Today in hypocrisy...

[Lord Ratner]

1 hour ago, ClearedHot said:

Incorrect:  Guessing you didn't watch the entire segment - He said "Inflation today is about 40% of what it was when Joe Biden took office"

His statement is categorically a lie.  The US Monthly inflation rate the day Biden took office was 1.4%, one year later it was 7.5%.  Inflation is in fact up 39% since Biden took office.

Also:

1 hour ago, ClearedHot said:

Incorrect:  Guessing you didn't watch the entire segment - He said "Inflation today is about 40% of what it was when Joe Biden took office"

His statement is categorically a lie.  The US Monthly inflation rate the day Biden took office was 1.4%, one year later it was 7.5%.  Inflation is in fact up 39% since Biden took office.

Also:

The Average YOY Inflation Rate under Trump was: 1.9%

The Average YOY Inflation Rate under Biden is: 5.7%

The Average YOY Inflation Rate under Trump was: 1.9%

The Average YOY Inflation Rate under Biden is: 5.7%

Ok I see what you're saying, I missed the "took office" part. However the inflation that took place in 2021 was not from Joe Biden. It was from Trump and the pandemic supply shocks. The inflation we have today, and that we will have for the next decade in all likelihood, is from Biden. And Bush, and definitely Obama. Lot's of chickens coming home to roost. And when Trump wins, and the economy slows down, the trillions in Fed stimulus that Trump will call for will make inflation even worse. 

 

Not that it matters. Every economic statistic is a disaster under Biden, yet that are plenty of stats to twist to make it seem like he's doing great. Remember when he was bragging about reducing unemployment... after a pandemic?

 

 

[nsplayr]

22 minutes ago, FourFans said:

There are a few absolutely excellent players in the Biden Cabinet.

Agree on Sullivan and I like Blinken as well. Yellen is excellent at Treasury, she never should have been replaced at the Fed, although Powell is also good...their policies & philosophy seem very similar. Haaland and Vilsack are quiet A- players in their jobs. Linda Thomas-Greenfield is great at the UN.

Overall some hits and some misses, as usual. Hoping that a second term brings some fresh faces in some key positions!

[Day Man]

1 hour ago, HeloDude said:

Wait, are you suggesting that your opinion of whether or not someone is competent outweighs someone else’s opinion that differs than yours? 

i simply asked him to elaborate on his thought as part of a 2-way conversation...you should try it sometime!

[Lord Ratner]

4 hours ago, gearhog said:

The cycle does repeat, and Strauss and Howe do a great job illustrating that what we're going through today isn't new, but the circumstances and concerns of a vastly different population with vastly different technologies are. Never before have this many people been lifted this far out of poverty. A reversion to the mean would be a disaster unlike any previous cycle. Never before have this many people believed that not only will we suffer at the hands of human governance in the crisis phase, but that we are also now approaching planetary constraints in terms of environment/resources. No one can say how true it is at this moment in time, but unlimited consumption in a finite system isn't sustainable. People are compelled to take extreme actions on that belief now, and I don't think that can be said of any previous saeculum.

Your metric is way off. 

4 hours ago, gearhog said:

Never before have this many people been lifted this far out of poverty.

 

4 hours ago, gearhog said:

Never before have this many people believed that not only will we suffer at the hands of human governance in the crisis phase, but that we are also now approaching planetary constraints in terms of environment/resources.

 

4 hours ago, gearhog said:

what we're going through today isn't new, but the circumstances and concerns of a vastly different population with vastly different technologies are

 

5 hours ago, gearhog said:

No one can say how true it is at this moment in time, but unlimited consumption in a finite system isn't sustainable

You don't think the airplane was vastly new? The telephone? Radio? Radar? You think Global Warming is different than global cooling, peak oil, the ozone hole, overpopulation, etc? Every decade since the start of the industrial revolution, other than immediately following a war, was the most people lifted from poverty at the time. These are exactly the things people have said each time. 

5 hours ago, gearhog said:

America no longer exists to provide you, me, our grandkids, friends, and neighbors with the highest levels of safety, security and standard of living in history. It is a means to provide the corporatists you mentioned earlier with those things. Now that we are reaching a sufficient level of advancement where they may not require the productive efforts of many Americans, or even other populations to ensure their security, they must address the issue of "useless eaters". America, Western nations, and their ideologies are being dismantled. Immigration, reduction of freedoms, destruction of culture, civil unrest, inflation, taxation, household and national debts, sustainability efforts, and engagement in conflict are the attempts and methods being used to level the playing field.

