The Next President is...

[VMFA187]

8 hours ago, Negatory said:

Almost everyone on this forum didn’t vote for Biden, per say. They voted against Trump. I bet many would do it again. I think that’s the crux of the issue.

Whose name did you check on the box? Don't excuse yourself from your decision. 

8 hours ago, Negatory said:

In almost no ways do I think we’d be in a better spot as a nation with Trump at the reigns. I agree with your assessment of many of this admin’s errors. It sucks. But do I think it’d be better with Trump? Fuck no. The Trump admin did more to dismantle the credibility of our democracy and give credence to blatant conspiracy theorists and bigots than anyone in recent history. I can think of very few Trump policies domestically, internationally, economically, or militarily that I really wish Biden would implement.

Energy independence is a bad thing? The media dismantled our credibility with its incessant "Trump-this" and "Trump-that." The constant falsehoods were laughable. 

8 hours ago, Negatory said:

Is the economy worse now? No, but it’s not better. We’re fucked and have been ever since Obama era Fed reserves pumped $4T into the stock market. Trumps economic policies pumped $3T in in 12 months. Turns out blue and red are both idiots here who will play fiscal conservative when it’s convenient but still do the same thing.

Thoughts on the $3.5T spending plan which is actually going to cost closer to $5-5.5T? Oh wait, disregard, President Biden says it won't cost anything. My mistake. 

8 hours ago, Negatory said:

Is the military worse now? It’s good we actually left Afghanistan. How we did it was stupid, but it took some balls to just pull the cord and leave. Withdrawals are messy. But we are going to benefit from that, I think. I have no idea if Trump would have followed through. Are we going to modernize to be relevant on the world stage? No, doubt it. Probably would do better with Trump here, but we could have an argument on whether or not it’s even possible. Tell me if you think a war in the Taiwan straits is actually winnable from not just a military perspective, but a geopolitical one.

What do you mean is it worse now? I am being threatened with a dishonorable or other than honorable discharge from the Reserves after 15 sat years, 3 deployments, one to combat where I employed multiple times. I have multiple decorations but because I am hesitant to receive a vaccine that has been known to cause increased and more severe seizure activity in those diagnosed with epilepsy, like myself, I am going to get discharged adversely? 

8 hours ago, Negatory said:

Are we doing better with COVID? Maybe. Current admin definitely has a more coherent messaging schema and plan. I do believe that vaccines were created and pushed more under Biden than they would have been under Trump, which contributed to higher rates. Delta would have hit regardless, and I’m sure Trump would have been peddling pseudo science, still. Sucks the vaccine doesn’t work nearly as well as we hoped, not really a clear path forward here.

That's interesting because it doesn't seem like it. MANDATED VACCINATIONS are being required or you will lose your job and ability to provide for you family - I also stand to lose my job as an fighter pilot instructor as a civilian if I don't get the vaccine. But sure, if that's how you feel... Feelings are what matter most, after all - Right? The path forward is recognizing that people who didn't take care of this caused this "pandemic." Now all the healthy people who make proper choices are being asked to subsidize their poor decisions. I'm sensing a theme with the party you voted for here...

8 hours ago, Negatory said:

From an economic inequality perspective, I have an admin that isn’t literally run by a sociopathic billionaire. The fact that they are talking about finding ways to close loopholes that allow the mega rich to have a lower effective tax rate than a teacher is the right answer. If that involves taxing unrealized gains above a certain threshold, then do it. I wholly believe that Reagan era economic principles of just giving rich people all the money, which is what Trump selfishly pushed, are part of the moral decline of our country that basically started right after the Reagan admin.

What happens when the trillionaires President Biden wanted to tax heavily, yes he said "trillionaires," and not billionaires like he, I assume he meant, become millionaires? What then defines millionaires? Is it net worth? Then when that old couple across the street who bought a house in San Diego in the '90s for $350k which is worth $7.5m in 2028 and have retired long ago on social security... Are they included too? Lines are easy to move once they're drawn...

8 hours ago, Negatory said:

Are we socially better off? This is the big win. But it’s all only temporary. Putting hateful folks in their place by showing them more than half the country disagree has been nice. I know you guys largely don’t fall into that group, but the idiots that were empowered during the Trump admin to say racist, authoritarian bullshit really helped the unraveling of America.

Is that right? From the side of the aisle that supports "science" but says a man can be a woman and vice versa or a million other things, simply based upon how that person feels? What if I 

And what you are referring to was blown massively out of proportion by the MSM. Or perhaps I'm a racist too because I don't believe in critical race theory even after having read the garbage put of by DiAngelo, White Fragility. 

