Swamp Yankee Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 27 minutes ago, ClearedHot said: Capitalism assumes a free market. Right now, especially with 230, we have anything but a free market. Currently, the only 230 modifications that might address conservatives’ current concerns about private sector content control are those by Hawley (Ending Support for Internet Censorship Act) and Gozar (Stop Censorship Act) Both are highly troubling. Hawley’s in particular calls for companies content moderation teams to be declared politically neutral by a bipartisan commission. This is Soviet-style propaganda control that is completely orthogonal to the Constitution. I’m also tired of the “social platform as utility argument”. If you really want this, then be prepared for government subsidies since taking this approach restricts the ability of these platforms to manage their businesses. Don’t like how the current platforms are controlling content? Get private investors to support your development of an alternative. Plenty of conservatives with such means. 1
ClearedHot Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 6 hours ago, slackline said: Some I agree with, some are pandering to the left, and some are stupid, and will probably suck for the country. Which ones do you agree with? Paris Climate Accord? I love the part that requires member nations to teach all their children not about global warming, but how to protest global warming. Rejoin the WHO? Maybe we should be in the organization from a symbolic point of view, bu tit is one of the most corrupt organizations in the world (more spent on executive travel than fighting AIDS and Malaria combined), and the way they protected China when this kicked off. Killing the Keystone Pipeline? Have you ever seen the pipeline map of the U.S.? All this does is kill U.S. jobs, piss off our neighbor to the north and impact our energy independence. Executive order to promote racial equity? This should frighten folks, this is not about equality, it is "equity" meaning the DNC now wants to divide you by color, race, sex and that is how the plan to reallocate resources under the banner of poverty. Good old Robin Hood story. Seriously, I hope folks dig on this one and look at what they are trying to do. Executive order coordinating a government-wide Covid-19 response? Didn't last very long, a few days later "there is nothing we can do." Proclamation pulling funds from border wall? Jeez, why would a sovereign nation ever want to have a border? I guess it is ok for other countries like MEXICO to have border walls but not that racist America that should let everyone in. 90 day freeze of Trump regulatory process? Again they hate Trump so much they stepped in with the cancel culture without looking at the impact. What they actually stopped was 340B, a Pprogram federal discounts on insulin to low-income patients. The rule was supposed to go into effect January 22, but has now been delayed until late March, nice job and FU to all Diabetics! Executive order revising immigration enforcement policies. Very narrow and all this does is take the pressure off cities that declare themselves "Sanctuary Cities." I completely disagree with this one, we as a nation have an immigration policy (it certainly needs to be updated by Congress), when individual cities refuse to work with the federal government and harbor, hinder enforcement or down right help illegals escape (like releasing captured criminal illegals out the back door so ICE can't get them), then we have no rule of law. Now it is too bad for Karen Ruiz - killed in by an illegal in front of her five year old child rather than be turned over to ICE , Kate Steinle - shot by a release illegal and died in front of her parents, Maria Fuertes 92 years old who was sexually assaulted and killed by a 21 year old man who was again released and purposely not handed over to ICE. Last year Non-citizens accounted for 24 percent of all federal drug arrests, 25 percent of all federal property arrests, and 28 percent of all federal fraud arrests. This is the America the DNC wants. Executive order imposing a 90 ban on deportations? My personal favorite and straight up pandering the the left extremists. In 2020 the United States forcibly deported 180,000 people. Of the 180,000 92% were criminals, running a little pilot math through my pea brain that is Biden saying how dare you racist Republicans try to deport 165,600 illegals who are also criminals, we must keep them here to roam our streets. The only positive things I've seen was an Executive order banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. However, this was just a restatement of the Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga last year. And a Memorandum strengthening Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which is another symbolic action about DACA, something that needs to be resolved by Congress.
Swamp Yankee Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 6 hours ago, arg said: Oops, my bad it was Swamp Yankee. But why are you saying I called him out by asking a question? Which ones do you agree with? Am i calling you out asking that? You said Trump holds the record. For what? Total EOs? EOs signed in the first week of office? I am 100% with you on your last sentence in the first paragraph. Here’s a few I support: Executive order coordinating a government-wide Covid-19 response - The pandemic is a rather significant problem. Having additional effort applied rather than wishing the problem away is prudent. Executive order mandating ethics pledge for government appointees - Simply reverts back to a pre-Trump requirement Executive order promoting Covid-19 safety in domestic and international travel -Wearing masks as much as possible on airplanes seems reasonable to me Executive order expanding access to Covid-19 treatments - COVID is a problem with older folks. That’s essentially what this is about. Yes, Biden’s pace of EO’s is faster than Trump, who put forth 55 in his first year.
