cubsfan

So true. Once the wife gets involved, everything needs a theme, needs to match, and every room needs to be "set up". That's when the real fun and expenses begin. Who says men & women are the same!

^^^ Don't forget Europe. Europe has huge economic ties to China, so they have a large stake in this.

Conspiracy theories?? It's in the congressional investigation documents, bank examiner records and the evidence is sitting right in from of you. And this is a thread about the Taiwan invasion threat. You just don't like the evidence. Cheers.

Yeah, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. You just keep looking @Spooky

Keep your head in the sand @Spooky Your gaslighting won't work here. $40,000?? Try $24,000,000 The House Oversight Committee has identified over 20 shell companies and uncovered how the Bidens and their associates raked in over $24 million dollars between 2015 and 2019 by selling Joe Biden as “the brand.” Financial records obtained show Hunter Biden’s business account, Owasco PC, received payments from Chinese-state linked companies and other foreign nationals and companies. You asked for the links and I gave them to you.. You still have not told me what legitimate business the Bidens were running.

Just for you. @Spooky A bank investigator just doing his job... https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Bank-Email.pdf An email obtained by Chairman Comer’s subpoena reveals the bank investigator’s concerns about the initial $5 million funding from Northern International Capital Holdings, a CEFC affiliated entity linked to the Chinese government, and the subsequent erratic payments to Hudson West III, Hunter Biden’s joint venture with a Chinese national, and Owasco, P.C, an entity owned by Hunter Biden. The bank investigator emphasized how Hudson West III did not have any investment projects at the time, yet money was being paid to Owasco, P.C. without any services provided. The bank investigator also noted China’s pattern of targeting children of politicians to purchase political influence through “sweetheart deals.”

You need to dig on your own sources @Spooky I suggest starting with James Comer and the Biden family payoffs. Payments to Joe Biden from Hunter’s Owasco PC corporate account are part of a pattern revealing Joe Biden knew about, participated in, and benefited from his family’s influence peddling schemes. As the Bidens received millions from foreign nationals and companies in China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Kazakhstan. The House Oversight Committee has identified over 20 shell companies and uncovered how the Bidens and their associates raked in over $24 million dollars between 2015 and 2019 by selling Joe Biden as “the brand.” Financial records obtained show Hunter Biden’s business account, Owasco PC, received payments from Chinese-state linked companies and other foreign nationals and companies. https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-releases-direct-monthly-payments-to-joe-biden-from-hunter-bidens-business-entity/ Hunter Biden is under an investigation by the Department of Justice for using Owasco PC for tax evasion and other serious crime. The House Oversight Committee is releasing subpoenaed bank records that show Hunter Biden’s business entity, Owasco PC, made direct monthly payments to Joe Biden. https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-reveals-how-joe-biden-received-laundered-china-money/ The money trail begins in July 2017 when Hunter Biden demanded payment from his Chinese Communist Party (CCP) linked associate. On July 30, 2017, Hunter Biden sent a message to Raymond Zhao—a CEFC associate—demanding a $10 million dollar capital payment and claimed his father, Joe Biden, was sitting in the room. CEFC is a Chinese energy company linked to the CCP. The Bidens began working with CEFC when Joe Biden was Vice President. On August 8, 2017, Northern International Capital, a Chinese company affiliated with CEFC, sent $5 million to Hudson West III, a joint venture established by Hunter Biden and CEFC associate Gongwen Dong. That same day, Hudson West III sent $400,000 to Owasco, P.C., an entity owned and controlled by Hunter Biden. On August 14, 2017, Hunter Biden wired $150,000 to Lion Hall Group, a company owned by President Biden’s brother James and sister-in-law Sara Biden. On August 28, 2017, Sara Biden withdrew $50,000 in cash from Lion Hall Group. Later the same day, she deposited it into her and James Biden’s personal checking account. On September 3, 2017, Sara Biden cut a check to Joe Biden for $40,000 for a “loan repayment.” You need to do your homework @Spooky - because you are ignoring the facts once again. You still have not told me what legitimate business the Biden family was running?

A real lesson in getting it done. Whatever it takes in terms of sacrifice. My regard for you grows. Mainly because you're a generous individual. Your kids are lucky to have a father like you.

^^^ It is best to just stick to the facts. And this thread is about Taiwan and the potential of an invasion. Unfortunately, that has everything to do with US foreign policy, like it or not. - Hard to understand why you ignore the millions in payments the Biden family have received from Chinese. Those payments have been extensively documented by banks, and congressional investigations. Feel free to argue those payment were "legitimately earned" and not the result of influence peddling by the Chinese to Joe Biden. Ask yourself why Hunter is in court for tax evasion and hiding payments? Form your own conclusion on the facts - but I call it corruption. But please tell me what the "legitimate" business was that earned them millions from China... - Why would you ignore the handling of North Korea by Trump in favor of our allies? Any reason? - Why is it NOW that China is making waves about invading Taiwan, but not during the Trump term? Any reason? Keep avoiding the facts as you wish.

