Political Posts

[Parsad]

1 hour ago, Red Lion said:

Wouldn’t consumers still pay higher costs on imported items? If an importer had to buy a credit? 

 

It would be a fraction of what the tariffs are charging.  Probably 1-2% like most broker fees.  But enough so that importers/exporters can't simply ignore the cost of the certificates and would have to either import/export the equivalent amount of goods.  Cheers! 

[John Hjorth]

I posted something here in this topic on a Friday, inside, between the markers [J/K begin] and [J/K end] and a copy of a post on ThruthSocial by POTUS about 'this, or '1929'', then this happened, the board ready to perhaps not landing, but at least slowing and cooling down just a bit for the weekend,

 

Reminds me of the below, by the way [] :

 

 

How many posters does it take to change a light bulb in cyberspace?

 

1 to successfully change the light bulb and to post to the message board that the light bulb has been changed.

14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently or more efficiently.

7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs.

27 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs.

53 to flame the spell checkers. 

156 to write to the board administrator complaining about the light bulb discussion and its inappropriateness to this message board. 

41 to correct spelling in the spelling/grammar flames. 

109 to post that this board is not about light bulbs and to please take this discussion to a more appropriate location. 

203 to demand that posts about changing light bulbs be stopped or deleted! "We are here to talk about widgets!"

111 to defend the posting to this board, saying that, "We all use light bulbs & therefore the posts ARE relevant to this board."

306 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy the best light bulbs, what brands of light bulbs work best for these technique, and what brands are faulty.

102 to flame those whose suggestions/techniques differ from their own.

204 to flame the flamers claiming that "We are all entitled to our own opinions!"

112 to post that "some posters seem to be AGAINST certain brands of light bulbs, no matter how they work in different situations or in different lamps.

"Sometimes, it's the lamp's fault, not the bulb, so don't always blame the bulb."

 193 to post that they are "offended by posters who seem to gleefully slam others favorite brands of light bulbs."

 42 to post that "It isn't nice to say mean things about certain brand names. After all, CEOs of big manufacturing companies are people too & have feelings."

 99 to post urgent messages begging everyone to calm down and be peaceful & respectful.

 112 to post in the discussion that the discussion is stupid.

 83 to post that posters enjoying the discussion should ignore confrontational posters & those who are not interested in light bulbs can post somewhere else.

 27 to post URLs where one can see examples of different light bulbs.

 14 to post that the URLs were posted incorrectly and to post corrected URLs.

 3 to post about links they found from the URLs that are relevant to this discussion.

 33 to review all posts to date, then quote them, including all headers & footers.

 12 to post to the board that they are quitting because they cannot handle the light bulb controversy.

 19 to complain that their posts disappeared.

 4 to suggest that posters request the light bulb FAQ.

 1 to propose new light bulb message board for those who want to continue the light bulb discussion.

 47 to say that this is just what this board was meant for, leave the discussion here.

 8 to post their opinions on the controversy long after most of the light bulb fuss has died down.

 10 to post that the discussion is none of their business because they came too late to add anything relevant. 

4 to post that they are new and would like some background info on the light bulb brouhaha.

409 to post that they don't really want to know. It's all too silly to go into, but welcome to the board!

143 votes for a litght bulb message board. 

38 votes proclaiming the advantages in using vintage light bulbs. 

409 to protest that there is "NO NEED to start up the discussion AGAIN!! PLEASE STOP THE MADNESS!" 

1 to challenge all those posters who claim to want to end it once and for all to "IGNORE any future posts on this topic. Then, those disgruntled troublemakers who can't just LET THIS GO, will eventually give up." 

1048 post promises to drop the light bulb debate.

[Hektor]

Why did the POTUS tariff every country , including teeny tiny ones? Because

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/08/09/trump-trade-policy-national-security/
 

Trump expands use of tariffs to reach national security goals

Officials wanted to press countries near China for closer defense ties, documents show.

 

President Donald Trump’s freewheeling use of tariffs as a tool of American power may have been more extensive than was publicly known, encompassing an array of national security goals as well as the interests of individual companies, according to internal government documents obtained by The Washington Post.
 

Administration officials saw trade talks as an opportunity to achieve objectives that went far beyond Trump’s oft-stated goal of reducing the chronic U.S. trade deficit.
 

