President Trump

[Sportello]

 

[Catatonic]

travel for the president and first lady is a necessary evil. Bring along the extended family and listing them as staffers so the taxpayer foots the bill is bad.

I am surprised at you criticizing Trump.

 

[wkmac]

I am surprised at you criticizing Trump.

Surprises aside, he's still dead on.

Your beer is on me Newfie.

 

[rickyb]

I'm way too invested in the current system to be ok with tossing it out. Got ideas to fix it and make it better? I'm all ears. Burn it down and replace it with some new untested idea? No thank you. I'm too old to start over.

theres a cap on the top tax for social security. so if you get rid of the cap, the system would work for another 50 years or whatever. the cap save the rich money, so get rid of it, and only the rich will pay more. and by that time humans will probably be extinct.

 

[Catatonic]

there's a cap on the top tax for social security. so if you get rid of the cap, the system would work for another 50 years or whatever. the cap save the rich money, so get rid of it, and only the rich will pay more. and by that time humans will probably be extinct.

Good point ... I never agreed with the cap on SS Tax or Medicare Tax!
I'm not sure how much that would extend Soc Sec but I doubt 50 years.

 

[rickyb]

Good point ... I never agreed with the cap on SS Tax or Medicare Tax!
I'm not sure how much that would extend Soc Sec but I doubt 50 years.

i heard about what wkmac was saying too, but im less familiar with it.

 

[Jones]

Good grief:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - He misses driving, feels as if he is in a cocoon, and is surprised how hard his new job is.
President Donald Trump on Thursday reflected on his first 100 days in office with a wistful look at his life before the White House.
"I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump told Reuters in an interview. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."


Exclusive: Trump says he thought being president would be easier than his old life

 

[wkmac]

Good grief:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - He misses driving, feels as if he is in a cocoon, and is surprised how hard his new job is.
President Donald Trump on Thursday reflected on his first 100 days in office with a wistful look at his life before the White House.
"I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump told Reuters in an interview. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."


Exclusive: Trump says he thought being president would be easier than his old life

Poor Baron!

 

[vantexan]

Good point ... I never agreed with the cap on SS Tax or Medicare Tax!
I'm not sure how much that would extend Soc Sec but I doubt 50 years.

According to SS website they've got enough to pay promised benefits until 2041 if I remember right. After that they can pay 75% or so until 2080's.

 

[wkmac]

According to SS website they've got enough to pay promised benefits until 2041 if I remember right. After that they can pay 75% or so until 2080's.

From what I've read, saw the same as well. The concern seems at the moment to get through the boomer generation and then things should steady up a bit more. The other issue of concern is the declining birthrate among the native population of the US. It has been under replacement birthrate since 1979' and the only thing keeping us going pertaining to population numbers is mostly a growing immigrant population. The irony that the immigrants at the end of the day might save Social Security. LOL!

And no Van, there are immigrants who pay SS and there are even some illegals who pay but will never get credit. They pay as a cost of business to have access to better paying jobs and it keeps the tax man away.

 

[Catatonic]

According to SS website they've got enough to pay promised benefits until 2041 if I remember right. After that they can pay 75% or so until 2080's.

Good!
I plan on dying by 2041.

 

[wkmac]

Good!
I plan on dying by 2041.

By then we'll elect Sponge Bob Square Pants as President and get a bailout.

Why not Sponge Bob? We elected an actor who was the side kick for a monkey and now a reality star is President. Seems natural to me that next we elect a fictional cartoon character.

Besides, we came this close to electing a Bitch so we still have that option out there!

 

[vantexan]

From what I've read, saw the same as well. The concern seems at the moment to get through the boomer generation and then things should steady up a bit more. The other issue of concern is the declining birthrate among the native population of the US. It has been under replacement birthrate since 1979' and the only thing keeping us going pertaining to population numbers is mostly a growing immigrant population. The irony that the immigrants at the end of the day might save Social Security. LOL!

And no Van, there are immigrants who pay SS and there are even some illegals who pay but will never get credit. They pay as a cost of business to have access to better paying jobs and it keeps the tax man away.

