IS Forum
Forum Index Register Members List Events Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Help

Go Back   International Skeptics Forum » General Topics » USA Politics
 


Welcome to the International Skeptics Forum, where we discuss skepticism, critical thinking, the paranormal and science in a friendly but lively way. You are currently viewing the forum as a guest, which means you are missing out on discussing matters that are of interest to you. Please consider registering so you can gain full use of the forum features and interact with other Members. Registration is simple, fast and free! Click here to register today.
Tags !MOD BOX WARNING! , donald trump , Trump administration , Trump controversies

Closed Thread
Old 18th May 2018, 12:41 AM   #361
TheSupermeerkat
Graduate Poster
 
TheSupermeerkat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,776
[blockquote] Bill Gates, the billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, has claimed Donald Trump twice asked him the difference between HIV and HPV and knew a “scary” amount about Gates’s daughter’s looks. [/blockquote]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...erence-hiv-hpv
TheSupermeerkat is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 01:27 AM   #362
TofuFighter
Illuminator
 
TofuFighter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,157
Originally Posted by TheSupermeerkat View Post
[blockquote] Bill Gates, the billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, has claimed Donald Trump twice asked him the difference between HIV and HPV and knew a “scary” amount about Gates’s daughter’s looks. [/blockquote]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...erence-hiv-hpv
For a moment I thought you had said "a scary amount about her books", to which you must be thinking about a different Donald J Trump. No, this makes actual sense.
Trump's questions about viruses just sounds like him trying to sound clever because he's talking to a clever guy. That never works.
TofuFighter is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 01:47 AM   #363
The Great Zaganza
Maledictorian
 
The Great Zaganza's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 22,556
Gates also mentioned that Trump seems to have been convinced by the Anti-Vaxer nutjobs ...
a known side effect of watching too much FoxNews.
__________________
“Don’t blame me. I voted for Kodos.”
The Great Zaganza is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 04:12 AM   #364
Darat
Lackey
Administrator
 
Darat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: South East, UK
Posts: 113,982
Originally Posted by TheSupermeerkat View Post
[blockquote] Bill Gates, the billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, has claimed Donald Trump twice asked him the difference between HIV and HPV and knew a “scary” amount about Gates’s daughter’s looks. [/blockquote]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...erence-hiv-hpv
That's Trump for you, always about the important details!
__________________
If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago
Darat is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 04:37 AM   #365
Fast Eddie B
Philosopher
 
Fast Eddie B's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Lenoir City, TN/Mineral Bluff, GA
Posts: 7,870
Originally Posted by Craig4 View Post
If you can think of a better way to dehumanize someone I'm open to suggestions.
Dehumanizing others has a pretty dark history.

Whether it’s our president or MS13, deal harshly with their misdeeds, and don’t hold back with your criticisms.

Trump has said and done many, many things I find repugnant. But to launch into an obscene diatribe against him and his followers is to lower oneself to his/their level. It means they’ve won.

As an aside, I felt exactly the same with similar vulgar attacks on Hillary. It’s not a matter of left vs. right; it’s a matter of right vs. wrong.
Fast Eddie B is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 05:18 AM   #366
Upchurch
Papa Funkosophy
 
Upchurch's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 34,263
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie B View Post
Dehumanizing others has a pretty dark history.

Whether it’s our president or MS13, deal harshly with their misdeeds, and don’t hold back with your criticisms.

Trump has said and done many, many things I find repugnant. But to launch into an obscene diatribe against him and his followers is to lower oneself to his/their level. It means they’ve won.