ClearedHot Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 27 minutes ago, Swamp Yankee said: Here’s a few I support: Executive order coordinating a government-wide Covid-19 response - The pandemic is a rather significant problem. Having additional effort applied rather than wishing the problem away is prudent. Executive order mandating ethics pledge for government appointees - Simply reverts back to a pre-Trump requirement Executive order promoting Covid-19 safety in domestic and international travel -Wearing masks as much as possible on airplanes seems reasonable to me Executive order expanding access to Covid-19 treatments - COVID is a problem with older folks. That’s essentially what this is about. Yes, Biden’s pace of EO’s is faster than Trump, who put forth 55 in his first year. I don't agree with his wishing away COVID-19 approach, but the reality of the government response was not that as Biden has learned. Tweaking on the margins is fine, but we need some serious effort on the supply chain and the way the states are administering the vaccine. Are you serious on the Ethics EO? You seem intelligent and I am not trying to insult you but have you actually read what the Trump EO did and what this "undoes?" Trump's ethics pledge EO actually tightened restrictions. His EO put a five year ban on things like lobbying to an agency the person worked for and a ban for those in the executive branch that basically said they could not lobby the executive branch for the remainder of the administration. Also, he closed the "Shadow Lobbying" loophole that Obama put in place. Here is an excerpt from a 2017 assessment of Trump's Ethics EO - "Because the five-year post-employment ban applies to behind-the-scenes activities in support of lobbying, the employment prospects for administration officials will be significantly more limited than in the past. The Pledge appears to prevent hiring a former Trump political appointee to serve as a strategic advisor for government affairs, even if that person operates in a manner that does not require registering as a lobbyist. The five-year post-employment ban also appears to bar other types of behind-the-scenes work in support of lobbying, such as research, drafting leave-behind documents, and creating issue scorecards." One thing that both Obama’s and Trump’s Ethics Pledges contain is a prohibition on gifts from lobbyists — the Executive Order bars appointees from accepting gifts from registered lobbyists and organizations that employ them. Realistically Biden just loosened the rules and in total I don't think that was very well thought out or a good thing. 1
ClearedHot Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 Under the banner of you can't make this shit up... Amazon seeks to block workers from voting by mail in landmark union drive
slackline Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 3 hours ago, ClearedHot said: Which ones do you agree with? Paris Climate Accord? I love the part that requires member nations to teach all their children not about global warming, but how to protest global warming. Rejoin the WHO? Maybe we should be in the organization from a symbolic point of view, bu tit is one of the most corrupt organizations in the world (more spent on executive travel than fighting AIDS and Malaria combined), and the way they protected China when this kicked off. Killing the Keystone Pipeline? Have you ever seen the pipeline map of the U.S.? All this does is kill U.S. jobs, piss off our neighbor to the north and impact our energy independence. Executive order to promote racial equity? This should frighten folks, this is not about equality, it is "equity" meaning the DNC now wants to divide you by color, race, sex and that is how the plan to reallocate resources under the banner of poverty. Good old Robin Hood story. Seriously, I hope folks dig on this one and look at what they are trying to do. Executive order coordinating a government-wide Covid-19 response? Didn't last very long, a few days later "there is nothing we can do." Proclamation pulling funds from border wall? Jeez, why would a sovereign nation ever want to have a border? I guess it is ok for other countries like MEXICO to have border walls but not that racist America that should let everyone in. 90 day freeze of Trump regulatory process? Again they hate Trump so much they stepped in with the cancel culture without looking at the impact. What they actually stopped was 340B, a Pprogram federal discounts on insulin to low-income patients. The rule was supposed to go into effect January 22, but has now been delayed until late March, nice job and FU to all Diabetics! Executive order revising immigration enforcement policies. Very narrow and all this does is take the pressure off cities that declare themselves "Sanctuary Cities." I completely disagree with this one, we as a nation have an immigration policy (it certainly needs to be updated by Congress), when individual cities refuse to work with the federal government and harbor, hinder enforcement or down right help illegals escape (like releasing captured criminal illegals out the back door so ICE can't get them), then we have no rule of law. Now it is too bad for Karen Ruiz - killed in by an illegal in front of her five year old child rather than be turned over to ICE , Kate Steinle - shot by a release illegal and died in front of her parents, Maria Fuertes 92 years old who was sexually assaulted and killed by a 21 year old man who was again released and purposely not handed over to ICE. Last year Non-citizens accounted for 24 percent of all federal drug arrests, 25 percent of all federal property arrests, and 28 percent of all federal fraud arrests. This is the America the DNC wants. Executive order imposing a 90 ban on deportations? My personal favorite and straight up pandering the the left extremists. In 2020 the United States forcibly deported 180,000 people. Of the 180,000 92% were criminals, running a little pilot math through my pea brain that is Biden saying how dare you racist Republicans try to deport 165,600 illegals who are also criminals, we must keep them here to roam our streets. The only positive things I've seen was an Executive order banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. However, this was just a restatement of the Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga last year. And a Memorandum strengthening Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which is another symbolic action about DACA, something that needs to be resolved by Congress. ***Sorry, slow morning for me with no work, just realized what a long rant this is... You could say I’m on roughly the same page as Swamp Yankee. Regarding the EO on ethics for Trump vs Biden, you mean the one Trump rescinded just before leaving office? https://www.npr.org/sections/inauguration-day-live-updates/2021/01/20/958710562/trump-revokes-administration-ethics-rules-on-his-way-out-the-door I seem to remember him using almost identical versions to Clinton and Obama used. https://www.npr.org/2017/01/28/512201631/trumps-executive-order-on-ethics-pulls-word-for-word-from-obama-clinton I’ve already discussed my thoughts on climate accords. Not a fan of how it binds the US unfairly and once again, makes the US carry the lion’s share of the responsibility, but I am a fan of us doing something to address it. Ideally, I’d like to see us stay out of it on the principle of division of responsibility, but support it on the principle of “something has to