8 hours ago, Negatory said:

Our our allegiances across the world in a better spot? Yeah, I think so. Public perception of America has shifted an order of magnitude in our favor. And I believe we will not be a superpower by our own choosing, as we were between 1990-2020, anymore. We live and die based on our alliances and diplomacy as China expands.

We'll disagree on that, at least the part regarding our allegiances. We've hung ourselves with making what has always been good, now bad and vice versa and probably won't be able to come out of that unless we have a great Presidential prospect come 2024. But I agree, the left has accomplished their mission and has ended American Exceptionalism. 

8 hours ago, Negatory said:

Is the future brighter? I mean, maybe more so than the Trump admin, but the future is pretty god damn dim. Global warming, climate refugees, and water wars are actually going to be catastrophic events in the next century. The Trump admin chose to actively dismantle any efforts to think about that, so that we could compete with China. Not an effective strategy. I appreciate having a 10-20 year plan on how to tackle a problem, as opposed to the Trump admins easy button of “well deal with that later, we have to use coal to beat China,” when we’ll never actually “beat” China.

Yeah, making everything that has made America great and making it wrong has worked really well - That makes for a brighter future. What 10-20 year plan? 

8 hours ago, Negatory said:

Moral of the story is from a I-voted-against-Trump standpoint I’m happy he’s not there in basically all areas other than military modernization. I would not say I’m happy I got Biden. But it’s the lesser of two evils in this dumbass iteration of a democratic republic that is really just a nicely wrapped 2 party system. Implement ranked choice voting and expand past the biggest issue with our country: 2 party politics. I don’t want Biden. I don’t want Trump. I don’t think anyone is “happy.”

That statement sums it up perfectly - Lack of personal accountability. Thank you for that.

What you don't seem to understand, or simply don't care about, is that the water in the pot is heating up... 

[FLEA]

10 hours ago, Negatory said:

I know that this is intentional bait, but I’ll respond.

Almost everyone on this forum didn’t vote for Biden, per say. They voted against Trump. I bet many would do it again. I think that’s the crux of the issue.

In almost no ways do I think we’d be in a better spot as a nation with Trump at the reigns. I agree with your assessment of many of this admin’s errors. It sucks. But do I think it’d be better with Trump? Fuck no. The Trump admin did more to dismantle the credibility of our democracy and give credence to blatant conspiracy theorists and bigots than anyone in recent history. I can think of very few Trump policies domestically, internationally, economically, or militarily that I really wish Biden would implement.

Is the economy worse now? No, but it’s not better. We’re fucked and have been ever since Obama era Fed reserves pumped $4T into the stock market. Trumps economic policies pumped $3T in in 12 months. Turns out blue and red are both idiots here who will play fiscal conservative when it’s convenient but still do the same thing.

Is the military worse now? It’s good we actually left Afghanistan. How we did it was stupid, but it took some balls to just pull the cord and leave. Withdrawals are messy. But we are going to benefit from that, I think. I have no idea if Trump would have followed through. Are we going to modernize to be relevant on the world stage? No, doubt it. Probably would do better with Trump here, but we could have an argument on whether or not it’s even possible. Tell me if you think a war in the Taiwan straits is actually winnable from not just a military perspective, but a geopolitical one.

Are we doing better with COVID? Maybe. Current admin definitely has a more coherent messaging schema and plan. I do believe that vaccines were created and pushed more under Biden than they would have been under Trump, which contributed to higher rates. Delta would have hit regardless, and I’m sure Trump would have been peddling pseudo science, still. Sucks the vaccine doesn’t work nearly as well as we hoped, not really a clear path forward here.

From an economic inequality perspective, I have an admin that isn’t literally run by a sociopathic billionaire. The fact that they are talking about finding ways to close loopholes that allow the mega rich to have a lower effective tax rate than a teacher is the right answer. If that involves taxing unrealized gains above a certain threshold, then do it. I wholly believe that Reagan era economic principles of just giving rich people all the money, which is what Trump selfishly pushed, are part of the moral decline of our country that basically started right after the Reagan admin.

Are we socially better off? This is the big win. But it’s all only temporary. Putting hateful folks in their place by showing them more than half the country disagree has been nice. I know you guys largely don’t fall into that group, but the idiots that were empowered during the Trump admin to say racist, authoritarian bullshit really helped the unraveling of America.