As an aside, I felt exactly the same with similar vulgar attacks on Hillary. It’s not a matter of left vs. right; it’s a matter of right vs. wrong.
I wonder how many legal immigrants and DACA kids suddenly look like MS13 members?
__________________
"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact." -- Sherlock Holmes.
"It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled." -- Mark Twain, maybe.
Upchurch is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 05:19 AM   #367
jimbob
Uncritical "thinker"
Moderator
 
jimbob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 31,644
I was imagining santorum.
__________________
OECD healthcare spending
Public/Compulsory Expenditure on healthcare
https://data.oecd.org/chart/60Tt

Every year since 1990 the US Public healthcare spending has been greater than the UK as a proportion of GDP. More US Tax goes to healthcare than the UK
jimbob is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 05:28 AM   #368
Fast Eddie B
Philosopher
 
Fast Eddie B's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Lenoir City, TN/Mineral Bluff, GA
Posts: 7,870
Originally Posted by Upchurch View Post
I wonder how many legal immigrants and DACA kids suddenly look like MS13 members?
Kind of like American citizens who had the wrong-shaped eyes found themselves in internment camps not all that long ago.

Seems like it’s a road we’d not wish to go down again. But dehumanizing is where it starts.
Fast Eddie B is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 05:47 AM   #369
Squeegee Beckenheim
Penultimate Amazing
 
Squeegee Beckenheim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 32,124
Also weirdly homophobic.
__________________
I don't trust atoms. They make up everything.
Squeegee Beckenheim is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 06:23 AM   #370
Stacko
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 10,837
Originally Posted by Upchurch View Post
I wonder how many legal immigrants and DACA kids suddenly look like MS13 members?
Funny you should ask.

Quote:
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez shot down the federal government’s efforts to strip Daniel Ramirez Medina of his DACA status. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement had arrested and detained Ramirez last year, then falsely claimed that he was affiliated with a gang and attempted to deport him. He filed suit, alleging that ICE had violated his due process rights. Martinez agreed. His order barred the federal government from voiding Ramirez’s DACA status, safeguarding his ability to live and work in the United States legally for the foreseeable future. What may be most remarkable about Martinez’s decision, though, is its blunt repudiation of ICE’s main claim—that Ramirez is “gang-affiliated.” The judge did not simply rule against ICE. He accused the agency of lying to a court of law.

The facts of Ramirez’s case are extremely disturbing. In February 2017, shortly after President Donald Trump unleashed immigration agents to amp up arrests and deportations, ICE agents went to Ramirez’s father’s house in Seattle to arrest him. (The father is undocumented, and brought Ramirez to the U.S. illegally as a child.) While there, they encountered Ramirez and asked him whether he was “legally here.” He responded that he was—a truthful statement given his DACA status, which he had renewed the previous May. Yet ICE officers detained him anyway. They took him to a processing center, where, once again, he told them that he had a work permit.

“It doesn’t matter,” an agent responded, “because you weren’t born in this country.”

ICE then interrogated Ramirez, fingerprinted and booked him, confiscated his work permit, sent him to a detention center, and placed him in removal proceedings. It also purported to revoke his DACA status, subjecting him to imminent deportation. Typically, the government may not rescind an individual’s DACA status without giving the beneficiary an opportunity to contest its decision. But ICE claimed that Ramirez’s DACA benefits could be terminated “automatically” because he presented an “egregious public safety concern” due to his alleged gang affiliation. (ICE routinely alleges that Latino immigrants with no indication of gang affiliation are members of a gang in order to detain and deport them.)
Stacko is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 07:48 AM   #371
BobTheCoward
Banned
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 22,789
Is one of the things this forum can agree on is that we shouldn't refer to humans with dehumanising and othering rhetoric? Any dissenters?
BobTheCoward is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 09:08 AM   #372
Andy_Ross
Penultimate Amazing
 
Andy_Ross's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 47,040
Originally Posted by BobTheCoward View Post
Is one of the things this forum can agree on is that we shouldn't refer to humans with dehumanising and othering rhetoric? Any dissenters?
Apart from Nazis
Andy_Ross is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 11:55 AM   #373
Bob001
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: US of A
Posts: 16,613
Trump demands that the Post Office screw Amazon:
Quote:
President Trump has personally pushed U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan to double the rate the Postal Service charges Amazon.com and other firms to ship packages, according to three people familiar with their conversations, a dramatic move that probably would cost these companies billions of dollars.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...?noredirect=on
Bob001 is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 12:02 PM   #374
blutoski
Penultimate Amazing
 
blutoski's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 12,454
Originally Posted by Bob001 View Post
Trump demands that the Post Office screw Amazon:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...?noredirect=on
This one, I don't get... doubling the rate would make USPS uncompetitive, and Amazon would choose another supplier. Since USPS has confirmed that Amazon is net profitable, the results would be greater net losses for the organization.