be done” while working towards concrete steps. Similarly on the WHO. I think it was a good call to point out their numerous problems on many subjects. I also think it is ultimately smart to rejoin. Maybe they’ve gotten the scare they need to start acting in an even and fair way across the board. I have my doubts, but time will tell. I would have preferred a caveat be added to his rejoining making sure it was with the expectation that they hold the line... I’m on the fence about the pipeline. I agree with you mostly, but the tree hugger side of me is torn. Not necessarily a rational way to think about it, but the climate issues we face and the climate change deniers out there piss me off more than I should allow... Sorry. Most of your other points feel ( I know, using the word “feel” is dangerous in a political discussion) like the typical political answers regarding any topic out there. “Yes, but...” saying you’re open minded and unbiased, but really, it’s similar to the points Swamp Yankee has been making about the so-called liberal personalities out there that do nothing but slam the left. Begrudgingly acknowledging one tiny point or aspect so you can say, “see, I’m open-minded!” while digging in deeper on everything else. Your last paragraph is a perfect example of this. “The only positive things... However...” I’m often just as guilty as most, but I think my disdain for both sides gives me some clarity, at least right now. I hate the left equally to the right, honestly. Give it some time for the Trump effect to wear off (hopefully it does) and I’ll be attacking the hypocrisy coming out of their mouths too. I’m not saying it’s not happening right now, just that the noise coming from the right in this moment is so loud, it’s hard to hear the noise coming from the left. Politics is just one massive scenario of the pot calling the kettle black over and over again. Us Monday morning quarterbacks and internet experts are often no different. You know, it’s odd, they say you typically get more conservative the older you get. I have found that to be different in my case, still conservative, but definitely more open to social issues than I ever used to be. I feel like service in the AF has done that, helping the people that I’ve commanded has been a bigger eye opener than anything else. I remember listening to Sean Hannity back in 2003, and Bill O’Reilly, and even Rush Limbaugh. I used to think they were smart, on top of things, people. I have either changed a lot, or they have because I think they’re horrible people now, out for their own ratings much more than they believe in any of the garbage they spout. I still don’t like any of the personalities on the left (Don Lemon in particular is such a drama king I can’t stand him even when he’s making a valid point), but they don’t inspire the disgust those three do. BL: I bet the difference between you and I, ideologically, is so small as to not matter in the big scheme of things. I appreciate when I get called out for being off-target vs a valid shot. 2
Swamp Yankee Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 1 hour ago, slackline said: ***Sorry, slow morning for me with no work, just realized what a long rant this is... You could say I’m on roughly the same page as Swamp Yankee. Regarding the EO on ethics for Trump vs Biden, you mean the one Trump rescinded just before leaving office? https://www.npr.org/sections/inauguration-day-live-updates/2021/01/20/958710562/trump-revokes-administration-ethics-rules-on-his-way-out-the-door I seem to remember him using almost identical versions to Clinton and Obama used. https://www.npr.org/2017/01/28/512201631/trumps-executive-order-on-ethics-pulls-word-for-word-from-obama-clinton I’ve already discussed my thoughts on climate accords. Not a fan of how it binds the US unfairly and once again, makes the US carry the lion’s share of the responsibility, but I am a fan of us doing something to address it. Ideally, I’d like to see us stay out of it on the principle of division of responsibility, but support it on the principle of “something has to be done” while working towards concrete steps. Similarly on the WHO. I think it was a good call to point out their numerous problems on many subjects. I also think it is ultimately smart to rejoin. Maybe they’ve gotten the scare they need to start acting in an even and fair way across the board. I have my doubts, but time will tell. I would have preferred a caveat be added to his rejoining making sure it was with the expectation that they hold the line... I’m on the fence about the pipeline. I agree with you mostly, but the tree hugger side of me is torn. Not necessarily a rational way to think about it, but the climate issues we face and the climate change deniers out there piss me off more than I should allow... Sorry. Most of your other points feel ( I know, using the word “feel” is dangerous in a political discussion) like the typical political answers regarding any topic out there. “Yes, but...” saying you’re open minded and unbiased, but really, it’s similar to the points Swamp Yankee has been making about the so-called liberal personalities out there that do nothing but slam the left. Begrudgingly acknowledging one tiny point or aspect so you can say, “see, I’m open-minded!” while digging in deeper on everything else. Your last paragraph is a perfect example of this. “The only positive things... However...” I’m often just as guilty as most, but I think my disdain for both sides gives me some clarity, at least right now. I hate the left equally to the right, honestly. Give it some time for the Trump effect to wear off (hopefully it does) and I’ll be attacking the hypocrisy coming out of their mouths too. I’m not saying it’s not happening right now, just that the noise coming from the right in this moment is so loud, it’s hard to hear the noise coming from the left. Politics is just one massive scenario of the pot calling the kettle black over and over again. Us Monday morning quarterbacks and internet experts are often no different. You know, it’s odd, they say you typically get more conservative the older you get. I have found that to be different in my case, still conservative, but definitely more open to social issues than I ever used to be. I feel like service in the AF has done that, helping the people that I’ve commanded has been a bigger eye opener than anything else. I remember listening to Sean Hannity back in 2003, and Bill O’Reilly, and even Rush Limbaugh. I used to think they were smart, on top of things, people. I have either changed a lot, or they have because I think they’re horrible people now, out for their own ratings much more than they believe in any of the garbage they spout. I still don’t like any of the personalities on the left (Don Lemon in particular is such a drama king I can’t stand him even when he’s making a valid point), but they don’t inspire the disgust those three do. BL: I bet the difference between you and I, ideologically, is so small as to not matter in the big scheme of things. I appreciate when I get called out for being off-target vs a valid shot. A lot of interesting discussion here. Too much to respond to at lunch hour. Regarding ethics; my realpolitik opinion is that it is impossible to completely rein in the problems. In a similar sense to campaign finance reform, realistically you can try to contain certain aspects. On climate change; I understand to some extent the concern about indoctrination (really education) However, having