cwericb

Boy ya certainly have got that right Cubs! "Everyday is Christmas with Trump." Dude's not Christmas gifting Cubs , He is Grifting, not Gifting. "A grifter is a person who engages in grifting, often using charm, persuasion, or deceit to manipulate others. Grifting in a Sentence: “The con artist was a skilled grifter, convincing people to invest in a fake business before disappearing with their money.”"

Trump and his administration have a problem. Fewer and fewer people believe what he and his administration say. And now the President and his supporters get frustrated because many, (except perhaps Cubs), believe little of what comes out of the White House these days. Obviously this is the result of all the exaggerated B.S. and outright lies that have have been coming from the President himself. The unfortunate result of Trump's wild exaggerations and outright lies is that the citizens of the Country and in fact, the general feeling in the rest of world is that they can no longer trust what comes from the Trump administration. Unfortunately this is the result of ripping up signed contracts and constant lies. It is a rather sad situation when a country losses it's credibility. But Mr. Trump is the author of his own misfortune . Hopefully no one will embarrass themself with the old "... but, but the other guy was worse" excuse.

Yeah, I completely agree with you. Poor political leadership, unsustainable fiscal policies, a world dividing along religious lines, seemingly declining mental levels in the general population, lack of work ethic, rising water levels, escalating weather events, etc, etc. Perhaps I worry too much, but it tends to give one concern for the world our children and grandchildren are going to have to contend with. Then again, perhaps I just worry too much.

Well, old is one thing, stupid is worse. Can't help remember the time Trump was bragging to people that the F-35 was invisible - "it could be right next to you and you can't see it." Jeez, was the pilot invisible as well? Must be a bitch to work on.

No. I neither misinterpreted, nor did I take Cubs comment out of context. Some years ago Cubs disparaged McCain in a similar manner and I attempted to educate him back then. Cubs is just suffering from his excessive Kool-aid consumption. You can criticize McCain if you wish, but the fact remains that he was the very definition of a true "American military Hero" and should be given the respect his memory deserves. If the far Right Republicans wish to continue to insult his memory simply because he was man enough to seek cooperation between Democrats and Republicans, and stood up for his convictions, than shame on them. When the President of the United States - a draft dodger himself no less, has found it necessary to publicly disparage a man like McCain and his military service, on numerous occasions, and after his death, it tells you all you need to know about the character (and lack thereof) of the present President of the United States. Trump has no sense of "class or "Honour". Want an example of class? Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk The term "weak" never deserves to be used in the same sentence as the name "John McCain".

Am I the only one concerned about the fact that it has been a while since we had any sort of real recession. Specifically the rule of thumb, if I remember correctly was "the longer the time between recessions, the worse they are" and it has been a while. We had a brief "covid' recession in 2020, but before that wasn't it during the financial crises?

My bad, I knew better. I meant John Kerry.