Is this just Trump clarifying to the public that this is not about USPS profitability, but rather, a personal dispute with Bezos?
__________________
"Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness." - Terry Pratchett
blutoski is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 12:03 PM   #375
bonzombiekitty
Graduate Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,848
Originally Posted by blutoski View Post
Is this just Trump clarifying to the public that this is not about USPS profitability, but rather, a personal dispute with Bezos?
That or he owns shares of UPS/FedEx.
bonzombiekitty is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 12:04 PM   #376
The Great Zaganza
Maledictorian
 
The Great Zaganza's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 22,556
Trump thinks he can win in a fight against Bezos with nothing but the power of the US government?
Good luck.
__________________
“Don’t blame me. I voted for Kodos.”
The Great Zaganza is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 12:14 PM   #377
blutoski
Penultimate Amazing
 
blutoski's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 12,454
Originally Posted by bonzombiekitty View Post
That or he owns shares of UPS/FedEx.
Or Amazon.... no exaggeration, when the stock takes a hit like this, I buy. Trump has made me six figures net on Amazon stock so far this year. His portfolio is not sufficiently isolated, he can give his kids a headsup on these and get some nice day trade gains.

ETA: Down $9ish/share today, not a lot, but might be another buying opp. Maybe wait 'till Monday, see if the weekend brings this one to a boil.
__________________
"Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness." - Terry Pratchett

Last edited by blutoski; 18th May 2018 at 12:15 PM.
blutoski is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 12:20 PM   #378
tyr_13
Penultimate Amazing
 
tyr_13's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 18,090
Originally Posted by blutoski View Post
Or Amazon.... no exaggeration, when the stock takes a hit like this, I buy. Trump has made me six figures net on Amazon stock so far this year. His portfolio is not sufficiently isolated, he can give his kids a headsup on these and get some nice day trade gains.

ETA: Down $9ish/share today, not a lot, but might be another buying opp. Maybe wait 'till Monday, see if the weekend brings this one to a boil.
I really wish I had the funds to do this, because many of these have lately have been moronically predictable. As is, I'm unemployed and down to my last $1000.
__________________
Circled nothing is still nothing.
"Nothing will stop the U.S. from being a world leader, not even a handful of adults who want their kids to take science lessons from a book that mentions unicorns six times." -UNLoVedRebel
Mumpsimus: a stubborn person who insists on making an error in spite of being shown that it is wrong
tyr_13 is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 01:43 PM   #379
dudalb
Penultimate Amazing
 
dudalb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sacramento
Posts: 60,375
Originally Posted by The Great Zaganza View Post
Trump thinks he can win in a fight against Bezos with nothing but the power of the US government?
Good luck.
Not just Bezos,but every other manufacturer who ships vis USPS..including Amazon's competitors.
They might be competitiors, but they will unite on opposing Trump's idea, which will go nowhere..particular when the big shippers get ahold of their Congressmen...GOP in many places.
__________________
Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accepts the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay - and claims a halo for his dishonesty.

Robert Heinlein.
dudalb is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 01:49 PM   #380
blutoski
Penultimate Amazing
 
blutoski's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 12,454
Originally Posted by tyr_13 View Post
I really wish I had the funds to do this, because many of these have lately have been moronically predictable. As is, I'm unemployed and down to my last $1000.
Sorry to hear that. Fingers crossed you find something soon.