 

[Spekulatius]

Between Bessent saying that a one time adjustment is not Inflation and Miran getting into the Fed (he is the Mar- a Largo guy who pushes for a lower USD) you can bet that they are going to run the economy hot (low interest rate, likely high inflation, lower USD) Erdogan style. You heard it here first.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/stephen-miran-fed-interest-rates-ab803813?mod=RTA

Edited August 9, 2025 by Spekulatius

[cubsfan]

16 minutes ago, Haryana said:

 

 

 

That's a really good 2 minute clip worth listening to...

 

Another hilarious, clueless, know-it-all academic with the same old "The walls are closing in on Trump" , "This is it, another bombshell", "The end of Trump"

 

The "expert" class shows once again, as Taleb would say "Intellectual, yet idiot"

[Gregmal]

3 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

Between Bessent saying that a one time adjustment is not Inflation and Miran getting into the Fed (he is the Mar- a Largo guy who pushes for a lower USD) you can bet that they are going to run the economy hot (low interest rate, likely high inflation, lower USD) Erdogan style. You heard it here first.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/stephen-miran-fed-interest-rates-ab803813?mod=RTA

This should’ve been obvious to pretty much any non TDS plagued idiot, going on now at minimum 3-4 years. It’s the obvious solution to the fiscal situation, regardless of who’s president. 
 

@changegonnacome and I spent good time on this site debating many things inflation in 21-22, but not this, because it seemed so self evident. Introduce Trump though…and I guess folks need to go back to elementary school economics…

Edited August 9, 2025 by Gregmal

[changegonnacome]

5 hours ago, Gregmal said:

and I spent good time on this site debating many things inflation in 21-22, but not this, because it seemed so self evident. Introduce Trump though…and I guess folks need to go back to elementary school economics…

 

Yep....if there's an 'easy' way out....and this avenue is most surely it.....this is the one that makes the most sense politically whether its Trump or Kamala or a no name democratic in the WH.....think of like fiscal Ozempic.....why do all the hard stuff in the gym (austerity, spending cuts & tax raises etc.).......when you can just take an injection of 3-4% inflation, yield curve controlled @ the 10yr to keep homeowners and prospective homeowners happy, artificially low overnight rates and a treasury that funds itself in t-bills.....the plan isnt bonkers....the difficult part, IMO, is believing you can control inflation in the 3-4% range effectively and that you have control of the WH/Congress for 8yrs instead of 2/4yrs.

[Spekulatius]

Maybe it will workout that but inflation was one thing that cost the democrats the election and now the population is hypersensitive after the first exposure. At last I that’s my thinking. But who knows how plays out. My guess is that the lower quartile and the upper quartile will do OK and the middle will get squeezed by inflation  (losing purchasing power) but that’s had been the playbook since Reagan got in office with some variations in between.

[changegonnacome]

1 hour ago, Spekulatius said:

cost the democrats the election and now the population is hypersensitive after the first exposure.

 

Yeah I think thats right.....and i should have added it above....even if you can keep inflation at 3-4% and thats a big if just given the way it can work.....the population has become attuned to the concept of purchasing power erosion now post-21/22......we've had debates as to why central banks chose 2% as their target.....I think the answer in a way is thats its low enough as to be non-noticeable to alot of the general populace........rule of 72.....2% = purchasing power halved in 31yrs.......3% = purchasing power halved in 23yrs.....thats kinda twice in your working life.....2% works much better....you wanna boil the frog slowly.

 

Miran is a bold choice.....and I have to admit......that as much as folks dont want to admit it.....the retaliatory tariff war thesis didn't play out...most of the world just rolled over to get its belly tickled......Miran was right, the US had vast untapped and under monetized leverage to change the terms of trade....and I think he will have an unorthodox approach to the Fed....where he will argue that US treasuries are a global public good that the US has provided, at great cost, to the global financial system.....and that manipulation of the bond curve is a temporary tithing the globe owes the US for providing the backdrop to global prosperity.

 

Edited August 9, 2025 by changegonnacome

[Spekulatius]

Now that’s interesting:

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/10/nvidia-amd-15percent-of-china-chip-sales-revenues-to-us-ft-reports.html

[Sweet]

8 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

Now that’s interesting:

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/10/nvidia-amd-15percent-of-china-chip-sales-revenues-to-us-ft-reports.html

Is it all about the money?  I thought it was a national security issue.

