Ok, not football at all, but it matters, eventually.

[alfinyalcabo]

You know a threads going down hill when Alf gets involved.

TBF Billy,political posts should be banned as they always go downhill fast mate. 🙂

[spaldy]

Might want look at M2 before blaming Trump for inflation. He had nothing to do with the remix printing of money the last 4 years. The bar chart of M2 vs M1,M3, M4 is stunning and scary

The key is energy prices. Sub 60 dollar barrel prices solve a lot of inflation issues. La be majority of a barrel of oil goes to products other than gasoline or diesel

[WTF11]

Might want look at M2 before blaming Trump for inflation. He had nothing to do with the remix printing of money the last 4 years. The bar chart of M2 vs M1,M3, M4 is stunning and scary

The key is energy prices. Sub 60 dollar barrel prices solve a lot of inflation issues. La be majority of a barrel of oil goes to products other than gasoline or diesel

Again, agreement on the causes of inflation being complex and multi-faceted, but Trump came in with boasts of being able to curb rising prices. Like many other things (the impact of tariffs (does he, or his "advisors" actually know how they work? The evidence would say not), the deportation of "millions" of illegal immigrants, his ability to end the war in Ukraine (or anywhere else), etc etc, he overpromises and underdelivers.

If he spent more time being truly presidential and less time playing to the MAGA crowd and bullying nations he ought to regard as friendly, he might do a (slightly) better job.

[spaldy]

I don?t disagree on acting presidential. Even I am appalled at some of his rhetoric. I think he inherited an incredibly bad situation on all fronts. He didn?t have the option of gradual changes in many areas.

More importantly is that checks and balances built into the US system are corrupted and gone. Congress stopped doing its job on the budget and passing laws. The executive branch started ruling by mandates and exec orders. While this has been occurring for years?? I have a pen and phone? the Covid fiasco showed that they can do anything they want and get by with it. They have never looked back. DC basically acted little different than the CCCP and Kremlin. The judicial system is now highly political and partisan

The biggest thing is goverment spending and debt. It?s out of control and they basically blatantly buy votes and line their pockets. Politicians and their tag a longs come to DC with little money and leave with 10?s of millions of dollars. They are exempt from laws or law enforcement.

US taxpayers have over $300k in debt per person. It will collapse at some point

Trump is the outcome of the dissatisfaction of the average voter.

[WTF11]

I don?t disagree on acting presidential. Even I am appalled at some of his rhetoric. I think he inherited an incredibly bad situation on all fronts. He didn?t have the option of gradual changes in many areas.

More importantly is that checks and balances built into the US system are corrupted and gone. Congress stopped doing its job on the budget and passing laws. The executive branch started ruling by mandates and exec orders. While this has been occurring for years?? I have a pen and phone? the Covid fiasco showed that they can do anything they want and get by with it. They have never looked back. DC basically acted little different than the CCCP and Kremlin. The judicial system is now highly political and partisan

The biggest thing is goverment spending and debt. It?s out of control and they basically blatantly buy votes and line their pockets. Politicians and their tag a longs come to DC with little money and leave with 10?s of millions of dollars. They are exempt from laws or law enforcement.

US taxpayers have over $300k in debt per person. It will collapse at some point

Trump is the outcome of the dissatisfaction of the average voter.

Well I'm blowed, agreement on all counts (don't know the details of the current US
givernmental "situation", but in general the career politicians the world over and of all stripes are in it essentially for themselves unlike most from the baby boomers generation who genuinely wanted a better world.

[spaldy]

Visiting my grand daughter in Dallas. She was born with over 300k in debt from the feds and responsible for some of the trillions of dollars of state debts for pensions and debt carried on bonds. No way the politicians are going to let those fail so some crooked DC politician will tell them he?ll bail them out. Only 5 or so states but they owe trillions we?ll all have to pay. By the time she gets her first pay check she?ll owe over $500,000.

It will collapse. Economic realities are not subject to ?enlightened thinking?. Countless examples including Weimar Republic, USSR, Argentina, Venezuela and Countless African countries.