Quite a few come here, work 20+ years, go back to their home country to retire with what's considered good income locally. More power to them. We do have a legal immigration system. I can remember when we crossed two hundred million when I was a kid. Hearing estimates of 325 million now, and possibly 400 million by 2050. Most of that growth is legal immigration although I've read the U.S., unlike most European countries, is still achieving a replacement birthrate. Much of that is from Hispanics, legal or not(their children born here are legal). For your consideration...in 1950 El Paso had 150,000 population and 80% were Anglo. Now upwards of 800,000, and close to 80% Hispanic. And that 20% in 1950 weren't all Hispanic. Most of that growth wasn't legal. We need to slow the rate down. All for having a guest worker program that gives those workers Social Security. Everyone who contributes to it deserves a payout if they've put in the minimum time. Those already here in the shadows should get legal status so they too can benefit. Folks like to characterize conservatives as heartless but most of us recognize that hard working law abiding illegals do contribute and shouldn't be taken advantage of. And that it's impractical to ship them all out. But there's only so much pie to go around and we can't just keep taking in millions. At some point they need to work towards making their own economies work, not depend on ours.

 

[wkmac]

Quite a few come here, work 20+ years, go back to their home country to retire with what's considered good income locally. More power to them. We do have a legal immigration system. I can remember when we crossed two hundred million when I was a kid. Hearing estimates of 325 million now, and possibly 400 million by 2050. Most of that growth is legal immigration although I've read the U.S., unlike most European countries, is still achieving a replacement birthrate.

My own reading is that what is called the "Native US population" that being the core population minus all forms of immigration has been below replacement birthrate since 1979'. Thus another reason I thought the recent comments of Bill Nye, who plays a scientist, concerning penalizing people who have to many kids because of population issues to be funny. Declining birthrates are to the point that even the National Institutes of Health are concerned about it long term. Thus the comedy of Mr. Scientist's comments.

For your consideration...in 1950 El Paso had 150,000 population and 80% were Anglo. Now upwards of 800,000, and close to 80% Hispanic. And that 20% in 1950 weren't all Hispanic.

Had you pointed out "ONLY" the growth of El Paso over the last 60 plus years and the population growth itself, I could appreciate that. I live in an area when I came to it nearly 50 years ago didn't even have a million people and now we are over 6 million and trends are we will pass 8 million is the next 20 years. I can relate as this brings infrastructure pressures, social pressures from crowding so many people into a ever decreasing space, etc. so yeah on that I hear ya. But you made sure to highlight one thing and that is this: quoting you here,

"in 1950 El Paso had 150,000 population and 80% were Anglo...........Now upwards of 800,000, and close to 80% Hispanic. "

Why the obsessive focus on race/culture? Would it be OK if El Paso was 5 million or 50 million as long as they were, your words, "Anglo"? How would you feel if El Paso was now 80% African American?

As a side note to this, I do think on a policy level there is an effort to greater concentrate populations into what is termed "mega" population centers on the idea that the more centralized we are the more efficient. This is for another thread sometime but throwing out as food for thought too.

Most of that growth wasn't legal. We need to slow the rate down.

Some of the best numbers on illegals say we have about 13 million at any given time and not all of them are Hispanic either. Out of a national population inching toward 350 million, 13 million is not a number that exactly jumps off the page at me. Even less when I know all of those are not Hispanic which seems your focus here.

All for having a guest worker program that gives those workers Social Security.

Not exactly fond of trapping these folks in the same bull$chitt system we are trapped in but I'll compromise and go along with that.

Everyone who contributes to it deserves a payout if they've put in the minimum time. Those already here in the shadows should get legal status so they too can benefit.

Seems reasonable to me.

Folks like to characterize conservatives as heartless

I don't think that. Conservatives like anyone else are a mixed bag of many flavors and tastes. I've met liberals who I thought were some of the most heartless people on the planet. Some of my favorite conservatives are Catholics who like the system of distributism. Great and thoughtful conversations are had there.

My only issue with some conservatives is the same I have with some liberals. Both get locked into the idea of a one size fits all and I completely disagree with that thinking. The more decentralized, the more I like it. Refreshingly there is a growing trend among political conservatives and liberals who are rethinking that centralization construct and coming to appreciate more decentralized structures which they then craft their own local lives to how they want to live and according to their local customs and values. But then most of those are also abandoning the labels of conservative and liberal too.

but most of us recognize that hard working law abiding illegals do contribute and shouldn't be taken advantage of. And that it's impractical to ship them all out.

No argument, keep talkin'

But there's only so much pie to go around and we can't just keep taking in millions. At some point they need to work towards making their own economies work, not depend on ours.

I would agree but let me pose a question directly to that point and this is just one question of MANY. What if such things as international economic trade agreements like NAFTA for example were undermining their own local economies and their own ability to live, work and run their own lives? "IF" that were the case and "IF" you happen to be in their shoes, what do you think you might do to support your family and loved ones?