Edited August 11, 2025 by Sweet

[Spekulatius]

1 hour ago, Sweet said:

Is it all about the money?  I thought it was a national security issue.

It’s a Mafia protection fee. Everything is for sale now.

 

No surprise that China has security concerns now after the 360:

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-state-media-says-nvidia-h20-chips-not-safe-china-2025-08-10/

Edited August 11, 2025 by Spekulatius

[changegonnacome]

1 hour ago, Spekulatius said:

Everything is for sale now.

 

Clientelism's triumph over federalism......when 'the Don' is done, it seems, whole industries will be dependent on either tariff protection or export licenses....a beautiful system of patronage, leverage and future superpac donations.....all paid for ultimately by the American people. 

[Sweet]

3 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

It’s a Mafia protection fee. Everything is for sale now.

 

No surprise that China has security concerns now after the 360:

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-state-media-says-nvidia-h20-chips-not-safe-china-2025-08-10/

The only thing that would kinda of make sense is that NVDA and AMD said even if there is a ban, these chips will get to China anyway, and they produce knockoffs - better to just let us export.  In which case Trump went ok - but 15% of that revenue please

[changegonnacome]

43 minutes ago, Sweet said:

The only thing that would kinda of make sense is that NVDA and AMD said even if there is a ban, these chips will get to China anyway, and they produce knockoffs - better to just let us export.  In which case Trump went ok - but 15% of that revenue please

And what makes sense about that exactly….the 15% ‘piece of the action’ part?…first part sure…. stuff is getting to China, that’s a legitimate policy point about the ineffectiveness of export bans on these items…the leap and rational from that to the federal government getting a 15% piece of the top line on those exports is another….

[cubsfan]

Hey you guys forgot - the economy is sure to collapse as well!

 

LOL

[RichardGibbons]

A bunch of people used to think that big government was a bad thing, that government interfering in markets made them less efficient, that one of the key reasons for the massive success of the USA was that the government didn't mess up business.

 

One of the wild things about Trump is that those people now suddenly believe that big government interfering in free enterprise is a good thing, that it'll make the USA a better place. They are now genuinely mocking the people who want free enterprise like it's completely silly to think that free enterprise could be responsible for any of the success of the USA.

It's really neat seeing this complete flip over such a fast time period. It's reminiscent of when the left went from supporting free speech to supporting censorship, and the right did the opposite flip. That also happened pretty quick, but not this quick. I suspect that the politicization of news might have made it easier, providing justification to help both the left and the right to resolve their cognitive dissonance.

[cubsfan]

21 minutes ago, RichardGibbons said:

A bunch of people used to think that big government was a bad thing, that government interfering in markets made them less efficient, that one of the key reasons for the massive success of the USA was that the government didn't mess up business.

 

One of the wild things about Trump is that those people now suddenly believe that big government interfering in free enterprise is a good thing, that it'll make the USA a better place. They are now genuinely mocking the people who want free enterprise like it's completely silly to think that free enterprise could be responsible for any of the success of the USA.

It's really neat seeing this complete flip over such a fast time period. It's reminiscent of when the left went from supporting free speech to supporting censorship, and the right did the opposite flip. That also happened pretty quick, but not this quick. I suspect that the politicization of news might have made it easier, providing justification to help both the left and the right to resolve their cognitive dissonance.

 

Except you seem to have forgotten about the rapid deregulation that characterizes this administration- unshackling business for the tremendous amout of interference in business.  The EPA, Energy department, etc.  Stripping these ridiculous mandates away - all the climate nonsense that added useless cost to business. 

 

Why would you leave that out? 

 

The Trump administration is the most pro-business and pro-capitalism federal government the US has seen in decades.

 

The tariff issue is a way to re-orient global commerce and spur growth here in America, and influence foreign policy.  Of course - the globalists hate it.

[LC]

@RichardGibbons didn't you know that tariffs are actually pro-capitalism? 

the trick is to nestle yourself so deep into Trump's black hole that up is down and down is up. 

 

And if you're ever in doubt - blame Obama!

[cubsfan]

10 minutes ago, LC said:

@RichardGibbons didn't you know that tariffs are actually pro-capitalism? 

the trick is to nestle yourself so deep into Trump's black hole that up is down and down is up. 

 

And if you're ever in doubt - blame Obama!