Anyone who refers to John McCain as "weak" needs to brush up on their history! That is probably one of the dumbest, insulting statements ever made. John McCain had more balls than half of all Trump supporters put together. Please educate yourself before making such statements. For your education .................... "McCain was taken prisoner of war on October 26, 1967. He was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam when his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi.[39][40] McCain fractured both arms and a leg when he ejected from the aircraft,[41] and nearly drowned after he parachuted into Trúc Bạch Lake. Some North Vietnamese pulled him ashore, then others crushed his shoulder with a rifle butt and bayoneted him.[39] McCain was then transported to Hanoi's main Hỏa Lò Prison, nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton".[40] Although McCain was seriously wounded and injured, his captors refused to treat him. They beat and interrogated him and he was given medical care only when the North Vietnamese discovered that his father was an admiral.[42] His status as a prisoner of war (POW) made the front pages of major American newspapers.[43][44] McCain spent six weeks in the hospital, where he received marginal care. He had lost 50 pounds (23 kg), he was in a chest cast, and his gray hair had turned white.[39] McCain was sent to a different camp on the outskirts of Hanoi.[45] In December 1967, McCain was placed in a cell with two other Americans, who did not expect him to live more than a week.[46] In March 1968, McCain was placed in solitary confinement, where he remained for two years.[47] In mid-1968, his father John S. McCain Jr. was named commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater, and the North Vietnamese offered McCain early release[48] because they wanted to appear merciful for propaganda purposes,[49] and also to show other POWs that elite prisoners were willing to be treated preferentially.[48] McCain refused repatriation unless every man taken in before him was also released. Such early release was prohibited by the POWs' interpretation of the military Code of Conduct, which states in Article III: "I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy."[50] To prevent the enemy from using prisoners for propaganda, officers were to agree to be released in the order in which they were captured.[39] Beginning in August 1968, McCain was subjected to severe torture.[51] He was bound and beaten every two hours, and he was suffering from heat exhaustion and dysentery.[39][51] Further injuries brought McCain to "the point of suicide", but his preparations were interrupted by guards. Eventually, McCain made an anti-U.S. propaganda "confession".[39] He had always felt that his statement was dishonorable, but as he later wrote: "I had learned what we all learned over there: every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine."[52][53] Many U.S. POWs were tortured and maltreated to extract "confessions" and propaganda statements;[54] virtually all eventually yielded something.[55] McCain received two to three beatings weekly because of his continued refusal to sign additional statements.[56] McCain refused to meet various anti-war groups seeking peace in Hanoi, wanting to give neither them nor the North Vietnamese a propaganda victory.[57] From late 1969, treatment of McCain and many of the other POWs became more tolerable,[58] while McCain continued to resist the camp authorities.[59] McCain and other prisoners cheered the U.S. "Christmas Bombing" campaign of December 1972, viewing it as a forceful measure to push North Vietnam to terms.[53][60] McCain was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years, until his release on March 14, 1973, along with 108 other prisoners of war.[61] His wartime injuries left him permanently incapable of raising his arms above his head. You call these American heroes Weak?? If the above information on John McCain isn't the antithesis of the word "weak" I don't know what is. This is the kind of CRAP that little Donald John Trump circulates and his cult followers recite it verbatim without question. One might also note that Mitt Romney was in charge of a Swift Boat patrolling the Viet Cong infested rivers in Vietnam during the war. MEANWHILE..... Donald John Trump was sitting out the war with his "bone spurs" playing with Daddy's money and calling the likes of John McCain and Mitt Romney suckers and losers. Disgusting. And you know, what the most embarrassing part of this little rant of mine is ............... It takes someone like me, a Canadian, (you know that country Draft Dodger Trump wants to take over), It takes a Canadian to correct Americans on their Facts about their own heroes.

What I object to is your statement: "Truth is, America is the only country in the world were the children of poor immigrants regularly move into the rich class through education, discpline and hard work - and are not discriminated against becuase of their race/religion/caste." Canada, for one has always welcomed immigrants, many of whom have become very, very successful.

Horse feathers! Not only is that a very presumptive (and incorrect) statement, but even IF it was true, why is the country going to such extremes to get rid of immigrants - especially since they "are not discriminated against becuase of their race/religion/caste."

Cool. So stay tuned. To me at least, I see some worrying trends, and as the saying goes, history may not repeat, but it often rhymes. I certainly hope we are not headed in that direction.

Okay, No problem here. Hate to admit it but I'm older than you and also do, and have always done, a lot of reading. Perhaps see my response to Cubs. Are you familiar to the events leading up to Hitler taking over power in the '30's? All I am saying is, like it or not there are some commonalities to present day USA, but we will see how things play out. Also keep in mind that Trump was proud of his German heritage and Trump (by his own admission) had copies of Hitler's early speeches. First wife, Ivana, said he kept them by his bedside. Regarding this, Trump stated, “If I had these speeches, and I am not saying that I do, I would never read them.”

Ditto, one of my interests as well. I thought you were fairly up on the subject of WWII from previous posts which is why I asked the question. But what I am getting at Cubs is, have you read up on the subject of how Hitler came into power in the late 1930's and the tactics he and his right wing Nazi party, used to take over Germany and lead it into WWII?

Not at all. Just asking a question. Have you spent any time studying the events leading up to WWII? And just for the record WWII started in 1939, not in December 1941.

Cubs, do you have any knowledge of world history? Have you ever read or studied the events leading up to WWII? For instance, have you read William Shirer's, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich? Just wondering.

You gotta be kidding me! You are still trying to put the blame on the Dems because they did not protect the Capitol from you guys on the Right. Do you not understand how delusional that is? It's like blaming the guy who got mugged because he didn't call the cops to prevent him from being mugged.

Holy Shit, some people have a lot of nerve. Attacking the Dems for not protecting the Capitol from you guys on the right. Really? Typical Trumpian logic.