Sometimes the question we won't ask is "why would someone do that in the first place?" Do we honestly think these people want to leave the very area they've called home not just for generations but for centuries if not longer? Leave family, life long friends, a community, only to come here and sponge off of us for "the good life"?

This also goes back to understand how 21st century empire works as opposed to previous models.

 

[vantexan]

My own reading is that what is called the "Native US population" that being the core population minus all forms of immigration has been below replacement birthrate since 1979'. Thus another reason I thought the recent comments of Bill Nye, who plays a scientist, concerning penalizing people who have to many kids because of population issues to be funny. Declining birthrates are to the point that even the National Institutes of Health are concerned about it long term. Thus the comedy of Mr. Scientist's comments.



Had you pointed out "ONLY" the growth of El Paso over the last 60 plus years and the population growth itself, I could appreciate that. I live in an area when I came to it nearly 50 years ago didn't even have a million people and now we are over 6 million and trends are we will pass 8 million is the next 20 years. I can relate as this brings infrastructure pressures, social pressures from crowding so many people into a ever decreasing space, etc. so yeah on that I hear ya. But you made sure to highlight one thing and that is this: quoting you here,

"in 1950 El Paso had 150,000 population and 80% were Anglo...........Now upwards of 800,000, and close to 80% Hispanic. "

Why the obsessive focus on race/culture? Would it be OK if El Paso was 5 million or 50 million as long as they were, your words, "Anglo"? How would you feel if El Paso was now 80% African American?

As a side note to this, I do think on a policy level there is an effort to greater concentrate populations into what is termed "mega" population centers on the idea that the more centralized we are the more efficient. This is for another thread sometime but throwing out as food for thought too.



Some of the best numbers on illegals say we have about 13 million at any given time and not all of them are Hispanic either. Out of a national population inching toward 350 million, 13 million is not a number that exactly jumps off the page at me. Even less when I know all of those are not Hispanic which seems your focus here.



Not exactly fond of trapping these folks in the same bull$chitt system we are trapped in but I'll compromise and go along with that.



Seems reasonable to me.



I don't think that. Conservatives like anyone else are a mixed bag of many flavors and tastes. I've met liberals who I thought were some of the most heartless people on the planet. Some of my favorite conservatives are Catholics who like the system of distributism. Great and thoughtful conversations are had there.

My only issue with some conservatives is the same I have with some liberals. Both get locked into the idea of a one size fits all and I completely disagree with that thinking. The more decentralized, the more I like it. Refreshingly there is a growing trend among political conservatives and liberals who are rethinking that centralization construct and coming to appreciate more decentralized structures which they then craft their own local lives to how they want to live and according to their local customs and values. But then most of those are also abandoning the labels of conservative and liberal too.



No argument, keep talkin'



I would agree but let me pose a question directly to that point and this is just one question of MANY. What if such things as international economic trade agreements like NAFTA for example were undermining their own local economies and their own ability to live, work and run their own lives? "IF" that were the case and "IF" you happen to be in their shoes, what do you think you might do to support your family and loved ones?

Sometimes the question we won't ask is "why would someone do that in the first place?" Do we honestly think these people want to leave the very area they've called home not just for generations but for centuries if not longer? Leave family, life long friends, a community, only to come here and sponge off of us for "the good life"?

This also goes back to understand how 21st century empire works as opposed to previous models.

The point about ethnicity is that in 1950 the Hispanics were a small minority in a city right on the border. Now they're a huge majority. Illustrates the ever continuing tide of humanity that if left unchecked will turn us into a third world nation. Simple as that. And I'm pro Hispanic. But I think we would be better served by developing their own countries. Mexico is much more developed today than when NAFTA was enacted. It was reported in 2008 that many Mexicans stayed home because they had better opportunities in Mexico after our economy tanked. That doesn't solve the Central American economic problems though and about half of all illegals are from there. If middle America becomes poorer and poorer because of a huge entitlement state and lack of economic opportunities while millions of illegals keep coming across, do you think everyone will just accept it or do you think there will be massive unrest leading to a breakdown of the country? Do you care or do you feel the U.S. deserves whatever bad things come it's way?