a science background and more importantly access to people knowledgeable on the subject, I can’t ignore the issue. The problem is the speed of change. So, yes, there are natural climate cycles but they’re generally measured in millennia, not decades or centuries. (The little ice age being an exception) Even the Navy is developing an Arctic open water strategy. Ultimately, the education piece will likely be viewed as similar to evolution vs creationism. We and China own a significant portion of the issue. While it’s great that sub Saharan countries are ratifying, they aren’t substantial contributors. Good point on the media. I have a very similar perspective. Also, it’s definitely gotten worse the past four years. Fox was always strongly on the right, but they really doubled down with Trump except for a brief period very recently. CNN was slightly left but shifted significantly into an anti-Trump channel. Fox and CNN are equally partisan opposites at this point. Both were business rather than ideologically driven. Grab the audiences that will watch the longest. I’ve also shifted left on some social issues as I’ve lead and managed people from a wider range of backgrounds. There’s a great quote from Dean Kamen, the guy who developed the Segway and other more important, but less well-known technical innovations: “Democrats want to control what you do with your wallet and Republicans want to control what you do in the bedroom” That sums it up well.
ClearedHot Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 19 minutes ago, Swamp Yankee said: A lot of interesting discussion here. Too much to respond to at lunch hour. Regarding ethics; my realpolitik opinion is that it is impossible to completely rein in the problems. In a similar sense to campaign finance reform, realistically you can try to contain certain aspects. On climate change; I understand to some extent the concern about indoctrination (really education) However, having a science background and more importantly access to people knowledgeable on the subject, I can’t ignore the issue. The problem is the speed of change. So, yes, there are natural climate cycles but they’re generally measured in millennia, not decades or centuries. (The little ice age being an exception) Even the Navy is developing an Arctic open water strategy. Ultimately, the education piece will likely be viewed as similar to evolution vs creationism. We and China own a significant portion of the issue. While it’s great that sub Saharan countries are ratifying, they aren’t substantial contributors. Good point on the media. I have a very similar perspective. Also, it’s definitely gotten worse the past four years. Fox was always strongly on the right, but they really doubled down with Trump except for a brief period very recently. CNN was slightly left but shifted significantly into an anti-Trump channel. Fox and CNN are equally partisan opposites at this point. Both were business rather than ideologically driven. Grab the audiences that will watch the longest. I’ve also shifted left on some social issues as I’ve lead and managed people from a wider range of backgrounds. There’s a great quote from Dean Kamen, the guy who developed the Segway and other more important, but less well-known technical innovations: “Democrats want to control what you do with your wallet and Republicans want to control what you do in the bedroom” That sums it up well. I have no issue with teaching science and yes I believe climate change is a legitimate concern. The problem is the accord doesn't mandate education the science, instead it mandates education on how to protest. I truly hope this doesn't turn into the evolution versus creationism argument. 1
Homestar Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 7 hours ago, ClearedHot said: Which ones do you agree with? Paris Climate Accord? I love the part that requires member nations to teach all their children not about global warming, but how to protest global warming. Rejoin the WHO? Maybe we should be in the organization from a symbolic point of view, bu tit is one of the most corrupt organizations in the world (more spent on executive travel than fighting AIDS and Malaria combined), and the way they protected China when this kicked off. Killing the Keystone Pipeline? Have you ever seen the pipeline map of the U.S.? All this does is kill U.S. jobs, piss off our neighbor to the north and impact our energy independence. Executive order to promote racial equity? This should frighten folks, this is not about equality, it is "equity" meaning the DNC now wants to divide you by color, race, sex and that is how the plan to reallocate resources under the banner of poverty. Good old Robin Hood story. Seriously, I hope folks dig on this one and look at what they are trying to do. Executive order coordinating a government-wide Covid-19 response? Didn't last very long, a few days later "there is nothing we can do." Proclamation pulling funds from border wall? Jeez, why would a sovereign nation ever want to have a border? I guess it is ok for other countries like MEXICO to have border walls but not that racist America that should let everyone in. 90 day freeze of Trump regulatory process? Again they hate Trump so much they stepped in with the cancel culture without looking at the impact. What they actually stopped was 340B, a Pprogram federal discounts on insulin to low-income patients. The rule was supposed to go into effect January 22, but has now been delayed until late March, nice job and FU to all Diabetics! Executive order revising immigration enforcement policies. Very narrow and all this does is take the pressure off cities that declare themselves "Sanctuary Cities." I completely disagree with this one, we as a nation have an immigration policy (it certainly needs to be updated by Congress), when individual cities refuse to work with the federal government and harbor, hinder enforcement or down right help illegals escape (like releasing captured criminal illegals out the back door so ICE can't get them), then we have no rule of law. Now it is too bad for Karen Ruiz - killed in by an illegal in front of her five year old child rather than be turned over to ICE , Kate Steinle - shot by a release illegal and died in front of her parents, Maria Fuertes 92 years old who was sexually assaulted and killed by a 21 year old man who was again released and purposely not handed over to ICE. Last year Non-citizens accounted for 24 percent of all federal drug arrests, 25 percent of all federal property arrests, and 28 percent of all federal fraud arrests. This is the America the DNC wants. Executive order imposing a 90 ban on deportations? My personal favorite and straight up pandering the the left extremists. In 2020 the United States forcibly deported 180,000 people. Of the 180,000 92% were criminals, running a little pilot math through my pea brain that is Biden saying how dare you racist Republicans try to deport 165,600 illegals who are also criminals, we must keep them here to roam our streets. The only positive things I've seen was an Executive order banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. However, this was just a restatement of the Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga last year. And a Memorandum strengthening Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which is another symbolic action about DACA, something that needs to be resolved by Congress. How do you have the time and energy to know all this stupid stuff?