If you read the Fourth Turning then you know these same forces were in play each time, including government capture, elite hubris, wealth inequality, and absurd ideologies. 

Just look at the small but measurable resurgence in union organizing. What is old is new again.

 

I admit that the US can fall, but our location, resources, and population make that unlikely. We are simply in a better position based on many things we can't fuck up, no matter how hard we try. And we are trying 😂🤣

[Lord Ratner]

40 minutes ago, nsplayr said:

Yellen is excellent at Treasury, she never should have been replaced at the Fed, although Powell is also good...their policies & philosophy seem very similar.

Wait what? We had interest rates lower than they've ever been in history, and the Treasury doubled down on short term instruments. If they had issued Bonds at <2% and Notes at  <0.5%,  our government debt would be a time bomb with a 20 year fuse instead of a 2 year fuse. How is that "excellent?"

She also sat on low interest rates at the Fed, building this mess up when the economy was doing great. And she didn't see inflation till it hit her in the face over and over and over. Exactly what does she have to do in your mind to be less-than-excellent?

Edited April 11 by Lord Ratner

[FourFans]

[HeloDude]

1 hour ago, Day Man said:

i simply asked him to elaborate on his thought as part of a 2-way conversation...you should try it sometime!

But that’s not what you said—you said you can only think of one competent person in Trump’s administration.  So why argue with your opinion if it’s clear we disagree on political matters and your philosophy?

[Day Man]

1 hour ago, HeloDude said:

But that’s not what you said—you said you can only think of one competent person in Trump’s administration.  So why argue with your opinion if it’s clear we disagree on political matters and your philosophy?

because i could literally only think of one person? (Devos was the only other and she was garbage, i had to google Ross, couldn't remember what role Carson had, etc) So sorry for trying to understand a viewpoint different than mine. 🙄 Not sure why you're so worried about our discussion anyways...

[ClearedHot]

Democratic National Committee paid lawyers who represented Biden in special counsel probe

Just a few weeks ago Biden's staffer/advisors/supporter were blasting the RNC for the EXACT same thing. 

"Only a con man and grifter like Donald Trump would be so brazen as to take campaign donors' money to pay his mounting legal bills before the financially strapped RNC even gets a cut," Floyd said in a March 21 statement. "His campaign and the RNC are already in financial disarray, and Trump is only making their never-ending problems worse by turning his fundraising operation into a begging cup for his legal debts."

[Biff_T]

We need to bus our national leaders to a concentration camp.  

Edited April 14 by Biff_T
Afterthought

[Lord Ratner]

43 minutes ago, Biff_T said:

We need to bus our national leaders to a concentration camp.  

You ever seen Joe Biden reading a teleprompter? Can't concentrate more than that...

[Biff_T]

23 minutes ago, Lord Ratner said:

You ever seen Joe Biden reading a teleprompter? Can't concentrate more than that...

No shit man.  He reminds me of that guy on "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" that chose poorly.  

[HeloDude]

3 hours ago, Biff_T said:

No shit man.  He reminds me of that guy on "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" that chose poorly.  

So you’re calling Biden a Nazi now?  That’s what the left does to Trump!

[Vetter]

On 4/11/2024 at 1:07 PM, nsplayr said:

Agree on Sullivan and I like Blinken as well. Yellen is excellent at Treasury, she never should have been replaced at the Fed, although Powell is also good...their policies & philosophy seem very similar. Haaland and Vilsack are quiet A- players in their jobs. Linda Thomas-Greenfield is great at the UN.

Overall some hits and some misses, as usual. Hoping that a second term brings some fresh faces in some key positions!

Pure. Delusion.

 

i hope you aren’t in charge of any people or weapon systems.

Please be sarcasm.

[nsplayr]

1 hour ago, Vetter said:

Pure. Delusion.

 

i hope you aren’t in charge of any people or weapon systems.

Please be sarcasm.

I am in charge of both, thanks 😃

Do you seriously think that Democrats are not in the military or in other positions of authority? New flash, people of all political stripes serve and do so well. My politics has little to do with my service in uniform.

A fellow pilot on my team is a HUGE Trump fan and we joke about it all the time, but we work great together. He gives me shit, I give him shit, we fly the mission, etc. We'll be checking different boxes on election day 2024, but pretty much every other day we're fully aligned on killing our nation's enemies and protecting it's friends & interests with airpower.

If that seems weird or foreign to you, I in turn hope that you are retired. TYFYS.

Edited April 16 by nsplayr

[BashiChuni]

4 hours ago, nsplayr said:

I am in charge of both, thanks 😃

 

tyfys

[BashiChuni]

5 hours ago, Vetter said:

Pure. Delusion.