 

[vantexan]

My own reading is that what is called the "Native US population" that being the core population minus all forms of immigration has been below replacement birthrate since 1979'. Thus another reason I thought the recent comments of Bill Nye, who plays a scientist, concerning penalizing people who have to many kids because of population issues to be funny. Declining birthrates are to the point that even the National Institutes of Health are concerned about it long term. Thus the comedy of Mr. Scientist's comments.



Had you pointed out "ONLY" the growth of El Paso over the last 60 plus years and the population growth itself, I could appreciate that. I live in an area when I came to it nearly 50 years ago didn't even have a million people and now we are over 6 million and trends are we will pass 8 million is the next 20 years. I can relate as this brings infrastructure pressures, social pressures from crowding so many people into a ever decreasing space, etc. so yeah on that I hear ya. But you made sure to highlight one thing and that is this: quoting you here,

"in 1950 El Paso had 150,000 population and 80% were Anglo...........Now upwards of 800,000, and close to 80% Hispanic. "

Why the obsessive focus on race/culture? Would it be OK if El Paso was 5 million or 50 million as long as they were, your words, "Anglo"? How would you feel if El Paso was now 80% African American?

As a side note to this, I do think on a policy level there is an effort to greater concentrate populations into what is termed "mega" population centers on the idea that the more centralized we are the more efficient. This is for another thread sometime but throwing out as food for thought too.



Some of the best numbers on illegals say we have about 13 million at any given time and not all of them are Hispanic either. Out of a national population inching toward 350 million, 13 million is not a number that exactly jumps off the page at me. Even less when I know all of those are not Hispanic which seems your focus here.



Not exactly fond of trapping these folks in the same bull$chitt system we are trapped in but I'll compromise and go along with that.



Seems reasonable to me.



I don't think that. Conservatives like anyone else are a mixed bag of many flavors and tastes. I've met liberals who I thought were some of the most heartless people on the planet. Some of my favorite conservatives are Catholics who like the system of distributism. Great and thoughtful conversations are had there.

My only issue with some conservatives is the same I have with some liberals. Both get locked into the idea of a one size fits all and I completely disagree with that thinking. The more decentralized, the more I like it. Refreshingly there is a growing trend among political conservatives and liberals who are rethinking that centralization construct and coming to appreciate more decentralized structures which they then craft their own local lives to how they want to live and according to their local customs and values. But then most of those are also abandoning the labels of conservative and liberal too.



No argument, keep talkin'



I would agree but let me pose a question directly to that point and this is just one question of MANY. What if such things as international economic trade agreements like NAFTA for example were undermining their own local economies and their own ability to live, work and run their own lives? "IF" that were the case and "IF" you happen to be in their shoes, what do you think you might do to support your family and loved ones?

Sometimes the question we won't ask is "why would someone do that in the first place?" Do we honestly think these people want to leave the very area they've called home not just for generations but for centuries if not longer? Leave family, life long friends, a community, only to come here and sponge off of us for "the good life"?

This also goes back to understand how 21st century empire works as opposed to previous models.

I find most Hispanics to be hard working, decent people. You posed your question in a way that would characterize me as a bigot if I agreed with your "sponge" hypothesis. There are too many "ifs" to consider. As illustrated in Europe, there can be huge negatives to allowing too many of a different culture in too fast. Another reason for responsible, controlled, legal immigration.

 

[Sportello]

White House of Grifters

 

[ImWaitingForTheDay]

Good grief:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - He misses driving, feels as if he is in a cocoon, and is surprised how hard his new job is.
President Donald Trump on Thursday reflected on his first 100 days in office with a wistful look at his life before the White House.
"I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump told Reuters in an interview. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."


Exclusive: Trump says he thought being president would be easier than his old life

"Trump thought" has never happened.Further proof, Drumpf isn't near as smart as he thinks he is.I have a bucket full of nails in my garage that's smarter than this narcissistic dullard.... He's spent his whole life either having things done for him, or made easy for him. Or he's failed. He's never had to work hard to accomplish anything in his life and nothing in his life prepared him for hard or difficult work.

 

[It will be fine]

"Trump thought" has never happened.Further proof, Drumpf isn't near as smart as he thinks he is.I have a bucket full of nails in my garage that's smarter than this narcissistic dullard.... He's spent his whole life either having things done for him, or made easy for him. Or he's failed. He's never had to work hard to accomplish anything in his life and nothing in his life prepared him for hard or difficult work.

How could anyone with any grasp on reality think for a second that being president would be easier than any other job?

 

[Sportello]

How could anyone with any grasp on reality think for a second that being president would be easier than any other job?

Operative words being 'grasp on reality'.