete, with Kamala Harris as veep. Way to focus your ad spends where it counts buddy. Maybe you'll win DC?!?!?!

On Facebook this will translate as, "Even the Bezos-owned, Soros-controlled Washington Post agrees..."