ClearedHot Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 19 minutes ago, Homestar said: How do you have the time and energy to know all this stupid stuff? I read prolifically, have since I was a kid which has really helped me in the stock market, currently buying a new airplane as a result. Also, I care about my country and the issues. I think when the mainstream media shifted from print to TV and Digital the depth of stories and understanding began to shrink until today when they rush through every 30 second story and knowledgeable people who are interviewed never get more than a minute to talk. In reality news today is about the sensational topic and a brief "Tik Tok/Snapchat cursory summary" 2
BFM this Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 (edited) 57 minutes ago, ClearedHot said: I read prolifically, Out of curiosity, what’s on your daily reading list? Edited January 27, 2021 by BFM this gif no worky
ClearedHot Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 1 hour ago, BFM this said: Out of curiosity, what’s on your daily reading list? I start with investments, I've built wealth and want to protect it. I had three numbers when I first started. The first number was the lowest number I needed to retire, we could be careful, manage our spending and cover our expenses no issues. We hit that many years ago. The second number was living at our current quality of life now but not having to work. I have raised that number over the years as we have raised our standard of living, we keep acquiring toys and some of them (airplane/RV), are expensive. I have a very nice retirement as a 26 year O-6, my wife works and makes a great salary, I work and am over compensated for my capability, we also have a side business that brings in about $10,000 a month in passive income. I won't into specific numbers but I am forced to make quarterly tax payments of $15,000 in addition to our withholding and still have to make a huge tax payment every April...I know tough problem to have. We hit the second number several years ago. My third number was to be stupid rich and I never really thought it possible, but it is. Sorry for the long section on investments but I grew up poor and it really shaped me. The rest of the reading is loosely related because all of these policies and actions by the different political parties really impact where I put my money. I use Morgan Stanley as my wealth manager and they have a host of products I sort through each morning. CNBC has a great pre-market snapshot which also links to great articles about trends and emerging opportunities. The Motley Fool has a nice daily summary, but also has a lot of fluff and hidden advertisements. I also use Market Watch which is a great tool to get down in the weeds of investing should you so choose. I used to have a bridge between investments and the news and would read daily articles in the Economist, but they completely jumped the shark in the last two years and went full retard political which is truly sad because they have some great analysts. Around 0600 the Early Bird hits my email, it used to be so much better but still provides a summary of the previous day and the overnight actions in the defense industry. You can sign up, it is free. Next I look at BBC, like most they are biased but they also provide a world view. I think taking a few minutes to see how the rest of the world views us is very important. Keeping the previous theme in mind next I go to Al Jazeera which has excellent coverage on some things. Most days I cycle in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. I work most of the day and that requires other reading, some of it technical, most of it more strategic. As part of my job I spend an inordinate amount of time looking at the Federal budget. While not a lobbyist, for several years I have been going to the hill as an expert on a few key areas and technologies. During the week I cycle through Foxnews/CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC for an update, while we make dinner. My son is very active in sports so while he is practicing most nights I tend to read to pass the time. I have about 10 books going right now, a great one written by a good friend called When The Tempest Gathers I am purposely reading the book slowly and a bit at a time. Last week I finished Oliver North's new book The Rifleman, Admiral McRaven's book Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations and Rum Curious which is a great book about the origins of Rum and a tasting guide which I found very useful...I also learned some things about the rum market and actually changed an investment because of it. This week I started a re-read of the classic The Odyssey by Homer. The classics are important and were used to frame the thinking of the founders of our country. 3
HeloDude Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 33 minutes ago, ClearedHot said: Lots of stuff... That’s it?
