POLITICAL THREAD

[trueblujr2]

For every person that matches this description, there’s another 50 that are delaying starting families, driving 12 year old vehicles and wondering why their rent is going up 100 bucks a year, when the sq. Footage remains the same.

Zero self-reflection on who all you voted for that exacerbated that problem the last 4 years?

 

[mdlUK.1]

 

[Bigmikeydelight]

If Trump wanted to cement himself as an epochal leader like FDR, he would attempt sweeping reform in areas that are hindering young people’s futures. He’d do something about private corporations buying up housing. He’d pass even greater tax breaks for married people who have children, paid for by slashing waste. He’d get government out of the student loan business and bring back down the costs of sending those kids to college or trades. He would deport millions of illegals who are using up our rental stock, bringing down rents. He’d slash regulations that drive up the cost of nearly every single thing. He would sweep away all the ways that people are incentivized not to get married when they have kids.

Do all this, and young voters would be a lock for the GOP for many cycles to come.

Absolutely. I’m on board for all of this.

 

[Bigmikeydelight]

Zero self-reflection on who all you voted for that exacerbated that problem the last 4 years?

You have to be able to remove yourself from insulation, right? That’s why I started posting here.

 

[cole854]

For every person that matches this description, there’s another 50 that are delaying starting families, driving 12 year old vehicles and wondering why their rent is going up 100 bucks a year, when the sq. Footage remains the same.

My same answer applies, but I will add this....the world needs ditch diggers too.

Also, don't go have 4 kids when you were struggling to make ends meet w/ 1.

You love to blame everyone else, inc. the government, the system, etc.

 

[Bigmikeydelight]

My same answer applies, but I will add this....the world needs ditch diggers too.

Also, don't go have 4 kids when you were struggling to make ends meet w/ 1.

You love to blame everyone else, inc. the government, the system, etc.

Sure, but you are dancing around my question as well. Cost of living has gone up exponentially in the past 40 years and wages have not been able to keep up. We can multi task in this country. We can address the issue with wages without creating a population that is dependent on government.

To note, do ditch diggers have to work multiple jobs just to survive? Why can’t a man work an honest 40 hours and be able to survive independently?

 

[hmt5000]

View embedded media

Yea. I heard a theory that the only reason they even went ahead with these cases was to give Joe the justification to pardon him. If he'd have pardoned while still claiming he didn absolutely nothing illegal then it looks really weird. Now he can say "it was just a technicality on a gun charge and a mistake on his taxes".... Never mind the $23M from Ukraine and china.

 

[hmt5000]

The only question at this point is how broad “Biden’s” pardons are going to be on the way out. I’d imagine they’ll affix his signature to pardons for everyone involved in the lawfare against Trump, Fauci and probably every democrat on Epstein’s list.

Will be interested to see if Jill will pardon the Biden crime syndicate, or if they’ll cut off Joe and just issue pardons to the people who were loyal and valuable throughout the past 4 years.

Jim Biden is definitely going to need one along with everyone else in the family. They were all getting paid by foreign companies just for having the last name Biden.

 

[HeismaNole]

If Trump wanted to cement himself as an epochal leader like FDR, he would attempt sweeping reform in areas that are hindering young people’s futures. He’d do something about private corporations buying up housing. He’d pass even greater tax breaks for married people who have children, paid for by slashing waste. He’d get government out of the student loan business and bring back down the costs of sending those kids to college or trades. He would deport millions of illegals who are using up our rental stock, bringing down rents. He’d slash regulations that drive up the cost of nearly every single thing. He would sweep away all the ways that people are incentivized not to get married when they have kids.

Do all this, and young voters would be a lock for the GOP for many cycles to come.

Allowing foreigners and corporations to buy up residential property is so absurd. There's no ethical reason to allow this.

The entire political system is void of common sense and filled with corruption and people who are compromised.

 

[Bigmikeydelight]

When corporations eff up, you get stuff like Enron or Sam Bankman Fried.

When governments eff up, you get stuff like Vietnam. Or Camp LeJeune. Or 9/11.

Governments are far more dangerous than corporations.

Theranos is another example

But corporations like united fruit destabilized Central America for generations for cheap fruit.

Massey energy dumped billions of gallons of sludge into the tug river and surrounding tributaries and was barely slapped on the wrist. Meanwhile, eastern KY has some of the highest cancer rates in US.