Our our allegiances across the world in a better spot? Yeah, I think so. Public perception of America has shifted an order of magnitude in our favor. And I believe we will not be a superpower by our own choosing, as we were between 1990-2020, anymore. We live and die based on our alliances and diplomacy as China expands.

Is the future brighter? I mean, maybe more so than the Trump admin, but the future is pretty god damn dim. Global warming, climate refugees, and water wars are actually going to be catastrophic events in the next century. The Trump admin chose to actively dismantle any efforts to think about that, so that we could compete with China. Not an effective strategy. I appreciate having a 10-20 year plan on how to tackle a problem, as opposed to the Trump admins easy button of “well deal with that later, we have to use coal to beat China,” when we’ll never actually “beat” China.

Moral of the story is from a I-voted-against-Trump standpoint I’m happy he’s not there in basically all areas other than military modernization. I would not say I’m happy I got Biden. But it’s the lesser of two evils in this dumbass iteration of a democratic republic that is really just a nicely wrapped 2 party system. Implement ranked choice voting and expand past the biggest issue with our country: 2 party politics. I don’t want Biden. I don’t want Trump. I don’t think anyone is “happy.”

Can you expound on just that thought because from where I stand, Biden took our already fragile relationship with NATO and dropped a huge deuce on it. They DO NOT like Biden right now between Afghanistan and AUKUS. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, VMFA187 said:

Whose name did you check on the box? Don't excuse yourself from your decision. 

Energy independence is a bad thing? The media dismantled our credibility with its incessant "Trump-this" and "Trump-that." The constant falsehoods were laughable. 

Thoughts on the $3.5T spending plan which is actually going to cost closer to $5-5.5T? Oh wait, disregard, President Biden says it won't cost anything. My mistake. 

What do you mean is it worse now? I am being threatened with a dishonorable or other than honorable discharge from the Reserves after 15 sat years, 3 deployments, one to combat where I employed multiple times. I have multiple decorations but because I am hesitant to receive a vaccine that has been known to cause increased and more severe seizure activity in those diagnosed with epilepsy, like myself, I am going to get discharged adversely? 

That's interesting because it doesn't seem like it. MANDATED VACCINATIONS are being required or you will lose your job and ability to provide for you family - I also stand to lose my job as an fighter pilot instructor as a civilian if I don't get the vaccine. But sure, if that's how you feel... Feelings are what matter most, after all - Right? The path forward is recognizing that people who didn't take care of this caused this "pandemic." Now all the healthy people who make proper choices are being asked to subsidize their poor decisions. I'm sensing a theme with the party you voted for here...

What happens when the trillionaires President Biden wanted to tax heavily, yes he said "trillionaires," and not billionaires like he, I assume he meant, become millionaires? What then defines millionaires? Is it net worth? Then when that old couple across the street who bought a house in San Diego in the '90s for $350k which is worth $7.5m in 2028 and have retired long ago on social security... Are they included too? Lines are easy to move once they're drawn...

Is that right? From the side of the aisle that supports "science" but says a man can be a woman and vice versa or a million other things, simply based upon how that person feels? What if I 

And what you are referring to was blown massively out of proportion by the MSM. Or perhaps I'm a racist too because I don't believe in critical race theory even after having read the garbage put of by DiAngelo, White Fragility. 

We'll disagree on that, at least the part regarding our allegiances. We've hung ourselves with making what has always been good, now bad and vice versa and probably won't be able to come out of that unless we have a great Presidential prospect come 2024. But I agree, the left has accomplished their mission and has ended American Exceptionalism. 

Yeah, making everything that has made America great and making it wrong has worked really well - That makes for a brighter future. What 10-20 year plan? 

That statement sums it up perfectly - Lack of personal accountability. Thank you for that.

What you don't seem to understand, or simply don't care about, is that the water in the pot is heating up... 

 

[Guest]

13 hours ago, Lowspeedhidrag said:

At least there are no mean tweets! 

Trump was an immoral option! 

Diversity is our strength....

#sarcasm.....

 

Shiiiiiiieeeeeeeet.

[Negatory]

Let’s dispel the notion that I’m not accountable for my choices. First, I responded to you. And let me double down. When I say I voted against Trump, I mean it. Hell, I maybe even would have voted for Hillary Clinton over Trump. And  that comes from someone who voted for McCain what feels like hundreds of years ago.

@VMFA187Here’s a few points. Yes, developing coal plants at this point in human history is not just bad, it’s a travesty. It’s short sighted idiocy to get rural voters. Cool.