 

Sure, just like the open Southern Border nonsense- and how wonderful it is to have uncontrolled, unlimited illegal immigration into our country.

 

No problems with that, according to Obama and Biden.

 

Just ask the 300,000 missing children that the Trump administration is still searching for....

 

We know how you progressives think: those kids are just collateral damage for your noble goal of opening up the United States to the world.  That worked out well for those poor kids in sex trafficking and illegal labor.

[SharperDingaan]

Couldn't resist .... tough weekend for Pedo Boy last week 

Whatever one might think of it, it's pretty clear that the Epstein files are going to cost him support. As MAGA grows colder, Trumps grip on the GOP weakens, and the long knives reach closer ....

 

Enjoy!

 

SD

  

 

Edited August 11, 2025 by SharperDingaan

[cubsfan]

24 minutes ago, SharperDingaan said:

Couldn't resist .... tough weekend for Pedo Boy last week 

Whatever one might think of it, it's pretty clear that the Epstein files are going to cost him support. As MAGA grows colder, Trumps grip on the GOP weakens, and the long knives reach closer ....

 

Enjoy!

 

SD

  

 

 

Trump will survive just fine.

 

Not sure that NATO will survive as long as Canada continues to stiff NATO.

Not a good look for such an important alliance - taking a free ride for decades while the USA provides your protection.

 

Oh well.

[John Hjorth]

What is our felllow CofB&F members' opinion, those living in DC [[Washington D.C.], [noboby mentioned, nobody forgotten], of what's going on in the White House related to iniatives in DC.] ?

 

What's going on at your place, and how bad is it related to your daily day life there?

[SharperDingaan]

1 hour ago, cubsfan said:

 

Trump will survive just fine.

 

Not sure that NATO will survive as long as Canada continues to stiff NATO.

Not a good look for such an important alliance - taking a free ride for decades while the USA provides your protection.

 

Oh well.

 

Don't want to talk about it, eh  It is also pretty clear that Scotland was just a live demonstration ... of the 'TEMPLATE', what can be done with it, and how the US will actively suppress it within the US media. Back in Tom Lehrer's time (1967) there was no social media .... today there is, viral is normal, and there are lots of people very good at making it happen.

 

I understand that the 're-done' version, after everyone had a few pints... was much more direct and entertaining!

 

Of course, the big prize is something similar, much bigger, and from simultaneous protests in different parts of the US ... released during the US Mid-Terms, and from entirely outside the US. It's gonna be ... HUGE  bigger than Springsteen!, better than MJ!! FOMO the big show!!! No different to how the US interferes in other countries elections ... but with images of ICE/US Marines doing aggressive crowd control... on AMERICANS, across America, under rifle barrel. 

 

Scotland also demonstrates that the pendulum has begun to swing back, and that it is has now become acceptable to collectively take back what used to be a very nice place. As successes mount, the pendulum will swing back faster; the Keep Orange Fizzy, Not Fascist   

 

The American people are not the same as the American government; have to think the remaining ice cube now has a very limited shelf life, and that his people are worried.  

 

SD 

Edited August 11, 2025 by SharperDingaan

[73 Reds]

2 minutes ago, SharperDingaan said:

 

Don't want to talk about it, eh  It is also pretty clear that Scotland was just a live demonstration ... of the 'TEMPLATE', what can be done with it, and how the US will actively suppress it within the US media. Back in Tom Lehrer's time (1967) there was no social media .... today there is, viral is normal, and there are lots of people very good at making it happen.

 

I understand that the 're-done' version, after everyone had a few pints... was much more direct and entertaining!

 

Of course, the big prize is something similar, much bigger, and from simultaneous protests in different parts of the US ... released during the US Mid-Terms, and from entirely outside the US. It's gonna be ... HUGE  bigger than Springsteen!, better than MJ!! FOMO the big show!!! No different to how the US interferes in other countries elections ... but with images of ICE/US Marines doing aggressive crowd control... on AMERICANS, across America, under rifle barrel. 

 

Scotland also demonstrates that the pendulum has begun to swing back, and that it is has become acceptable to collectively take back what used to be a very nice place. As successes mount, the pendulum will swing back faster; the Keep Orange Fizzy, Not Fascist   

 

The American people are not the same as the American government; have to think the remaining ice cube now has a very limited life, and that his people are worried.  

 

SD 

Huh?