Dow chemical poisoned an entire generation. Every person in America has forever chemicals inside them.

 

[cole854]

Why can’t a man work an honest 40 hours and be able to survive independently?

He can....live within your means. It isn't rocket science. If you want nicer things...go out and improve your situation. The opportunities are there.

 

[hmt5000]

I hope this economy holds on until the adults get back in charge.

 

[SDC888]

I agree. Unfortunately the law will provide him just enough defense that it wont matter.

He knew that going in. He murdered her knowing he could get away with it. Our resident lefits celebrated at it the time, "FAFO! LOLMAO< PLAY STUPID GAMEWZ WIN STUPID PRIZER!

He can....live within your means. It isn't rocket science. If you want nicer things...go out and improve your situation. The opportunities are there.

It has never been easier; don't buy the socialist nonsense arguments devoid of real logic. Quit feeling sorry for yourselves and get to work.

 

[hmt5000]

Public opinion is moving. Trump popularity up to 56% . It's not going to be as easy to redo '16 with the fake investigations.

 

[Wildcats1st]

What’s going on in South Korea?

 

[mdlUK.1]

 

[billCgmx]

HA

 

[Catfan in Tn.]

Dem lawmaker joins Republican-led DOGE Caucus with push to remove Secret Service from DHS

Rep. Jared Moskowitz is calling for radical changes to the Department of Homeland Security in his announcement that he is joining the DOGE Caucus.

www.foxnews.com

 

[gamecockcat]

Thank you for responding. I kept the top part because I just keep getting hung up on this part. So how do we force this wealth to trickle down? Or is that just a symptom of capitalism and there’s always going to be a few with this wealth and I have to accept it?

I don’t want a society like Saudi Arabia that creates dependency, but I do safeguards to ensure more adults are successful.

wealth gap should absolutely shrink. I’ll link federal reserve, but the top 1 percent in this country own 93% of the market. The bottom 50% own 1 percent.

Three reasons this should change:

American dream is dead for people 40 and under in many parts of the US. Look at Simpson’s. In 1989, Homer was able to support his family of 5 on his salary. Nowadays, it requires both parents to work. Houses are smaller are more cheaply built, and it is harder to support more than a child or two.

Glut of wealth has allowed companies to purchase many things to bottleneck supplies and exponentially raise prices. There’s one company in Toronto that owns 75k starter homes in the US. Most are used as rent or VRBO. I was lucky enough to buy my first home in 2017 for 120k. 26 year olds now have to spend nearly double that for a house.

Finally, wealth buys power. The more wealth you have, the more influence you have. With the bottom 50% scrounging to survive, we’re seeing more policies that are designed to give these people more power and influence while the bottom continues to struggle.

No, I don’t think people should have to work 2-3 jobs to support the poorest, I don’t want the system Saudi Arabia has. I also don’t want a system where a person can own 10 homes that lay vacant long chunks of the year while people are forced to move back home to make ends meet.

How do we 'force the wealth to trickle down'? Well, I guess we could become totally Socialist and pretty much everyone would live lower middle class lives while the elite .1% have literally ALL the money and power. America is still the Land of Opportunity. Certainly not an easy road but it's still possible to accumulate wealth from very humble beginnings.

'The American Dream is dead for people 40 and under'? Not really. Several recent studies have shown the younger generation don't WANT to buy a home or start a family. Is that the result of the economics - perhaps. But it could also be that the younger generation has been raised to get everything they want right now and the thought of delaying one iota of pleasure is a foreign concept and one they will not accept. They don't want the 'hassle' of owning a home or having kids - those things might interfere with their lifestyle.

In my experience, many younger generation kids don't have the same work ethic, won't go the extra mile consistently, won't study at night to get more training/a better degree/designation, etc. They want work/life balance, work from home, plenty of vacation, etc. Self-sacrifice is not in their vocabulary. Working 2 jobs to get what you want is a non-starter.

If you have skills and are a hard worker, the American Dream is still very much alive. If you want to live in Seattle and you have a job only paying you $50k a year because that's the going rate for someone with your experience and skill level, then something has to change in order for you to live the Dream and I don't think it's 'forcing' someone's wealth to come to you if you're not willing to make changes in your life. I've had engineer friends who, at times, have struggled to find another job because they refused to move. But, they complained about the 'awful job market'. There are plenty of nice places to live and there are almost always jobs to be had if you're willing to make some changes in your life.

