Usa Thread

[Coss]

 

As I say, I'll believe this summit was a success, if the process is still proceeding apace, in six months with no back downs or flare ups, on either side. Till then it's just reality show bumf.

 

Reading this site https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com today, and it's supporting sources, one could be excused, if one thinks Trump is painted into a corner.

 

And then there're the tweets of the man himself. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/with_replies

[Flashermac]

North Korea sanctions remain until complete denuclearisation, says US

 

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44478395

[Flashermac]

[Coss]

Purely because it has yet to be reported in this thread, a new development in the Trumpaganza ::

 

New York Attorney General Sues Trump Foundation After 2-Year Investigation

https://www.nytimes....ey-general.html

 

The New York State attorney general’s office filed a scathingly worded lawsuit on Thursday taking aim at the Donald J. Trump Foundation, accusing the charity and the Trump family of sweeping violations of campaign finance laws, self-dealing and illegal coordination with the presidential campaign.

 

The lawsuit, which seeks to dissolve the foundation and bar President Trump and three of his children from serving on nonprofit organizations, was an extraordinary rebuke of a sitting president. The attorney general also sent referral letters to the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Election Commission for possible further action, adding to Mr. Trump’s extensive legal challenges.

 

___

 

Ooohh.. tax and electoral matters referred to relevant authorities.

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more: https://www.theguard...eral-violations

 

and

 

https://www.bbc.com/...anada-44486250.

 

Ahhhh, Schadenfreude... delicious

[Coss]

Trump salutes enemy general, a few days ago.

 

[Flashermac]

Purely because it has yet to be reported in this thread, a new development in the Trumpaganza ::

 

New York Attorney General Sues Trump Foundation After 2-Year Investigation

https://www.nytimes....ey-general.html

 

The New York State attorney general’s office filed a scathingly worded lawsuit on Thursday taking aim at the Donald J. Trump Foundation, accusing the charity and the Trump family of sweeping violations of campaign finance laws, self-dealing and illegal coordination with the presidential campaign.

 

The lawsuit, which seeks to dissolve the foundation and bar President Trump and three of his children from serving on nonprofit organizations, was an extraordinary rebuke of a sitting president. The attorney general also sent referral letters to the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Election Commission for possible further action, adding to Mr. Trump’s extensive legal challenges.

 

___

 

Ooohh.. tax and electoral matters referred to relevant authorities.

___

 

more: https://www.theguard...eral-violations

 

and

 

https://www.bbc.com/...anada-44486250.

 

Ahhhh, Schadenfreude... delicious

 

 

That's only fair. Look at the scandals with the Clinton Foundation.

 

https://www.investors.com/politics/columnists/clinton-foundation-scandal-fbi-investigation-media-bias/

[Flashermac]

Trump salutes enemy general, a few days ago.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkhhWGiqDFc

 

 

If you know anything about the military, he returned a salute. Still a bit bizarre, but maybe that's the way they did things in his military high school.

 

For one thing, if you're going to salute, then fucking learn how to salute!

 

 

 

 

Here is the proper way, as demonstrated by a former Air National Guard officer.

 

[Steve]

In the Bush and Obama pix they are returning salutes to their own military. They are commander in chief, is that odd? I haven't been in the military but don't you salute a a superior officer until he returns the salute? Maybe I watched too many movies...lol.

 

I will say this. Trump got caught up in the moment and saluted without thinking about it. As far as I know the President, customarily is to never salute a foreign officer. Same with bowing to a foreign king or queen. At least its customary.

 

I don't think Trump knew better BUT a. he doesn't listen to his protocols people at all its said. He doesn't abide by or want to listen to any advice on protocol. Second, had this been Obama, he'd have been roasted by the right. I think there is a lot of hypocrisy with what Trump gets away with. A ton of it. Blatantly.

 

On a sidenote, I no longer consider the right wing southern evangelicals Christian. I think they are that in name only. Nothing historically has told me any different. The way they excuse the nude pix, etc, as well as historically being on the wrong said of every major social movement (slavery, women's vote in 1919, Civil Rights, Women's rights, gay marriage (I can excuse that even though I think its not constitutional to disallow it), etc.