Yeah, I don’t agree with either spending plan.

Youre being threatened with a dishonorable discharge because you wouldn’t get a simple vaccine. You’ll see that we don’t agree on this point. I think you should have gotten it.

Let’s define net worth as above $50M, like most wealth taxes proposed. If you think that $50M is too low, I guess I just think you’re delusional. Also, your stupid whataboutism with an old poor elderly couple that couldn’t get any of their 7.5M in equity out of their home is ridiculous, and it wouldn’t be a factor in the majority of proposals that entirely discount primary residences. To cap it off, you end with a predictable slippery slope fallacy. You know that’s not the point or an even remotely likely scenario. Something something lick the boot?

The 10 year plan started with passing the largest infrastructure and research bill since WWII. It includes provisions on expected changes to combat climate change.

As stated, I don’t believe Biden is that great. But I do believe Trump’s worse. We’ll agree to disagree.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Negatory

[pawnman]

4 hours ago, joe1234 said:

 

And now that I think about it, mil promotion rates for those of us staying in will probably skyrocket because of so many guys like yourself choosing to die on this hill and get kicked out. Sucks they want to give you in particular an adverse discharge. Good luck with the future.

I hope you're right. Last year we cut almost half the cadets from ROTC because we were up against officer manning numbers. 

If enough officers don't get the vaccine, maybe we can get back to the 80-90% selection rates of yesteryear.

[lloyd christmas]

I don’t have enough words to describe the amount of disgust I feel for you if you look at your fellow squadron members who are making the hardest decision of their life as a promotion opportunity for yourself.  Your brain is broken for even thinking that way.  

As a senior leader, I have had grown men come to my office and completely break down.  It’s heartbreaking to watch some of the most competent and loved informal leaders describe their position on these mandates.  They have legitimate concerns based on personal factors.  

Edited September 30, 2021 by lloyd christmas

[pawnman]

1 hour ago, lloyd christmas said:

I don’t have enough words to describe the amount of disgust I feel for you if you look at your fellow squadron members who are making the hardest decision of their life as a promotion opportunity for yourself.  Your brain is broken for even thinking that way.  

As a senior leader, I have had grown men come to my office and completely break down.  It’s heartbreaking to watch some of the most competent and loved informal leaders describe their position on these mandates.  They have legitimate concerns based on personal factors.  

Noted.

They've got a lawful order. They can follow it, or they can get out. Those are the choices.

And it's not about my promotion...it's about caring for the people I've been entrusted with, cadets who are smarter, more motivated, in better shape, and more creative than I ever was.  Watching those people get punted before their career even starts, while watching a bunch of grown ass men weep about a vaccine that both my elderly step dad and my teenager took without bitching...well, that's what makes me upset.

Hope your guys get the counseling they need to get through this.

[HeloDude]

Hey…this was a lawful order, and if you don’t support lawful orders then you’re not for freedom…or something.

https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation#background

[DirkDiggler]

I get that you vehemently disagree with his positions on the vaccine and vaccine mandates but why go questioning his ability to raise his kids?  It does nothing to advance the conversation/discourse.

[DirkDiggler]

My point is right at the top of this forum’s section it says “keep it civil, don’t abuse this forum”.  Are you cool with dudes/dudettes going after people’s spouses/kids on here?

[arg]

No mention of the border from the current prez fans. Hard to say it's his fault when we're not sure he's running things.

Have a friend I used to fly with who proudly voted for him, thinks he doing a fantastic job and is fiercely loyal to him. He thinks the only reason the BP brought out horses and whips(he did not know what reins were for) was because the Haitians were black. When reminded who the president is he claimed they were some racist hold overs from Trump.

[Alpharatz]

On 9/28/2021 at 12:09 PM, dogfish78 said:

No disrespect to you, but I, and millions of other citizens feel immense comfort carrying a firearm wherever I go. If you've ever been in a fight, you'll know there are no rules and no one is going to fight fair. This isn't a referreed martial arts match. It's life or death/serious physical injury.

Ever wonder what the police's response time is in the city/suburban area? Sometimes a few minutes if there's a unit available a few blocks away and they can locate you easily IF you're a priority call IF you can even make the 911 call. But many times, they're blacked out and no one is coming to save you until those units are clear from other priority calls. So what do you do? Be victimized?

Every wonder what the police's response time is in a rural area? Average in my area is probably 15 minutes minimum. Sometimes the unit is completely across the other side of the 700+ square mile county and an emergency response is 45 minutes, because there's only one or two units working. Again what do you do, be victimized?