Homestar Posted January 28, 2021 Posted January 28, 2021 4 hours ago, ClearedHot said: I read prolifically, have since I was a kid which has really helped me in the stock market, currently buying a new airplane as a result. Also, I care about my country and the issues. I think when the mainstream media shifted from print to TV and Digital the depth of stories and understanding began to shrink until today when they rush through every 30 second story and knowledgeable people who are interviewed never get more than a minute to talk. In reality news today is about the sensational topic and a brief "Tik Tok/Snapchat cursory summary" That’s awesome. Sorry, didn’t mean to sound flippant. I do respect those of you that are well versed in this stuff. As I watched my parents get older I saw them shake fists and yell at clouds about politics. Made me want to just go fishing and sit by the fire when I get old. Carry on, I enjoy reading what you write.
HossHarris Posted January 28, 2021 Posted January 28, 2021 16 minutes ago, Homestar said: .... Made me want to just go fishing and sit by the fire when I get old... I can recommend this course Of action.
arg Posted January 28, 2021 Posted January 28, 2021 4 hours ago, ClearedHot said: I start with investments, I've built wealth and want to protect it. I had three numbers when I first started. The first number was the lowest number I needed to retire, we could be careful, manage our spending and cover our expenses no issues. We hit that many years ago. The second number was living at our current quality of life now but not having to work. I have raised that number over the years as we have raised our standard of living, we keep acquiring toys and some of them (airplane/RV), are expensive. I have a very nice retirement as a 26 year O-6, my wife works and makes a great salary, I work and am over compensated for my capability, we also have a side business that brings in about $10,000 a month in passive income. I won't into specific numbers but I am forced to make quarterly tax payments of $15,000 in addition to our withholding and still have to make a huge tax payment every April...I know tough problem to have. We hit the second number several years ago. My third number was to be stupid rich and I never really thought it possible, but it is. Sorry for the long section on investments but I grew up poor and it really shaped me. The rest of the reading is loosely related because all of these policies and actions by the different political parties really impact where I put my money. I use Morgan Stanley as my wealth manager and they have a host of products I sort through each morning. CNBC has a great pre-market snapshot which also links to great articles about trends and emerging opportunities. The Motley Fool has a nice daily summary, but also has a lot of fluff and hidden advertisements. I also use Market Watch which is a great tool to get down in the weeds of investing should you so choose. I used to have a bridge between investments and the news and would read daily articles in the Economist, but they completely jumped the shark in the last two years and went full retard political which is truly sad because they have some great analysts. Around 0600 the Early Bird hits my email, it used to be so much better but still provides a summary of the previous day and the overnight actions in the defense industry. You can sign up, it is free. Next I look at BBC, like most they are biased but they also provide a world view. I think taking a few minutes to see how the rest of the world views us is very important. Keeping the previous theme in mind next I go to Al Jazeera which has excellent coverage on some things. Most days I cycle in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. I work most of the day and that requires other reading, some of it technical, most of it more strategic. As part of my job I spend an inordinate amount of time looking at the Federal budget. While not a lobbyist, for several years I have been going to the hill as an expert on a few key areas and technologies. During the week I cycle through Foxnews/CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC for an update, while we make dinner. My son is very active in sports so while he is practicing most nights I tend to read to pass the time. I have about 10 books going right now, a great one written by a good friend called When The Tempest Gathers I am purposely reading the book slowly and a bit at a time. Last week I finished Oliver North's new book The Rifleman, Admiral McRaven's book Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations and Rum Curious which is a great book about the origins of Rum and a tasting guide which I found very useful...I also learned some things about the rum market and actually changed an investment because of it. This week I started a re-read of the classic The Odyssey by Homer. The classics are important and were used to frame the thinking of the founders of our country. Nothing to add but just want to let you know that I am up for adoption. Lost my parents in a tragic boat accident. 1
ClearedHot Posted January 28, 2021 Posted January 28, 2021 9 hours ago, arg said: Nothing to add but just want to let you know that I am up for adoption. Lost my parents in a tragic boat accident. I've seen you drink beer, I can't afford that bill. 1 1
Lord Ratner Posted January 28, 2021 Posted January 28, 2021 On 1/25/2021 at 12:24 PM, GrndPndr said: So what happened during the eight years of Obama/Biden? Did we just shut of the black complaint system, because there was someone in office who should be sympathetic to the cause? The complaints seem to rise and fall with whoever has been elected. I too have friends who are "down with the cause," and they lay the blame for all of their troubles on Trump - including the challenges you list, and race problems dating back decades. Well, now we have Biden. In a post-election world, it will be interesting to see where he lays the blame for race troubles. It'll be white people. Trump was a nice little gift to the marxists who are during the race war for reasons unrelated to race, but they have had their obvious bad guy long before Trump, and they will go right back to that.