 

I don't fault Trump actually, he is heavily supported by millions of Americans. Over 80 percent of white evangelicals for example. Same number for registered Republicans. Which suggests to me the party is placed over the country. Not that you don't have the same in the Dems as well but not close to the same degree to be hypocritical, and willing to compromise ethics and morals. Both parties are corrupt but the GOP is by far the worse of the two. By miles. The Dems can be bought (and have) but they have a line. I've yet to see a line from the Republicans which is scary.

 

Its surreal. North Korea and Russia are our friends, Canada and France are our enemies. Mind boggling.

[Steve]

The Democrats have their own problems. Since the Clinton days the party has left unions unprotected and embraced big business and Wall Street. While it helped get money and win back to back elections in the '90s and recently with Obama, its lost its soul. The overt cronyism and subterfuge used to deny Bernie Sanders his fair and equal chance to become the party's candidate tells me it isn't prepared to take on the Republicans or deserve to.

 

This country is so badly in need of a 3rd party. Almost any 3rd party that at least is honest about who they are and stick to their principles. The Tea Party which is a quasi 3rd party has no morals either. The Koch brothers and Adelson has proved they can be bought.

 

Until money leaves politics we will continue to go on this fast decline. It doesn't have to. The 'Money is speech" argument is countered with a bribe is speech then, isn't it? In theory.

[Steve]

Off topic and perhaps this should be in another thread but America and specifically the American people are completely ignorant of the global moves China are making and have made.

I've posted on here before how America today mirrors all the stages of an empire in decline

and .

 

China has a new silk road and its far bigger and expansive than any other mercantile route. Maybe when the UK had a truly global empire and a Navy to defend it, they may have come close but it was only by shipping. This China business linkage covers land, sea, rail, air.

 

The final nail in the coffin will likely be when the petrodollar is no longer used as the reserve currency. And trust me, the Chinese, Russians and others are working hard to that end and see it as a matter of when not if. The BRICS countries are working toward that.

 

Will America be destroyed? No, not at all. Basically, I think America will be like how the UK was after both World Wars, clearly no longer number one but still very , very relative. China does have issues. Serious ones. A huge real estate bubble that dwarfs America by virtue of its size but it knows that and is taking steps to limit the bleeding. America on the other hand has made a bubble much more probable and much worse by reversing acs such as Dodd Frank which wasn't even strong enough anyway. Every thing that allowed the last bubble in America and legislation enacted to stop it again, has been reversed because Wall Street dictates its own governance with its ability to buy off the legislature and the executive branch.

 

I don't think we will recover from the next financial meltdown. Not fully at least. We will have one. Its not if, its when. Unlike last time, we have multiple bubbles going on simultaneously. A housing bubble like last time. A credit card bubble, with debt about a trillion. A car loan bubble, that's new. That is several hundred billion. Many people, working class and middle class are carrying car loans that are pretty much mini mortgages, 30k, 40k or even 50k or more and can barely pay for it now. There is the student loan bubble, with about a trillion dollars more or less. When will it happen, that's the million dollar..hmm seeing the size and scope more like the billion dollar or trillion dollar question. My guess is it will be in October, if not 2018 then an October over the next few years. Why October? In business school, we were told that for whatever reason the biggest collapses happen in October. Lets look at the 3 biggest economic collapses in America in the last 100 years. October 1929, October 1987 and October 2008. There is no rhyme or reason why. Also notice its towards the end of decades. So 2018 or 2019.

 

China will have a huge painful pop as well and because we are all inter connected, it will be a very painful global recession and a depression for some countries. US and China are co connected. One can't have a collapse without the other. Japan will go easily having been stagnated since the early '90s. So, the 3 largest economies will be in a deep recession. The rest of the world will follow. Quickly.

 

Solutions? Tough, but the one thing that is universally advised is massive infrastructure spending, limiting defense spending (but not for the VA and vets, its criminal how we treat our vets and even current deployed in terms of some services, etc.). Do we need some of these bases? Of course the debt. Every president after Carter except Clinton who got lucky with a tech boom has left with far more in debt than they came in. Its too big as it is. We will never be able to pay it all off but in trying to it will provide a lot of confidence in the economy for those that buy our debt, etc.

 

Frankly, I think its too late. Again, it doesn't mean America is gone. Just not as able to project itself economically and perhaps militarily if a choice has to be made between bread and bullets. Bread for the masses.

 

The big question for me is what will the masses do, the millions in middle America, specifically the red states. I fear more violence but at whom? The usual suspects or channeled towards the rich?