All this is predicated on the scenario that your potential assailant doesn't just gut your intestines out from you/blast your brains out in seconds because they want your vehicle or because they think you're a space lizard. Even if police could always respond anywhere in the nation in under 30 seconds, it still won't save you from an assailant who wants to hurt or kill your NOW.

Maybe you've never been a victim or witness to a violent crime. I have, and many others have too. That might be the wake up call to you if you don't learn from the wisdom of those who carry to protect themselves and others. I suggest you watch some videos online of how quick everyday encounters can turn deadly. Remember, not everyone out there is a sane good meaning person. There are legitimate psychos out there and also many that are drunk, drugged, or deranged and every single day you share society with them.

Creeping around in the dark with some stupid pistol as your defense is not too comforting...And it took only a couple of times for me to wake up with a roscoe pointed at the door to get  mine  locked up.  I will give you this..a 12 gauge def. increases the comfort level....You do know that if LEO rolls up and you have a weapon in your hand..you become the enemy until proven otherwise...you also become a distraction from more pressing concerns..I would concede that if you insist on toting a pistol you at least have a "shoot don't shoot" training event every few years.....If you have little kids..lock 'em up...

[Day Man]

45 minutes ago, Alpharatz said:

Creeping around in the dark with some stupid pistol as your defense is not too comforting...And it took only a couple of times for me to wake up with a roscoe pointed at the door to get  mine  locked up.  I will give you this..a 12 gauge def. increases the comfort level....You do know that if LEO rolls up and you have a weapon in your hand..you become the enemy until proven otherwise...you also become a distraction from more pressing concerns..I would concede that if you insist on toting a pistol you at least have a "shoot don't shoot" training event every few years.....If you have little kids..lock 'em up...

where did you learn the "ellipses > proper sentence structure" system?

[dream big]

On 9/30/2021 at 1:55 PM, arg said:

No mention of the border from the current prez fans. Hard to say it's his fault when we're not sure he's running things.

Have a friend I used to fly with who proudly voted for him, thinks he doing a fantastic job and is fiercely loyal to him. He thinks the only reason the BP brought out horses and whips(he did not know what reins were for) was because the Haitians were black. When reminded who the president is he claimed they were some racist hold overs from Trump.

Is your “friend” a former C-17 pilot by any chance? 
 

Yeah I have sitting Squadron Commanders, weapons officers and otherwise successful military officers that genuinely believe Biden and Kamala are doing an excellent job.  That’s what scares and concerns me.

[M2]

On 9/30/2021 at 1:48 PM, DirkDiggler said:

My point is right at the top of this forum’s section it says “keep it civil, don’t abuse this forum”.  Are you cool with dudes/dudettes going after people’s spouses/kids on here?

ADMIN NOTE:  No, we're not cool with it.  In fact, I just removed several posts that violated the rule of keeping things civil. 

Consider this a fair warning to all involved, KIO on the personal attacks as the next time I see such posts I will do more than just remove them. 

Either stick to the topic at hand, or move on to other threads; but there will be no more warnings!

[Guardian]

Agree. No one in this chat was defending his use of the word or saying it wasn’t offensive or that he should have said it.

[arg]

7 hours ago, dream big said:

Is your “friend” a former C-17 pilot by any chance? 
 

Yeah I have sitting Squadron Commanders, weapons officers and otherwise successful military officers that genuinely believe Biden and Kamala are doing an excellent job.  That’s what scares and concerns me.

Retired E7 Radio Operator.

Edit. He was a good RO glad to have flown with him.

Edited October 2, 2021 by arg
Bacon

[DirkDiggler]

21 hours ago, Guardian said:

Agree. No one in this chat was defending his use of the word or saying it wasn’t offensive or that he should have said it.

M2 wasn't referring to the ethnic slur in the COVID thread.

[nsplayr]

On 9/27/2021 at 8:12 PM, VMFA187 said:

Question for anyone who voted for the current administration - Are you happy with the current state of our nation? If so, what makes you feel that way?

I’m a pretty center-of-mass Democrat/liberal that happily voted for Biden in the general election. I am happy with the way things are going for the most part.

Biden wasn’t my first choice in the primary, Buttigieg was, but he wasn’t my last choice either. I wish he were about 15 years younger but oh well…I would support an upper-age limit on all federal public office of maybe 70 or 75 years old. I voted for Kerry/Obama/Hillary/Biden in my adult life for reference.