Swamp Yankee Posted January 28, 2021 Posted January 28, 2021 21 hours ago, ClearedHot said: I start with investments, I've built wealth and want to protect it. I had three numbers when I first started. The first number was the lowest number I needed to retire, we could be careful, manage our spending and cover our expenses no issues. We hit that many years ago. The second number was living at our current quality of life now but not having to work. I have raised that number over the years as we have raised our standard of living, we keep acquiring toys and some of them (airplane/RV), are expensive. I have a very nice retirement as a 26 year O-6, my wife works and makes a great salary, I work and am over compensated for my capability, we also have a side business that brings in about $10,000 a month in passive income. I won't into specific numbers but I am forced to make quarterly tax payments of $15,000 in addition to our withholding and still have to make a huge tax payment every April...I know tough problem to have. We hit the second number several years ago. My third number was to be stupid rich and I never really thought it possible, but it is. Sorry for the long section on investments but I grew up poor and it really shaped me. The rest of the reading is loosely related because all of these policies and actions by the different political parties really impact where I put my money. I use Morgan Stanley as my wealth manager and they have a host of products I sort through each morning. CNBC has a great pre-market snapshot which also links to great articles about trends and emerging opportunities. The Motley Fool has a nice daily summary, but also has a lot of fluff and hidden advertisements. I also use Market Watch which is a great tool to get down in the weeds of investing should you so choose. I used to have a bridge between investments and the news and would read daily articles in the Economist, but they completely jumped the shark in the last two years and went full retard political which is truly sad because they have some great analysts. Around 0600 the Early Bird hits my email, it used to be so much better but still provides a summary of the previous day and the overnight actions in the defense industry. You can sign up, it is free. Next I look at BBC, like most they are biased but they also provide a world view. I think taking a few minutes to see how the rest of the world views us is very important. Keeping the previous theme in mind next I go to Al Jazeera which has excellent coverage on some things. Most days I cycle in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. I work most of the day and that requires other reading, some of it technical, most of it more strategic. As part of my job I spend an inordinate amount of time looking at the Federal budget. While not a lobbyist, for several years I have been going to the hill as an expert on a few key areas and technologies. During the week I cycle through Foxnews/CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC for an update, while we make dinner. My son is very active in sports so while he is practicing most nights I tend to read to pass the time. I have about 10 books going right now, a great one written by a good friend called When The Tempest Gathers I am purposely reading the book slowly and a bit at a time. Last week I finished Oliver North's new book The Rifleman, Admiral McRaven's book Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations and Rum Curious which is a great book about the origins of Rum and a tasting guide which I found very useful...I also learned some things about the rum market and actually changed an investment because of it. This week I started a re-read of the classic The Odyssey by Homer. The classics are important and were used to frame the thinking of the founders of our country. Impressive
Lord Ratner Posted January 28, 2021 Posted January 28, 2021 (edited) On 1/25/2021 at 8:00 PM, Swamp Yankee said: I have listened to a few of Shapiro's podcasts (working from home provides some flexibility). Sorry, he sticks to right wing talking points 99% of the time. The only "criticism" I've heard was from this summer, indicating that Trump occasionally gets in his own way with his communications style, but then it was right back to slamming the left. Clearly, Shapiro, like Weisteins and even Rogan to an extent, rarely, if ever, criticize the right. In fact, the main talking point is that it was really the democrats who sparked the Jan 6th riots because they were just too tough and mean to Trump. That is completely ridiculous. The fact is that a very large number of Trump supporters were duped and incited by his rhetoric, resulting in an attempt to interrupt the political process. Full stop. The right demands that the left see both sides, which the left in fact does way better than the right. It is not even close. Not sure what you listen to, because Shapiro was all over the riots at the Capitol. I suspect what you're really looking for is someone on the right to criticize the right in the same way that someone on the left would, but that's a silly expectation. Conservatives can only be compared to other conservatives, in this case, and when you compare someone like Shapiro or Weinstein to, say, Fox news, the difference is obvious. It's not like Trump has some sort of endless laundry list of problems. He's immoral in his personal life, uneducated on the issues, bad with his hiring decisions in many cases, and a terrible communicator to most of the electorate. I listen to Shapiro go off on those regularly. And there's zero comparison between the right and left insofar as defending their extremists. Democratic politicians tied themselves in knots doing everything in their power to minimize criticism of antifa and rioters over the summer. I've seen no such reluctance on the right to criticize white supremacists and rioters on the 6th. But part of this is that if you think government is the solution to many of our problems (leftist), you're going to find fault in any conservative message, and conservatives are going to seem very similar to you. Same goes for the right. Edited January 29, 2021 by Lord Ratner 1
17D_guy Posted January 29, 2021 Posted January 29, 2021 1 minute ago, MyCS said: Did you short the stock too? 💎✊ 2
Swamp Yankee Posted January 29, 2021 Posted January 29, 2021 18 hours ago, Lord Ratner said: Not sure what you listen to, because Shapiro was all over the riots at the Capitol. I suspect what you're really looking for is someone on the right to criticize the right in the same way that someone on the left would, but that's a silly expectation. Conservatives can only be compared to other conservatives, in this case, and when you compare someone like Shapiro or Weinstein to, say, Fox news, the difference is obvious. It's not like Trump has some sort of endless laundry list of problems. He's immoral and his personal life, uneducated on the issues, bad with his hiring decisions in many cases, and a terrible communicator to most of the electorate. I listen to Shapiro go off on those regularly. And there's zero comparison between the right and left insofar as defending their extremists. Democratic politicians tied themselves in knots doing everything in their power to minimize criticism of antifa and rioters over the summer. I've seen no such reluctance on the right to criticize White supremacists and writers on the 6th. But part of this is that if you think government is the solution to many of our problems (leftist), you're going to find fault in any conservative message, and conservatives are going to seem very similar to you. Same goes for the right. Here’s an example of a Ben Shapiro comment regarding the Jan 6th riots that I recommend you read: https://www.foxnews.com/media/ben-shapiro-capitol-riot-joe-biden-divisive-reaction.amp Essentially, he is dismissing the rioters’ actions and focusing on what he sees as Biden’s reaction. Shapiro said, "...you can be an insane person and suggest this has something to do with systemic American racism. Naturally, Joe Biden is going to do the latter." When you have rioters with “Camp Auschwitz” shirts and carrying Confederate battle flags (I don’t buy the ‘heritage not hate’ stuff), yeah, racism is a major factor that Shapiro is inexplicably ignoring. That he is proudly Jewish makes this very unusual other than he will defend his side no matter what. There is certainly hypocrisy on both sides. The basic shtick is, “X might be bad, BUT what’s really the problem is Y, yada, yada.” ‘X’ is their own side’s quickly-dismissed questionable position and ‘Y’ the opposite position, which is lambasted at length. In contrast, you’ll observe democrats like Tulsi and (self-declared) liberals like Weinstein taking the opposite approach by truly delving into the shortcomings on their own side. This broadens the discussion and can lead to common ground. However, I have not observed any conservatives doing the same. Feel free to share specific examples to the contrary. I’m not insulting your knowledge or intelligence. I welcome the discussion.