So preventable and sad

The politicians believe they will be exempt because their pensions are fully funded, they live in gated or secure communities and have security details. They are wrong.

[WTF11]

Visiting my grand daughter in Dallas. She was born with over 300k in debt from the feds and responsible for some of the trillions of dollars of state debts for pensions and debt carried on bonds. No way the politicians are going to let those fail so some crooked DC politician will tell them he?ll bail them out. Only 5 or so states but they owe trillions we?ll all have to pay. By the time she gets her first pay check she?ll owe over $500,000.

It will collapse. Economic realities are not subject to ?enlightened thinking?. Countless examples including Weimar Republic, USSR, Argentina, Venezuela and Countless African countries.

So preventable and sad

The politicians believe they will be exempt because their pensions are fully funded, they live in gated or secure communities and have security details. They are wrong.

And again, agreement in general, but.......

Trump suggesting he will put (additional) tarriffs on those states who don't support his attempts at taking over Greenland.....

Flawed on so many levels.

1. Greenlanders have made it clear they do not want to be any part of the USA (Care to consider how the USA Would react if Russia made overtures regarding Alaska, a place they used to own?)

2. Taking Greenland by force would destroy NATO, the only defensive mechanism that has deterred ALL external threats to North America and Europe for over 5 DECADES.

3. Just so we're clear, payment of monies due as a result of tariffs are paid BY THE IMPORTER, AKA THE USA!. That may be an individual US citizen, a US commercial body or a state or federal body. Doesn't matter, all it does is make whatever is being imported more expensive TO THE IMPORTER. Sure, it makes exporting to the USA more expensive, but often there aren't alternatives, like the high grade steel used in the building of Trident submarines that US steelworks can't provide.

4. Back to the threats and his inability (or unwilingness), and that of his advisors, to understand that there ARE INTERNATIONAL LAWS that make his "ambitions" regarding Greenland illegal. Does he, or those who support him, care? If not, how are we to differentiate between the USA, China, Russia, North Korea, Sudan, Libya, or any of the other single party dictatorships that pollute the world?

[WTF11]

And on Iran......

He now THANKS the Iranian regime for not executing over 800 protestors. I'm sure I'm not alone in welcoming the sparing of those lives, but OMG just what "principles" does this President live by (maybe he sees bullying 58k Greenlanders as an easier task?)

[ozleeds]

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1193371899561265

[WTF11]

And again, agreement in general, but.......

Trump suggesting he will put (additional) tarriffs on those states who don't support his attempts at taking over Greenland.....

Flawed on so many levels.

1. Greenlanders have made it clear they do not want to be any part of the USA (Care to consider how the USA Would react if Russia made overtures regarding Alaska, a place they used to own?)

2. Taking Greenland by force would destroy NATO, the only defensive mechanism that has deterred ALL external threats to North America and Europe for over 5 DECADES.

3. Just so we're clear, payment of monies due as a result of tariffs are paid BY THE IMPORTER, AKA THE USA!. That may be an individual US citizen, a US commercial body or a state or federal body. Doesn't matter, all it does is make whatever is being imported more expensive TO THE IMPORTER. Sure, it makes exporting to the USA more expensive, but often there aren't alternatives, like the high grade steel used in the building of Trident submarines that US steelworks can't provide.

4. Back to the threats and his inability (or unwilingness), and that of his advisors, to understand that there ARE INTERNATIONAL LAWS that make his "ambitions" regarding Greenland illegal. Does he, or those who support him, care? If not, how are we to differentiate between the USA, China, Russia, North Korea, Sudan, Libya, or any of the other single party dictatorships that pollute the world?

And yet, despite what it WILL do (not might), the orange man-baby has announced that a number of countries who have stated publicly that they oppose any move to take the democratic rights of Denmark and Greenland and shove them in the trash will face a 10% tariff on all goods, rising to 25% after 6 months.

The man is a delusional, DANGEROUS idiot of the first order, that gorilla with a machine gun I referred to elsewhere in this thread. Those who suggest otherwise will (not might), rue the day they bought into his insanity.