 

i hope you aren’t in charge of any people or weapon systems.

Please be sarcasm.

sullivan and blinken are fucking horrible. all of the neocon/state department entrenched bureaucrats are terrible.

[FourFans]

4 hours ago, BashiChuni said:

sullivan and blinken are fucking horrible. all of the neocon/state department entrenched bureaucrats are terrible.

Who would you prefer, specifically?

[FourFans]

9 hours ago, nsplayr said:

I am in charge of both, thanks 😃

Do you seriously think that Democrats are not in the military or in other positions of authority? New flash, people of all political stripes serve and do so well. My politics has little to do with my service in uniform.

A fellow pilot on my team is a HUGE Trump fan and we joke about it all the time, but we work great together. He gives me shit, I give him shit, we fly the mission, etc. We'll be checking different boxes on election day 2024, but pretty much every other day we're fully aligned on killing our nation's enemies and protecting it's friends & interests with airpower.

If that seems weird or foreign to you, I in turn hope that you are retired. TYFYS.

In my opinion if someone is hard over "I'm a democrat" or "I'm a Trump supporter" or "I only vote ...insert party or single topic here..."  should be exempt from any form of command.  That sort of mental ossification proves the lack of dynamic thinking that should be mandatory for leading people.  It kills credibility and approachability.  It proves that said individual is willing to become beholden to an ideology, no matter how unrooted it is from social impact or scientific fact.  

It's not that you can't have strong opinions.  But when those opinions are so publicly displayed that your subordinates are made keenly aware of their importance in your life, you become unapproachable to at least 50 percent of your people.

To paraphrase Heinlein: The hammer should have strong opinions in the how it's used, so long as it's lawful.

@nsplayr you have has specifically stated that you agree with every policy that Biden has put into place.  So you are in command of people.  How has DEI impacted your command?  

Beyond that, do you still adhere to the idea that a green transition is a good idea, even though it's been proven impossible by the simple math of lithium required (we don't have enough on the planet) or the fact that Germany (the country farthest along in the 'green transition') has so failed in it's transition that it has de-transitioned back to using lignite coal and having it's residents burn wood which are the absolute worst carbon producers?

You lead people: your words.  You are a hard over democrat: your words.

Do you recognize how declaring a hard over political line (regardless of party) undercuts your credibility as an approachable leader?  

Edited April 17 by FourFans

[BashiChuni]

1 hour ago, FourFans said:

Who would you prefer, specifically?

none of the clinton/obama tree democrats...and certainly none of the john bolton/pompeo republicans.

which significantly narrows the list. the problem is the bureaucrats promote each other...it truly is entrenched. the professional political class has really fucked up what our country was meant to be.

[nsplayr]

55 minutes ago, FourFans said:

In my opinion if someone is hard over "I'm a democrat" or "I'm a Trump supporter" or "I only vote ...insert party or single topic here..."  should be exempt from any form of command.

I disagree. I mean, keep an open mind obviously to changing circumstances, but I've had plenty of good commanders, leaders, and fellow service members who I'm pretty sure vote straight ticket one way or the other.

Would you feel the same way about other things? What about professed and vocal Christians? Or atheists? Or vegans? Or Crossfitters?

IMHO having strong and consistent opinions and preferences on something should not make you "exempt from command." Command should be entrusted to those who can best execute the mission, lead people, manage resources, and improve their units...damn those sounds familiar...😁

59 minutes ago, FourFans said:

It's not that you can't have strong opinions.  But when those opinions are so publicly displayed that your subordinates are made keenly aware of their importance in your life, you become unapproachable to at least 50 percent of your people.

I hear ya here and sort of agree. The office is not the right place for politics, especially when it comes to commenting on your current chain of command.

That said, the best Commander and leader I ever served under was a huge Trump fan and everyone knew it. The guy just loved Trump; obviously I do not. BUT, he was an awesome leader and I'd follow him anywhere...except in the voting booth I guess!

One of my current favorite SNCO leaders in my unit is also a well-known Trump fan, and again, he's just a great leader of people, takes care of his airmen, is good in the seat, manages programs well, instructs well, great character and family, the total package. I'm proud to be on any team he is on, politics aside.

1 hour ago, FourFans said:

 You have has specifically stated that you agree with every policy that Biden has put into place.  So you are in command of people.  How has DEI impacted your command?  

The first sentence isn't accurate. Not willing to debate it though - see my retirement post from arguing about politics.