Look people, you might not like this, but it is a fact.... During war a country’s civilian population is generally held responsible for the actions of their leaders. (Not mentioning any names, but be careful who you vote for!) From March to August 1945, the US firebombed Japanese cities, burning to death approximately 350,000 civilians. Another 120,000 people were obliterated in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Why people are so critical of the A-bomb while ignoring the fire bombing, I don't really understand.) In Germany, Dresden was firebombed incinerating another 25,000 civilians when the RAF and the USAF fire bombed the city which had no military significance as it was a cultural center. So it is the civilians who often pay the price in war.

I have great concern for the people of Gaza. Netanyahu has taken matters way too far - likely because of the old political adage... "when you have internal problems - start external problems". But let's not forget who started this war... The government of Gaza (Hamas) invaded Israel. They slaughtered over a thousand kids and young adults who were peacefully attending a MUSIC CONCERT! And then, then they continued their atrocities into local kabutz slaughtering babies, committing sexual violence, burning whole families alive, and taking over 250 civilians hostage. Where was the outrage from the Arab world then??? I do not support what Israel is doing, but I can understand it.

Hahaha! That would be gross hyperbole. You really have drunk the Koolaid. Trump has run more scams than one can count and still doing so. Warren G. Harding's reputation will pale in comparison to this guy. Trump has ripped off hundreds of innocent people over his lifetime and is well known for stiffing contractors, lawyers and, well, just about everyone he could. How many people do you know personally that have used bankruptcy to screw their creditors? Well this guy and gone bankrupt numerous times, including, of all things bankrupting several of his Casinos! And let's not forget the Trump University scam where he set out to take advantage of innocent people trying to better themselves. You believe that is the mark of a brilliant businessman? I have been involved in numerous successful business deals over the years and unlike your idol I don't believe I ever once had to lie, threaten or insult any of the people with whom I was dealing. Nor did I inherit several hundred million.

I wish! Not only would it make Fairfax more attractive for smaller investors, I believe it would easily increase share price. I have several friends who will not buy Fairfax because if they bought any significant number of shares it would represent too large a percentage of their portfolio. However, the prevailing thoughts on this is that Fairfax feels they believe larger shareholders make up a more stable group of investors or something like that. Personally, I think it is sort of an ego thing on Fairfax part. Banks and other firms often split, why not Fairfax? Look at BRK.B ($503.11 USD) and BRK.A ($754,820.00 USD). If only the "A" shares were available, how many of us would be Berkshire shareholders? I have suggested to several people to look at adding Fairfax, but as soon as they see the share price they lose interest. Even my kids won't buy Fairfax because they would rather have a larger variety of stocks in their portfolios. What gets lost here is the fact that small investors quite often become larger investors through time. JMHO

"Nice dodge." Cubs really. You have a lot of nerve complaining about Canada not living up to one single agreement. You are the one dodging the fact that Trump has been ripping up agreements since he first came to power nearly a decade ago . Don't you think many of us here are well aware of your attempts to shift the focus away from your hero's shifty behaviour? Also, I could explain some of the problems of defending and running a country the same size as yours, but with only 1/10th the the population of the United States. Furthermore given my personal military experience, I am all for spending more on defense and always have been. However. Trump's tariff policies are putting a serious crimp in Canada's budget until we get this tariff crap straightened out. You must agree that these tariffs are not conducive to Canada buying more military equipment from the U.S. But as long as Trump can't make up his mind about who he is going to tariff, what he is going to tariff, how much tariffs will be, etc, etc, etc - I mean they change daily - don't expect to see much more action on Canada's military budget any time soon. But now that we are rid of the idiot who was running our country, expect changes.

Think you forgot one other country. Actually only one country has threatened to take over Canada.

Really? REALLY? You gotta be kidding. You are talking about countries not living up to agreements? And this is coming from a staunch Trump supporter? Hilarious! How many agreements signed by the United States has Trump ripped up?? Some he even signed himself. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Furthermore. Like most Canadians I certainly have no animosity towards the people of the USA in fact, most Canadians have a great affinity for our American neighbours. We just have no time for the asshole and his gang of thugs presently 'running' the country, who have not only constantly insult our country, but publicly state their intention to take over our country. How would you feel?

What you don't seem to realize is that unlike some countries, Canada has very few, if any enemies around the world looking to invade and take over the Country. Oh, wait! There is one country that has threatened to take over Canada. And coincidentally, that is the very same country that is pressuring Canada to purchase more weapons from .... The United States of America.