Lord Ratner Posted January 29, 2021 Posted January 29, 2021 39 minutes ago, Swamp Yankee said: Here’s an example of a Ben Shapiro comment regarding the Jan 6th riots that I recommend you read: https://www.foxnews.com/media/ben-shapiro-capitol-riot-joe-biden-divisive-reaction.amp Essentially, he is dismissing the rioters’ actions and focusing on what he sees as Biden’s reaction. Shapiro said, "...you can be an insane person and suggest this has something to do with systemic American racism. Naturally, Joe Biden is going to do the latter." When you have rioters with “Camp Auschwitz” shirts and carrying Confederate battle flags (I don’t buy the ‘heritage not hate’ stuff), yeah, racism is a major factor that Shapiro is inexplicably ignoring. That he is proudly Jewish makes this very unusual other than he will defend his side no matter what. There is certainly hypocrisy on both sides. The basic shtick is, “X might be bad, BUT what’s really the problem is Y, yada, yada.” ‘X’ is their own side’s quickly-dismissed questionable position and ‘Y’ the opposite position, which is lambasted at length. In contrast, you’ll observe democrats like Tulsi and (self-declared) liberals like Weinstein taking the opposite approach by truly delving into the shortcomings on their own side. This broadens the discussion and can lead to common ground. However, I have not observed any conservatives doing the same. Feel free to share specific examples to the contrary. I’m not insulting your knowledge or intelligence. I welcome the discussion. There's a reason I don't watch cable news very much. I could direct you to plenty of clips from his podcast or radio show, which it seems you do not in fact, listen to. But it's not worth the time. I said you need to listen to his stuff to understand the intellectual position of the right. A cable news clip is not quite the research I had in mind. Both sides do this, but right now we are in a cycle where the left is doing it more. Obviously there are racists, and they're going to wear racist t-shirts and wave racist flags. But like all things, you have to assess the prevalence of a problem to determine if the problem is in fact relevant. White supremacy is quite simply not relevant in 2021. It's certainly not relevant to the scale of nation wide rioting, nor is it relevant to the scale that justifies the Democratic push for overtly racist "equity" policies. Yes, the US was once a racist nation. Now it is not. Shapiro focuses on the broader strategy of the activists, some in elected positions, who are lying to the American people about "systemic racism." That can't be done on a 5 minute guest spot on Fox News, but I get why he does it anyways. That's where the eyeballs are. Racism and white supremacists have been the preferred misdirect of the professional left since the Obama administration. At some point they realized that their rebranded socialist/Marxist policies, which are very much real, and very much being taught in universities and corporate conference rooms (even if you are unfamiliar with them) were not palatable to the general population, Republican or democrat. So instead of making the case their preferred system, they are instead undermining the present system such that when it fails from a lack of support from the population, they will be ready to jump in with their "fixes." I've talked about this here before, because many of the left leaning posters in this conversation seem completely oblivious as to the intellectual engine driving their party. There's not a single professional Republican who is supporting White supremacists, because the extremists commonly associated with the right are cartoonishly easy to identify. But the extremists on the left are far more dangerous if only for the fact that liberal voters are almost comically unwilling to admit they exist or matter. Go read anything by Ibram X Kendi or Robin DiAngelo. Look at what "the squad" has to say about our country and way of life. Read the endless stream of BLM propaganda (being hunted, massacre, crushing black bodies, genocide) over 2020 and try to find the part where only *fewer than 20* unarmed black people were killed by the police in 2019 or 2020. Out of 40 million. These are not fringe activists. No one on the right is hosting Richard Spencer or the proud boys at their events. The professional left is fully embracing their radicals, while telling the voting left that the they are still the party of Bill Clinton. They aren't. I think the voters on the left will figure it out eventually, but I don't know how much damage will be done. 1
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