I’d like to see the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the debt ceiling raise/elimination, and the “human infrastructure” / Build Back Better reconciliation bill passed here in October. If we fail to do those things that will be disappointing but I’m cautiously optimistic they’ll all happen in some form.

I am happy with Biden’s COVID response, the American Rescue Plan bill passed in March, most of his appointments and his stewardship of our economic recovery from COVID. Also happy with ending our involvement in Afghanistan even if the pullout was ugly. Good riddance to that place. I spent a fair amount of time there personally and I don’t want to see any more American service members die there for no good reason.

I’m in a guard squadron where almost everyone is very conservative and that’s totally fine. We all get along and have some lively debates from time to time while still executing the mission. Never had a problem with anyone due to politics either on active duty or while in the guard. Never questioned anyones competence or fitness for office solely based on their strong support for Trump or Biden or whomever.

Happy to discuss more via DM or in person at the actual squadron bar; my days of debating folks here endlessly are done. Take it from me, it ain’t worth your time haha, I would know! 🍻

Edited October 5, 2021 by nsplayr

[HeloDude]

Let’s go Brandon!

T-shirts available on Amazon haha

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HSNR94V?fbclid=IwAR10FBioLI35MuligLwB83SUmVKMvQpiNeCWYg8wcGzd4RlhAKSM1sKvHog

[Lowspeedhidrag]

Biden is amazing....not like drumpf the nazi circus clown......see for yourself....It's all about equity and freedom; something the Maga cult can't get behind....

[GrndPndr]

12 hours ago, Lowspeedhidrag said:

Biden is amazing....not like drumpf the nazi circus clown......see for yourself....It's all about equity and freedom; something the Maga cult can't get behind....

 

Whatch'er seein' there - that's something called "Humility," I'm sure of it.  Or, he's filling his pants (sts).

[ClearedHot]

On 9/29/2021 at 9:26 AM, Negatory said:

I know that this is intentional bait, but I’ll respond.

Almost everyone on this forum didn’t vote for Biden, per say. They voted against Trump. I bet many would do it again. I think that’s the crux of the issue.

In almost no ways do I think we’d be in a better spot as a nation with Trump at the reigns. I agree with your assessment of many of this admin’s errors. It sucks. But do I think it’d be better with Trump? Fuck no. The Trump admin did more to dismantle the credibility of our democracy and give credence to blatant conspiracy theorists and bigots than anyone in recent history. I can think of very few Trump policies domestically, internationally, economically, or militarily that I really wish Biden would implement.

 

@VMFA187 Did a great job of raising important questions and issues, let me try to calmly pitch in because I simply don't understand how a rationale person agrees with much of what Biden has done AND many of the socialist policies his is supporting if not pushing. 

To be completely open and honest, I voted for Trump.  I found it a painful thing to do for several reasons the most important being I found him to be a bloviating narcissist.  Additionally it might surprise you but I am socially liberal; I support gay rights including marriage, I am 51% in favor of abortion (it is abhorrent, but as a nation based on personal freedoms I don't think the government has the right to tell a woman what to do inside her body...we will circle back Jenn to that one shortly), and I think we need some social safety nets to protect those who can't protect themselves.  That being said, Biden is an absolute idiot who is clearly in mental decline.  He has been wrong on EVERY foreign policy decision over the past 50 years.  I would invite you to read Chris Wallace's new book on the Neptune Spear for more on that topic.  In totality I believed as a nation we would be in a better situation and I think that has CLEARLY played out over the last year.

On 9/29/2021 at 9:26 AM, Negatory said:

Is the economy worse now? No, but it’s not better. We’re fucked and have been ever since Obama era Fed reserves pumped $4T into the stock market. Trumps economic policies pumped $3T in in 12 months. Turns out blue and red are both idiots here who will play fiscal conservative when it’s convenient but still do the same thing.
 