I understand what Biden has said a year ago about defending Taiwan. He's waffling now with his more recent remarks about Taiwan's new government. Look at the mess he created in Afghanistan and it's easy to see why our allies in the Far East are very nervous. Trump didn't have to do anything for China to know that Taiwan was off limits. China saw his threats to little rocket man in North Korea and the way he handled the Taliban, Iran's terrorists general Soleimani and Putin's Russian mercenaries - to know Trump meant business. Say all you want - but you can't change these facts. US Foreign policy was a major victory during the Trump administration vs a total disaster today. We had 4 years of relative peace versus a total shit show today. Feel free to put your support behind a President that is totally comprised by payoffs from China.

You can be sure that Taiwan, Japan & the Philippines will nuke up if the USA is unwilling to continue to extend our defense umbrella to our Asian allies. USA protection against China/North Korea has always been implicit for decades in exchange for keeping nuclear proliferation under control. But now President Biden is dangerously close to abandoning Taiwan. The others in the South China Sea are watching - and our allies will certainly invest in their own protection (nukes) - should the US let Taiwan fall. You can be sure of that. The faster Biden is cast out - the sooner the world will be.

Bill Ackman is a junkyard dog. Good for him continuing to expose Harvard and now BI.

I don't really get this at all. Why would anyone want to work 15 hours a week when the opportunities are there to make money? You know how expensive housing is in this country and how terrible inflation has been. How is someone looking to provide for a family, buy a house, pay for college going to make it working 15 hours per week. That's insane.

That's a fascinating viewpoint that makes a lot of sense. The amount of "helpers" and non-productive "watchers" is pretty astounding. You can certainly see it in our institutions. I wonder if you can really say that about public companies? Maybe the large tech companies will wise up...?

^^^ @dealraker Nicely put on Brookfield. I'd say the same after holding BAM for 10 years as one of my top 2-3 positions. Sold it in 2023 after the continuing discussions about BAM on the board. It reminds me of Munger who was describing a business owner friend of his who fired one of his top producing sales people - "He made me nervous, and I'm too old and rich to have to worry about him". Being a software sales manager for 15 years - that always stuck with me.

BRK.b 37% BOC 19% JOE 15% PYCO 4% DFH 4% MSGS/E 4% DVA 2% FRPH 2% AIV 2% PTLO 2% VRE 2% EBAY 2% 1% -- SODI, CLPR,CKX,SKYH/WS,CLF, Cash 4%

"Fool Me Once" - Netflix mini-series (8 episodes) - excellent flick about a wife that hunts down her husband's killer. Great ending.

DEI is out and out racism plain and simple. Just ask the Jews in the Ivy League. Or those high achieving Asian students being discriminated against for years by Stanford and the Ivies. It's great to see DEI exposed as the race-hustling scam it really is. Never forget the words of race hustler extraordinaire Ibram X. Kendi: "The only remedy to past discrimination, is present discrimination" That's the basis & belief of DEI and that is certainly not racial progress.

Thanks. Watched it last night. Amazing story. Nobody sorry about a thing.

I think Oakmark Funds (Bill Nygren) are very well respected. https://oakmark.com/who-we-are/

I knew exactly what you meant. And I know that you know your history. 100,000 Japanese civilians died in the firebombing (??). And it's a terrible moral dilemma when you are faced with the issue of how to stop a brutal, sadistic regime like the Japanese empire. The Japanese armed forces killed 16,000,000 Asian CIVILIANS - mostly through mass executions, forced conscription and starvation starting in 1931 Manchuria. Japan lost 2,000,000 soldiers and 1,000,000 civilians - yet for EACH soldier Japan lost they killed EIGHT civilians. So you can debate the morals of Curtis Lemay, who started the bombing campaign in March 1945 and helped to accelerate an end to the Japanese civilian killing machine. Like I said - Someone had to help save millions of civilian lives. And that would be Lemay's contribution to the war effort. Happy Holidays to you as well.

So true. To the victor go the spoils. At least Curtis saved millions of lives. A dirty, nasty job that someone had to do to end the war.

It was very good for the country when he was the US President, and I see no reason why it won't be again. For one, the energy "jobs" will be a boon to the economy, and the destruction of useless regulations will fuel corporate profits and jobs. President Biden has strangled this economy with low paying jobs and inflation. China can do whatever they like - I'm concerned about a thriving US economy. @Luca

And very bullish for US stocks...

^^^ I think you make excellent points, we really just don’t know. How many Ukrainians have left the country? 20 or 25%?? The scandal with conscripts this year where deferments were being sold right and left for those choosing not to fight - is a sure sign of stress. Broadening the military age to able bodied men from 18 to 60 looks like manpower stress. Now including women looks like stress. So this years crackdown is indicative of a manpower shortage. We’ll know soon enough. The issue won’t be weapons, but enough people to man and train those weapons, and then fight.