People working at McDonalds who expect to make enough money to support a family of 4 are woefully ignorant. The skills required to work there aren't worth a 'living wage' in today's society if, by living wage, it means enough money for a family of 4 to have a home, cars, etc. The job itself is not set up as a lifetime employment opportunity. It's a part-time, HS and college kid gig.

 

[UK_fan_41102]

 

[hmt5000]

What’s going on in South Korea?

President declared martial law over economic tensions and fear of NK invasion. The parliament just voted to make the Pres rescind the martial law declaration.

 

[Bill Cosby]

President declared martial law over economic tensions and fear of NK invasion. The parliament just voted to make the Pres rescind the martial law declaration.

“Fear of NK” might be the same thing as democrats blaming Russia for everything to justify their illegal actions.

 

[WayneDougan]

Do you think banks just lend money against stock portfolios and don’t expect payments of interest or principal? Where is that cash coming from?

Yes, borrowing against a stock portfolio can help avoid taxes by allowing you to borrow money without selling assets and incurring capital gains taxes. This strategy is known as the "buy, borrow, die" strategy.

Here's how it works:
- Buy: Buy assets that appreciate in value
- Borrow: Use the assets as collateral for a loan, such as a Securities Backed Line of Credit (SBLOC) or a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
- Die: Leave the assets to your heirs

The strategy offers a double tax benefit because you don't pay capital gains taxes on the assets and the loan proceeds aren't considered taxable income.

This came up during the "should we tax unrealized gains" discussion. Guys like Bill Ackman - who were big time against taxing unrealized gains, conceded that if you borrow against assets that should be taxed as income.

“If you have $10 billion of stock in a company you founded,” he wrote on social media, “loans secured by the stock should be taxable as if you sold a like amount of stock.”

 

[augustaky1]

Yea. I heard a theory that the only reason they even went ahead with these cases was to give Joe the justification to pardon him. If he'd have pardoned while still claiming he didn absolutely nothing illegal then it looks really weird. Now he can say "it was just a technicality on a gun charge and a mistake on his taxes".... Never mind the $23M from Ukraine and china.

I was thinking along the same lines.

In my humble opinion, when that judge threw out the plea deal that gave Hunter broad "coverage" for lack of a better term, they had to go the guilty/pardon route on the safest charges.

 

[Bigmikeydelight]

He can....live within your means. It isn't rocket science. If you want nicer things...go out and improve your situation. The opportunities are there.

He knew that going in. He murdered her knowing he could get away with it. Our resident lefits celebrated at it the time, "FAFO! LOLMAO< PLAY STUPID GAMEWZ WIN STUPID PRIZER!




It has never been easier; don't buy the socialist nonsense arguments devoid of real logic. Quit feeling sorry for yourselves and get to work.

It is very easy to have this mindset, wash your hands of the situation, and never think of it again.

Let's pretend that you are a 26 year old living in Wayne county. All the houseboat factories shut down in 2008 and Beldens moved operations to Mexico in 2016. You spend years working at Walmart (biggest employer) at 32 hours a week (to avoid paying for insurance and what not). You finally make the change and begin work at the Tyson plant in Albany making 15 an hour. You're finally able to work full time and bring home 845 bucks a paycheck. Girlfriend works there too and brings home the same amount. Insurance eats 245 of each paycheck so the two of you bring home 2,400 a month.

Girlfriend has 17k worth of student loans when she went to cosmetology school at campbellsville. That’s 200 dollar a month.

Two cricket phone bills total 90 a month.

Gas to and from work is 75 a week or 300 a month.

Rent is 600 a month.

So that 2400 is already down to 1,210.

Food per week is 150 and this includes eating out. So another 600.

Internet and cable is another 120.

down to 490 and now the utilities are due. Electric is 130 and water is another 40

So all of this leaves you with 320 bucks. This doesn’t account for entertainment or a car payment. These guys are lucky in that the cars are paid for, but Cody drives a 2005 pathfinder that has 195,000 miles and Katie drives an 07 mustang that has 200,000+ miles. Insurance for both is another 150 for minimum coverage and these guys are left with 170 dollars.

God forbid if they have to have a medical procedure done, car issues arise, and you see quickly why 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.