I think the economy is worse now and under Biden for several reasons.  While both parties have issues with deficit spending, by all measures of reason Biden has taken that to a stupid level that will drive us down a dangerous road.  There is much to debate about Trump's tax cuts and the impact on the national debt, but a large portion of his deficit spending was COVID expense.  Is the market up under Biden?  Yes, even with a 9% correction over the past two weeks (we were due), but the underlying dynamics have completely changed.  We now have inflation and it is going to get worse.  The repeated stimulus packages are fueling what could turn into a terrible storm given the second and third order impacts caused by global supply chain issues.  In general the DNC policies (paying people not to work, $20 min wage and general malaise about getting back to work), have caused incredible secondaries throughout the market.  There is currently a major shortage of truck drivers, the backbone of our supply system and I would invite you to look at the situation at the port of Los Angeles.  There are so many ships lined up waiting to offload they had to tell them to stop coming.  As of the report I heard yesterday there are 500,000 shipping containers waiting to be offloaded and entered into the supply chain.  Also as of yesterday, there was one...I repeat ONE large crane operational and manned to offload those containers.  When people don't want to work unless they are paid $100,00 a year to flip burgers, you will feel it in the system.  The current administration is completely removed from reality as demonstrated by an "absurd" comment from the White House Press Secretary who thinks businesses won't pass increased taxes and costs on to consumers"There are some … who argue that, in the past, companies have passed on these costs to consumers," Psaki said. "We feel that that’s unfair and absurd, and the American people would not stand for that."  How you can defend or accept comments like this is simply BEYOND me.

On 9/29/2021 at 9:26 AM, Negatory said:

Is the military worse now? It’s good we actually left Afghanistan. How we did it was stupid, but it took some balls to just pull the cord and leave. Withdrawals are messy. But we are going to benefit from that, I think. I have no idea if Trump would have followed through. Are we going to modernize to be relevant on the world stage? No, doubt it. Probably would do better with Trump here, but we could have an argument on whether or not it’s even possible. Tell me if you think a war in the Taiwan straits is actually winnable from not just a military perspective, but a geopolitical one.
 

Yes we left Afghanistan and yes it took balls.  Trump started the ball rolling with a conditions based deal.  A few points of order.  1.  The Taliban were not in compliance with the conditions.  2.  No I do not think 2500 troops could have sustained Afghanistan.  3.  Biden claims his hands were tied by the deal...he undid almost every other Trump policy but this is the one that got him?  Gimme an Fing break.  More importantly, regardless of your opinion on the decision to leave, we left Americans behind...I say again...WE LEFT AMERICANS BEHIND.  You with a straight face can say this puts us in a better position as a country?  Those four words should be my only reply to this post...it should be game, set, match to anyone who has every served.

On 9/29/2021 at 9:26 AM, Negatory said:

Are we doing better with COVID? Maybe. Current admin definitely has a more coherent messaging schema and plan. I do believe that vaccines were created and pushed more under Biden than they would have been under Trump, which contributed to higher rates. Delta would have hit regardless, and I’m sure Trump would have been peddling pseudo science, still. Sucks the vaccine doesn’t work nearly as well as we hoped, not really a clear path forward here.

Seriously?  A more coherent message?  Our policy is a mandate for all military, federal workers and companies that do business with the government but the hundreds of thousands of illegals that pour across our borders each month get a pass?  In what universe my friend?  For the record, Trump enabled the system to deliver a vaccine in record time and despite assurances from Biden he has NOT handled this better than Trump.  As of yesterday more people have died of COVID under Biden than under Trump...WITH A VACCINE AND APPROVED THERAPEUTICS. 

On 9/29/2021 at 9:26 AM, Negatory said:

From an economic inequality perspective, I have an admin that isn’t literally run by a sociopathic billionaire. The fact that they are talking about finding ways to close loopholes that allow the mega rich to have a lower effective tax rate than a teacher is the right answer. If that involves taxing unrealized gains above a certain threshold, then do it. I wholly believe that Reagan era economic principles of just giving rich people all the money, which is what Trump selfishly pushed, are part of the moral decline of our country that basically started right after the Reagan admin.

I have to disagree with this twisted assessment.  If you want to close loopholes I am ok with that as long as you account for the unintended consequences.  A few items in particular and I would love honest feedback on how this is fair to rich people.  The current U.S. economic system is already highly redistributive

Taxes – How much more should the rich pay?  Seriously, the DNC mantra that seems to hate rich people is “the rich should pay their fair share”…give me a freaking break.  What is “fair” given the following facts from the IRS.

#1.  The top 1% pays 40% of the U.S. tax burden while earning 21% of all income.

#2.  The top 5% pays 60% of the U.S. tax burden while earning 37% of the income.