And for me, I'm not usually this flush, but what happened is that the tax laws vis a vis professional corporations in Canada changed, and we had to move a nestegg out of my wife's business and into our personal accounts, there was no choice but to liquidate. The timing was good, and that's mostly luck, but I did deliberately stock pick Amazon when it was down on April 2nd at about $1380/share, and that part was intentional. So, today at $1581/share, I've made $200/share, which is not bad. Annualized dollar averaged ROI is 170% (and dropping as time moves on)
__________________
"Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness." - Terry Pratchett
blutoski is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 02:03 PM   #381
Segnosaur
Penultimate Amazing
 
Segnosaur's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada, eh?
Posts: 20,625
Originally Posted by Bob001 View Post
Trump demands that the Post Office screw Amazon:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...?noredirect=on
Its hard to know what's worse:

- The post office makes money delivering for Amazon, and as another poster suggested, doubling postal fees would mean Amazon would just use other distributors. So Trump is planning to harm a long-standing government service for petty reasons.

- That he is either ignorant, or willing to lie about certain "alternative facts" (Like claiming the Amazon deal causes the post office to lose money... hint: it doesn't.)

- For a guy who is supposedly very smart with business, he doesn't seem to understand the idea of a long-term contract, and even if Trump wanted to increase fees it wouldn't take effect probably for years.
__________________
Trust me, I know what I'm doing. - Sledgehammer

I'm Mary Poppins Y'all! - Yondu

We are Groot - Groot
Segnosaur is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 02:33 PM   #382
acbytesla
Penultimate Amazing
 
acbytesla's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 33,710
Bill Gates talks about President Trump

This is classic. Bill doesn't exactly trash Trump, but the stories don't show Trump in a good light. But it is hilarious. Especially the bit about the helicopter.

Check it out.
__________________
Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get to me.
.
acbytesla is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 02:41 PM   #383
Arcade22
Philosopher
 
Arcade22's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sweden
Posts: 7,706
Originally Posted by Bob001 View Post
Trump demands that the Post Office screw Amazon:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...?noredirect=on
Ignoring the specifics about this particular case for a moment, the fact that it's okay for Trump (or any other President for that matter) to tell the head of a federal agency what to do in specific cases like this, is one of the reasons why i dislike the American presidential system.

In Sweden the Prime Minister, or more specifically "The Government" (that is the cabinet, which the Prime Minister controls), is not supposed to order or pressure an agency in how to act in any specific case.

Where the law allows it, the government is allowed to enact regulations that specify how said agency is supposed to act, or it can ask parliament to enact legislation to that regard, but the agencies themselves are supposed to be autonomous in how they actually execute their legal obligations. There are also other ways, like budget ear-marks and so forth, where the government is able to affect the agencies work.

Basically, instead of directly controlling agencies that operate on a national level, like the Police or Military, the governments job is to supervise them and only in exceptional cases intervene where the law explicitly gives The Government the ability to make decisions.
__________________
We would be a lot safer if the Government would take its money out of science and put it into astrology and the reading of palms. Only in superstition is there hope. - Kurt Vonnegut Jr

And no, Cuba is not a brutal and corrupt dictatorship, and it's definitely less so than Sweden. - dann
Arcade22 is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 02:49 PM   #384
Segnosaur
Penultimate Amazing
 
Segnosaur's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada, eh?
Posts: 20,625
Originally Posted by Arcade22 View Post
Ignoring the specifics about this particular case for a moment, the fact that it's okay for Trump (or any other President for that matter) to tell the head of a federal agency what to do in specific cases like this, is one of the reasons why i dislike the American presidential system.
I am not sure the president actually has the power to dictate rates charged by the post office. Instead, there is a postal regulatory agency (containing members from both parties, with members that pre-date Trump's tenure) that supposedly sets rates.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal...ory_Commission
__________________
Trust me, I know what I'm doing. - Sledgehammer

I'm Mary Poppins Y'all! - Yondu

We are Groot - Groot
Segnosaur is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 03:26 PM   #385
jimbob
Uncritical "thinker"
Moderator
 
jimbob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 31,644
Originally Posted by Arcade22 View Post
Ignoring the specifics about this particular case for a moment, the fact that it's okay for Trump (or any other President for that matter) to tell the head of a federal agency what to do in specific cases like this, is one of the reasons why i dislike the American presidential system.