I think my unit handles any DEI issues well, but then again we're like an ~85% white male Guard unit in the South and I'm a southern white male, so perhaps there are issues I'm not seeing. IMHO our unit is well led, lethal at executing the mission, and seems to manage resources & morale well, hard to complain too much. DEI is about the 69th most important thing I worry about at work.

1 hour ago, FourFans said:

Beyond that, do you still adhere to the idea that a green transition is a good idea?

Yes. See above though. If it's a political discussion primarily, I'm not willing to bang my head against the wall anymore.

If you wanna talk renewable energy, EVs, solar, etc. I'd love to. I also live my values in this regard especially - I have solar on my house, batteries in the garage, and we have exclusively electric vehicles now. It's great! Let's take it offline or to another thread if you'd like.

Also FWIW Germany is far from the most advanced country when it comes to renewable energy. They weren't before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and they certainly aren't after it. I don't think anyone has ever claimed that other than maybe you.

1 hour ago, FourFans said:

You lead people: your words.  You are a hard over democrat: your words.

Do you recognize how declaring a hard over political line (regardless of party) undercuts your credibility as an approachable leader?  

I'm not sure I've ever said I was a "hard over Democrat." The only thing I'm "hard over" these days is BQZip's mom.

I agree that being a hyper-partisan and vocal-about-it military officer is a bad idea, no matter what your particular politics are.

I'm not, and the big Trump fans I know in my unit aren't either. We're too busy killing the enemy and figuring out how to keep everyone paid and happy to do more politically at work than typical aircrew banter.

[FourFans]

@nsplayr You should run for press secretary.  You literally reworded and reinterpreted every question and statement I asserted.  This is the hypocrisy thread after all, so...par for the course. 

To respond to your specific questions and assertions.

6 hours ago, nsplayr said:

Would you feel the same way about other things? What about professed and vocal Christians? Or atheists? Or vegans? Or Crossfitters?

No, because the US military does not directly work for the a church, a dietary persuasion, or a fitness group.  We work for politicians, which means that our political opinions are subject to a unique level of scrutiny, as they should be.  Specifically, we don't get to disobey orders based on political opinion...though I've seen some try.  To clarify my statement about "hard over": That's implying that someone ISN'T capable of keeping an open mind and is no way willing to change their opinions based on a line of reasoned logic.

6 hours ago, nsplayr said:

 You have has specifically stated that you agree with every policy that Biden has put into place.

6 hours ago, nsplayr said:

The first sentence isn't accurate.

Not debatable.  You literally said those exact words in previous threads.  Go re-read you own posts.  

6 hours ago, nsplayr said:

If it's a political discussion primarily

The green transition being physically unsustainable with current technology is ALSO not debatable and it's certainly not a political discussion.  It's a fact.  There isn't enough lithium ON THE PLANET to sustain only the USA's intended EV transition.  Again.  That's a fact, not a political debate.

6 hours ago, nsplayr said:

I think my unit handles any DEI issues well

Not the question I asked.  I asked how it impacted your unit, not how your unit deals with DEI issues.  Has going to mandatory training about 'you are white and you have prejudice that needs fixing' (a direct quote from DEI training at my southern, mostly white AFRC unit) hurt or helped your unit moral or unit capability?  Is the unit better able to accomplish it's mission because of this training?  

I'm glad to hear your unit is able to remain focused on the mission.  I'm curious if you can tell if the current senior leadership is focusing on social issues instead of mission ones.  It was clear to me and many of my in my cohort.  It wasn't good.

[nsplayr]

Ok dude, this is why I retired from this stuff. I’m not interested in these primarily political debates online anymore. What are you hoping to achieve here?

Believe what you want. I’ll keep doing my thing in my unit and you can keep doing yours wherever that may be; we’re good over here 🤙 

[herkbum]

[mention=5271]nsplayr[/mention] 
I'm glad to hear your unit is able to remain focused on the mission.  I'm curious if you can tell if the current senior leadership is focusing on social issues instead of mission ones.  It was clear to me and many of my in my cohort.  It wasn't good.

I’m going to caveat this by saying that I am retired and can’t speak to the current internal climate of nsplayer’s wing. But I will say that I have known the WG/CC and Command Chief for a long time and consider them very close friends. They are 2 of the most fair individuals I have ever served with. When the WG/CC was a SQ/CC, I was his DO. One of the best commanders I ever worked for. He always asked my opinion or for my advice. He was well informed and a great aviator, but more so , he was a great person. I am sure he addresses the social issues but I would be very surprised if they drive his decisions. I would say the very same thing about the Command Chief. That wing is in great hands.


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[FourFans]

Fair enough.  I'm glad to hear there are still some good leaders out there.  Game off.