 

[WTF Cat]

He can....live within your means. It isn't rocket science. If you want nicer things...go out and improve your situation. The opportunities are there.

It is utterly amazing to me that liberals/Democrats can't understand basic concepts like self improvement or personal responsibility... as exhibited right here on this page.

Y'all are just really fvcking stupid.

 

[hmt5000]

“Fear of NK” might be the same thing as democrats blaming Russia for everything to justify their illegal actions.

It's not that NK could "win" a war with SK.... It's that they have soooo much stuff on the border with SK that they could kill over 4 million people before SK could respond if they decided to do a sneak attack... and that is with conventional artillery and tanks.

Seoul is just right across the border. Well within conventional strike range. I had a buddy who was stationed there once and he was told if they got attacked they would likely all die before help arrived. It just depends on if we would be willing to take them out before they got off a first strike.

 

[Bill Cosby]

Yes, borrowing against a stock portfolio can help avoid taxes by allowing you to borrow money without selling assets and incurring capital gains taxes. This strategy is known as the "buy, borrow, die" strategy.

Here's how it works:
- Buy: Buy assets that appreciate in value
- Borrow: Use the assets as collateral for a loan, such as a Securities Backed Line of Credit (SBLOC) or a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
- Die: Leave the assets to your heirs

The strategy offers a double tax benefit because you don't pay capital gains taxes on the assets and the loan proceeds aren't considered taxable income.

This came up during the "should we tax unrealized gains" discussion. Guys like Bill Ackman - who were big time against taxing unrealized gains, conceded that if you borrow against assets that should be taxed as income.

“If you have $10 billion of stock in a company you founded,” he wrote on social media, “loans secured by the stock should be taxable as if you sold a like amount of stock.”

That has nothing to do with whether person A in your hypothetical is paying more income tax than person B. The example you used was dumb.

You’re going to need to generate income somehow to service the debt.


Do you think all secured financing should result in taxable gain for the borrower to the extent the principal exceeds the tax basis of the assets securing the debt?

 

[hmt5000]

That has nothing to do with whether person A in your hypothetical is paying more income tax than person B. The example you used was dumb.

You’re going to need to generate income somehow to service the debt.


Do you think all secured financing should result in taxable gain for the borrower to the extent the principal exceeds the tax basis of the assets securing the debt?

Stuff like rental property generates income. You pay your bills and reinvest any excess. I watched a podcast with a dude who does this. He paid $18M in taxes one year and was like "hell nah"... Been doing this ever since and he just keeps buying stuff as his "income" increases. He can always write off the extra income. This only works once you have a ton of income.

 

[Bigmikeydelight]

It is utterly amazing to me that liberals/Democrats can't understand basic concepts like self improvement or personal responsibility... as exhibited right here on this page.

Y'all are just really fvcking stupid.

It’s easy to name call and demean than to actually empathize and work on the solution.

The scenario I described above were Trump voters and living in a county that carried Trump by 40 points.

There’s absolutely ways to improve your standing, but there’s also things that are outside of our control that keeps people down.

I really want this fixed and if Trump can do it or begin the foundations to fix it, I’ll vote republican the rest of my life.

 

[SDC888]

It is very easy to have this mindset, wash your hands of the situation, and never think of it again.

Let's pretend that you are a 26 year old living in Wayne county. All the houseboat factories shut down in 2008 and Beldens moved operations to Mexico in 2016. You spend years working at Walmart (biggest employer) at 32 hours a week (to avoid paying for insurance and what not). You finally make the change and begin work at the Tyson plant in Albany making 15 an hour. You're finally able to work full time and bring home 845 bucks a paycheck. Girlfriend works there too and brings home the same amount. Insurance eats 245 of each paycheck so the two of you bring home 2,400 a month.

Girlfriend has 17k worth of student loans when she went to cosmetology school at campbellsville. That’s 200 dollar a month.

Two cricket phone bills total 90 a month.

Gas to and from work is 75 a week or 300 a month.

Rent is 600 a month.

So that 2400 is already down to 1,210.

Food per week is 150 and this includes eating out. So another 600.