In Sweden the Prime Minister, or more specifically "The Government" (that is the cabinet, which the Prime Minister controls), is not supposed to order or pressure an agency in how to act in any specific case.

Where the law allows it, the government is allowed to enact regulations that specify how said agency is supposed to act, or it can ask parliament to enact legislation to that regard, but the agencies themselves are supposed to be autonomous in how they actually execute their legal obligations. There are also other ways, like budget ear-marks and so forth, where the government is able to affect the agencies work.

Basically, instead of directly controlling agencies that operate on a national level, like the Police or Military, the governments job is to supervise them and only in exceptional cases intervene where the law explicitly gives The Government the ability to make decisions.
Yes, the UK system is pretty bad, but I have heard the US system described as basically the UK system from 1777 but with elected Lords (Senate) and king (President).

it seems an accurate description.
__________________
OECD healthcare spending
Public/Compulsory Expenditure on healthcare
https://data.oecd.org/chart/60Tt

Every year since 1990 the US Public healthcare spending has been greater than the UK as a proportion of GDP. More US Tax goes to healthcare than the UK
jimbob is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 04:13 PM   #386
Andy_Ross
Penultimate Amazing
 
Andy_Ross's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 47,040
Trump Tweets

"California finally deserves a great Governor, one who understands borders, crime and lowering taxes. John Cox is the man - he’ll be the best Governor you’ve ever had. I fully endorse John Cox for Governor and look forward to working with him to Make California Great Again!"

Poor John, that's him scuppered.
Andy_Ross is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 04:28 PM   #387
Andy_Ross
Penultimate Amazing
 
Andy_Ross's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 47,040
And he's off again


"America is blessed with extraordinary energy abundance, including more than 250 years worth of beautiful clean coal. We have ended the war on coal, and will continue to work to promote American energy dominance!"
Andy_Ross is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 04:49 PM   #388
Craig4
Penultimate Amazing
 
Craig4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: I live in a swamp
Posts: 27,710
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie B View Post
Dehumanizing others has a pretty dark history.

Whether it’s our president or MS13, deal harshly with their misdeeds, and don’t hold back with your criticisms.

Trump has said and done many, many things I find repugnant. But to launch into an obscene diatribe against him and his followers is to lower oneself to his/their level. It means they’ve won.

As an aside, I felt exactly the same with similar vulgar attacks on Hillary. It’s not a matter of left vs. right; it’s a matter of right vs. wrong.
I've seen what they go low you go high gets you; a Russian whore as president.
Craig4 is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 05:22 PM   #389
BobTheCoward
Banned
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 22,789
Originally Posted by Arcade22 View Post
Ignoring the specifics about this particular case for a moment, the fact that it's okay for Trump (or any other President for that matter) to tell the head of a federal agency what to do in specific cases like this, is one of the reasons why i dislike the American presidential system.

In Sweden the Prime Minister, or more specifically "The Government" (that is the cabinet, which the Prime Minister controls), is not supposed to order or pressure an agency in how to act in any specific case.

Where the law allows it, the government is allowed to enact regulations that specify how said agency is supposed to act, or it can ask parliament to enact legislation to that regard, but the agencies themselves are supposed to be autonomous in how they actually execute their legal obligations. There are also other ways, like budget ear-marks and so forth, where the government is able to affect the agencies work.

Basically, instead of directly controlling agencies that operate on a national level, like the Police or Military, the governments job is to supervise them and only in exceptional cases intervene where the law explicitly gives The Government the ability to make decisions.
And when I tell people the US is not a nation of laws because of this, people have a coniption.
BobTheCoward is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 05:36 PM   #390
Minoosh
Penultimate Amazing
 
Minoosh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 12,511
Originally Posted by Craig4 View Post
I've seen what they go low you go high gets you; a Russian whore as president.
But I think the problem is that most people can't effectively go lower than Trump. You tried, but IMO it didn't really work. It was a reach. Trump doesn't reach, he just opens his mouth and vomits it out.