 

You used the example of the marginal tax rate of school teachers...we should rich people have to pay a higher tax rate?   If a teacher makes $50,000 and pays 10% they are paying $5,000 a year in taxes.  If a rich person makes $500,000 a year and pays 10% they are paying $50,000 a year and taxes, but this is not "fair"  Lunacy.  Regardless, the progressive tax system is EXTREMELY unfair.  Under the current tax code that rich person pays 37% or $185,000 a year in taxes...but that is not their fair share...you and Biden want more?  Going back to 2012

In 2012, individuals in the bottom quintile (that is, the bottom 20 percent) of incomes (families with less than $17,104 in market income) received $27,171 on average in net benefits through all levels of government, while on average those in the top quintile (families with market incomes above $119,695) pay $87,076 more than they receive. The top 1 percent paid some $812,000 more....but that is not FAIR right?

 

From your comments it seems you agree with the DNC that we should go after unrealized gains, I don't even have the words to describe how unfair and dangerous that is.  That is straight up income redistribution right out of the communist manifesto.  

On 9/29/2021 at 9:26 AM, Negatory said:

Are we socially better off? This is the big win. But it’s all only temporary. Putting hateful folks in their place by showing them more than half the country disagree has been nice. I know you guys largely don’t fall into that group, but the idiots that were empowered during the Trump admin to say racist, authoritarian bullshit really helped the unraveling of America.

 

Again, seriously?  We have a vaccine mandate, we want to tell women they don't have the freedom to control what they put in their body, but they do have control of what they take out of their body?  Mixed message much?  You don't find that to be authoritarian? 

What about the admin suppressing free speech?  The Biden DOJ has again weaponized the FBI and will investigate parents who push back on school boards as DOMESTIC TERRORISTS.  That should be staggering to anyone who has sworn an oath to the Constitution?  And to make sure I understand the policy, it is okay to protest social injustice by burning down cities, rioting, destroying government buildings and property, and attack the police but if you attend a school board meeting and push back on Critical Race Theory you are a domestic terrorist? 

On 9/29/2021 at 9:26 AM, Negatory said:

Our our allegiances across the world in a better spot? Yeah, I think so. Public perception of America has shifted an order of magnitude in our favor. And I believe we will not be a superpower by our own choosing, as we were between 1990-2020, anymore. We live and die based on our alliances and diplomacy as China expands.
 

I actually laughed when I read your comment. 

#1.  We abandoned Bagram and our ally in the middle of the night with no warning or notice.

#2. We left Afghanistan to burn to the ground despite a conditions based agreement that was not satisfied. 

#3.  We denied our ally air support and left them and the ones who supported us to die.

#4.  We negotiated with a terrorist organization and left them in charge of a country.

#5.  We LEFT AMERICANS BEHIND.

#6.  We screwed NATO.

#7.  We left the Brits so mad they officially condemned our President in Parliament for the first time since the war of 1812.

#8.  We pissed off the French so bad over a Sub deal that "Biden was unaware of", the French recalled their ambassador for the first time ever.

If Trump did one thing right it was stand up to China while we still have tools and levers to pull.  Pull back the curtain, China is going to go high order either internally or externally, much sooner than most think and hope.

On 9/29/2021 at 9:26 AM, Negatory said:

Is the future brighter? I mean, maybe more so than the Trump admin, but the future is pretty god damn dim. Global warming, climate refugees, and water wars are actually going to be catastrophic events in the next century. The Trump admin chose to actively dismantle any efforts to think about that, so that we could compete with China. Not an effective strategy. I appreciate having a 10-20 year plan on how to tackle a problem, as opposed to the Trump admins easy button of “well deal with that later, we have to use coal to beat China,” when we’ll never actually “beat” China.

The United States could go to net zero carbon emissions and it would not make a difference, look at the numbers. The issue is China and India.  I would rather see the U.S. remain energy independent and pour those taxes into innovation, accelerate a Manhattan like project toward fusion, clean energy and renewables.  The only real solution seems to be fusion.  Instead we have decided to wreck our energy industry, again become dependent on OPEC and others for our energy and give up the leadership position.

On 9/29/2021 at 9:26 AM, Negatory said:

Moral of the story is from a I-voted-against-Trump standpoint I’m happy he’s not there in basically all areas other than military modernization. I would not say I’m happy I got Biden. But it’s the lesser of two evils in this dumbass iteration of a democratic republic that is really just a nicely wrapped 2 party system. Implement ranked choice voting and expand past the biggest issue with our country: 2 party politics. I don’t want Biden. I don’t want Trump. I don’t think anyone is “happy.”

I guess we disagree on the lesser of two evils.  I see us as far weaker today.

 

[Alpharatz]

On 10/1/2021 at 10:29 PM, Day Man said:

where did you learn the "ellipses > proper sentence structure" system?

The range master..where else??   They booted me out of the zoo..