Internet and cable is another 120.

down to 490 and now the utilities are due. Electric is 130 and water is another 40

So all of this leaves you with 320 bucks. This doesn’t account for entertainment or a car payment. These guys are lucky in that the cars are paid for, but Cody drives a 2005 pathfinder that has 195,000 miles and Katie drives an 07 mustang that has 200,000+ miles. Insurance for both is another 150 for minimum coverage and these guys are left with 170 dollars.

God forbid if they have to have a medical procedure done, car issues arise, and you see quickly why 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.

tidr;

 

[LineSkiCat14]

It is very easy to have this mindset, wash your hands of the situation, and never think of it again.

Let's pretend that you are a 26 year old living in Wayne county. All the houseboat factories shut down in 2008 and Beldens moved operations to Mexico in 2016. You spend years working at Walmart (biggest employer) at 32 hours a week (to avoid paying for insurance and what not). You finally make the change and begin work at the Tyson plant in Albany making 15 an hour. You're finally able to work full time and bring home 845 bucks a paycheck. Girlfriend works there too and brings home the same amount. Insurance eats 245 of each paycheck so the two of you bring home 2,400 a month.

Girlfriend has 17k worth of student loans when she went to cosmetology school at campbellsville. That’s 200 dollar a month.

Two cricket phone bills total 90 a month.

Gas to and from work is 75 a week or 300 a month.

Rent is 600 a month.

So that 2400 is already down to 1,210.

Food per week is 150 and this includes eating out. So another 600.

Internet and cable is another 120.

down to 490 and now the utilities are due. Electric is 130 and water is another 40

So all of this leaves you with 320 bucks. This doesn’t account for entertainment or a car payment. These guys are lucky in that the cars are paid for, but Cody drives a 2005 pathfinder that has 195,000 miles and Katie drives an 07 mustang that has 200,000+ miles. Insurance for both is another 150 for minimum coverage and these guys are left with 170 dollars.

God forbid if they have to have a medical procedure done, car issues arise, and you see quickly why 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.

Some might say that it would be Trump who is the guy to keep manufacturing jobs, open fracking and drilling, and using tariffs/negotiating as a way to start getting the US back on track. Your example above (one that I agree with, is a problem), might have all been due to whatever houseboat factory this is, shutting it's doors and going to Mexico.

Not saying Trump will just fix all this. But I saw enough from Biden and Obama to see that there priorities just aren't in job creation, economy, tapping our natural energy reserves, keeping out illegals, cutting bloat spending.. all things *could* help put money back in American's wallets.

 

[warrior-cat]

Trump has demonstrated an ability to walk and chew gum at the same time. He's only got 4 years. No reason he can't do both.

He needs to stay distant from the lead and just be informed. That way, when time comes at the end of his presidency, Vance cannot be vilified by the left when he runs for president. He can simply say that we (him and Trump) were not directly involved to avoid the mess Biden and Kamala created for themselves by weaponizing the DOJ against Trump. Remain distant from the whole thing.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I will say the COL is a problem, and it's only gonna become everyone's problem, regardless of *your* specific income, the more people are priced out of supporting the economy. I don't know how we get out of this, because it feels like to me, we're just careening towards a cliff.. we just haven't gone over yet. Delinquencies are on the rise, CC debt is sky rocketing per household.

 

[sambowieshin]

ha ha ha ha ha ha...you just keep telling yourself that. You sound desperate to believe it. But you're not convinced.

We tried it your way for 4 years, little man. Now the adults are in charge. You go sit in the back of the bus now and be a good little drone.

Look how excited you are to lick Putin's boots little lady.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

If being a police detective paid 75% what I make now I’d do it in a heartbeat.

I couldn't come close to passing the IQ test.

I doubt you can pass it either.

Court OKs Barring High IQs for Cops

www.google.com

 

[warrior-cat]

never happen. swamp takes care of their own. and hunter will never be brought to testify about anything. hope i’m wrong but jmdo.

Hillary will see to that. Joe will be put in a hospital due to dementia or some other ailment and Jill will keep her mouth shut. The dims will rally the troops for the next election and run the grease headed snake oil salesman from California so Obama can be in charge again.

 

[WayneDougan]

I couldn't come close to passing the IQ test.

I doubt you can pass it either.

Lol... sure.

 

[AustinTXCat]

** Wise Words Department **

"If Lincoln were alive today, he'd be turning over in his grave."

-Gerald R. Ford

 

[Bigmikeydelight]

tidr;

What did I say that was hyperbole?