Liberals don't hold rallies where crowds chant "lock him up" and brag about how bigoted and warlike they are. I think that's a good thing.

Last edited by Minoosh; 18th May 2018 at 05:38 PM.
Minoosh is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 05:43 PM   #391
acbytesla
Penultimate Amazing
 
acbytesla's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 33,710
Originally Posted by jimbob View Post
Yes, the UK system is pretty bad, but I have heard the US system described as basically the UK system from 1777 but with elected Lords (Senate) and king (President).

it seems an accurate description.
It's the House of Lords that seems wrong to me. As well as having Bishops from the Church of England in parliament. The idea that there are unelected people voting in parliament is absurd.
__________________
Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get to me.
.
acbytesla is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 05:52 PM   #392
Foolmewunz
Grammar Resistance Leader
TLA Dictator
 
Foolmewunz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Pattaya, Thailand
Posts: 41,468
The President (and I use the term loosely) has stated that he wants the US Post Office to default on their commercial contracts? Does anyone think for a second that if one of those customers whose contracts he wants to void was The Ivanka Slave Labor Spring Collection, he wouldn't be telling her "Sue 'em! Sue 'em!"?

As others have noted, Real Estate Development is not a business in a normal sense. He has no idea how actual business works, probably has no idea that there's a very specific contract involved and that the penalties to the USPS could put them in permanent receivership. He thinks Miss Margaret down at the Post Office at Fifth and Elm can just raise the prices when that nice kid from Amazon comes in with his parcel.

Did he do the P.O. tweet after the Gates' comments trended? He may have been just lashing out because an actual billionaire just pantsed him in public, and there's no way that he's taking on Gates - he's too scared of real money.
__________________
Ha! Foolmewunz has just been added to the list of people who aren't complete idiots. Hokulele

It's not that liberals have become less tolerant. It's that conservatives have become more intolerable.
Foolmewunz is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 05:55 PM   #393
mgidm86
Philosopher
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,624
Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop View Post
Trump Tweets

"California finally deserves a great Governor, one who understands borders, crime and lowering taxes. John Cox is the man - he’ll be the best Governor you’ve ever had. I fully endorse John Cox for Governor and look forward to working with him to Make California Great Again!"

Poor John, that's him scuppered.
He never had a chance anyways, but ya I wonder if he cleared it with John first "My name is John Cox and I absolutely do not approve of this ad"

It's too bad though we need something different here in Cali. I'm not familiar with John Cox, he will lose anyways so why bother.

Cali doesn't "deserve" a great governor though. I hate that word. We do vote so we deserve whatever we get.
__________________
Why bother?
mgidm86 is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 06:18 PM   #394
Skeptic Ginger
Nasty Woman
 
Skeptic Ginger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 96,386
Originally Posted by blutoski View Post
This one, I don't get... doubling the rate would make USPS uncompetitive, and Amazon would choose another supplier. Since USPS has confirmed that Amazon is net profitable, the results would be greater net losses for the organization.

Is this just Trump clarifying to the public that this is not about USPS profitability, but rather, a personal dispute with Bezos?
If Trump was clarifying to the public, it wouldn't have been an attempted 'secret' meeting. The only thing this is about is Trump's personal vendetta.

Maddow is reviewing right now the Nixon tapes where he tried (or did?) use the public agencies to punish people on his enemies list. IRS audits, immigration harassment of "wetbacks" (Nixon's words) that worked for people and more.

A particular target was the LA Times. It's the less remembered half of the Nixon crimes for which he was going to be impeached.

Trump trying to use the post office to get even with his personal enemies is an impeachable offense. It was one of Nixon's high crimes.

Watergate info document: Article 2

Last edited by Skeptic Ginger; 18th May 2018 at 06:23 PM.
Skeptic Ginger is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 07:46 PM   #395
Cain
Straussian
 
Cain's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 15,419
Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop View Post
Trump Tweets

"California finally deserves a great Governor, one who understands borders, crime and lowering taxes. John Cox is the man - he’ll be the best Governor you’ve ever had. I fully endorse John Cox for Governor and look forward to working with him to Make California Great Again!"

Poor John, that's him scuppered.
John Cocks will be a better governor than Ronald Reagan?
__________________
Cain: Don't be a homo.
Diablo: What's that supposed to mean?
Cain: It's a heteronormative remark meant to be taken at face-value.
Cain is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 08:04 PM   #396
Bob001
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: US of A
Posts: 16,613
Originally Posted by Arcade22 View Post
Ignoring the specifics about this particular case for a moment, the fact that it's okay for Trump (or any other President for that matter) to tell the head of a federal agency what to do in specific cases like this, is one of the reasons why i dislike the American presidential system.
....
The thing is that it's not okay. The Postal Service is an independent, self-supporting entity that has contracts with its shippers. It rates are approved by Congress. It is managed by a Board of Governors who appoint the Postmaster General. Trump can't order the head to do anything. But he thinks he can.
https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/le...about-usps.htm
Bob001 is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 08:06 PM   #397
Bob001
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: US of A
Posts: 16,613
Originally Posted by Segnosaur View Post
Its hard to know what's worse:

- The post office makes money delivering for Amazon, and as another poster suggested, doubling postal fees would mean Amazon would just use other distributors. So Trump is planning to harm a long-standing government service for petty reasons.

- That he is either ignorant, or willing to lie about certain "alternative facts" (Like claiming the Amazon deal causes the post office to lose money... hint: it doesn't.)

- For a guy who is supposedly very smart with business, he doesn't seem to understand the idea of a long-term contract, and even if Trump wanted to increase fees it wouldn't take effect probably for years.
There are numerous reports that multiple senior officials have explained the facts to Trump. He doesn't -- or doesn't want to -- believe them. "Amazon is getting away with murder!" is a big applause-getter at his rallies.
Bob001 is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 08:09 PM   #398
Bob001
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: US of A
Posts: 16,613
Originally Posted by Skeptic Ginger View Post
.....
Trump trying to use the post office to get even with his personal enemies is an impeachable offense. It was one of Nixon's high crimes.

Watergate info document: Article 2
In Nixon's case I think it was the IRS. But the same principle applies.
Bob001 is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 08:24 PM   #399
acbytesla
Penultimate Amazing
 
acbytesla's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 33,710
Originally Posted by Bob001 View Post
There are numerous reports that multiple senior officials have explained the facts to Trump. He doesn't -- or doesn't want to -- believe them. "Amazon is getting away with murder!" is a big applause-getter at his rallies.
He certainly CANNOT specifically address one company's rates. Let's be super honest, he probably wouldn't care one bit about the rates if Jeff Bezos also didn't own the Washington Post.
__________________
Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get to me.
.
acbytesla is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Old 18th May 2018, 08:41 PM   #400
Skeptic Ginger
Nasty Woman
 
Skeptic Ginger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 96,386
Originally Posted by Bob001 View Post
In Nixon's case I think it was the IRS. But the same principle applies.
Did you read Article 2? Did you even skim it? Listen to the Nixon tapes Maddow played?

You might want to.
Skeptic Ginger is offline   Quote this post in a PM   Nominate this post for this month's language award Copy a direct link to this post Back to Top
Closed Thread

International Skeptics Forum » General Topics » USA Politics

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 09:51 PM.
Powered by vBulletin. Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

This forum began as part of the James Randi Education Foundation (JREF). However, the forum now exists as
an independent entity with no affiliation with or endorsement by the JREF, including the section in reference to "JREF" topics.

Disclaimer: Messages posted in the Forum are solely the opinion of their authors.