The Trump presidency.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 26 Oct 2017, 23:20

What do you think will actually happen, VT?

I mean, in a way the USA is in a position to ignore everyone else on the planet if it so choose, and the 'state' is so well-armed nobody, 2A notwithstanding, can get anywhere near throwing it over.

Meanwhile the individual states seem to be formulating their own ways of getting by (direct trade negotiations with Canada being an example I heard of recently).

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 27 Oct 2017, 00:34

RenewableCandy wrote:What do you think will actually happen, VT?

I mean, in a way the USA is in a position to ignore everyone else on the planet if it so choose, and the 'state' is so well-armed nobody, 2A notwithstanding, can get anywhere near throwing it over.

Meanwhile the individual states seem to be formulating their own ways of getting by (direct trade negotiations with Canada being an example I heard of recently).

Tough question that. The news today was falling Trump's way but I doubt it is enough to overcome his shortcomings.
My wild A$$ed guess today?
Within a year Trump will have a heart attack or stroke either real or feigned and he will resign for health reasons letting Pence take over and try to pick up the pieces.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 28 Oct 2017, 18:46

RenewableCandy wrote:Meanwhile the individual states seem to be formulating their own ways of getting by

Have you read Treasure Islands by Nicholas Shaxson, RC? If not, you should, it's fascinating even while your blood is boiling.

The Delaware story is...unsurprising.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 09 Dec 2017, 21:41

I have.

It almost raised my blood pressure to Normal.

raspberry-blower · Post by **raspberry-blower** » 13 Mar 2018, 18:46

The Apprentice President continues with his firing policy - this time it is Rex Tillerson who's got the boot.

Moon of Alabama: Trump votes for "Rexit"

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 13 Mar 2018, 18:55

raspberry-blower wrote:The Apprentice President continues with his firing policy - this time it is Rex Tillerson who's got the boot.

Moon of Alabama: Trump votes for "Rexit"

Well in most places you can't call the boss a moron (even if he is) and last very long. I'm surprised it took this long.
The country and the world would be better off if it were reversed and Rex stayed and Trump quit.

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 13 Mar 2018, 19:49

Trump administration reversed an Obama-era block on bringing elephant sport hunting trophies into the country

Tillerson is right, trump is a moron.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 28 Sep 2018, 12:26

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 02 Oct 2018, 16:17

texts straight from Trump â€“ with no chance to opt-out

Yes, a society can sink as low as this.

Snail · Post by **Snail** » 02 Oct 2018, 18:44

More silliness. Donald trump won't start using this for propaganda purposes.

Sounds like it originated from Obamas time:

https://legalinsurrection.com/2018/09/t ... edictably/

But even if it didn't, the response would still be silly.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 03 Oct 2018, 15:03

Soaring by $38,000 per second: US national debt now exceeds $21.5 trillion

â€œA rising debt could create this crisis situation where interest rates spike, the government has to take drastic actions, perhaps cutting benefits, social security and other benefits radically, or hiking taxes dramatically, which will damage the economy.â€�

Ah yes, hit the poor.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 04 Oct 2018, 16:43

Snail wrote:More silliness. Donald trump won't start using this for propaganda purposes.

Sounds like it originated from Obamas time:

https://legalinsurrection.com/2018/09/t ... edictably/

But even if it didn't, the response would still be silly.

https://www.rt.com/usa/440255-president ... ons-memes/

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 04 Oct 2018, 18:29

Now we have a NYT story asserting that the Trump family spent years avoiding gift and inheritances taxes. Big surprise that! (not!) as every rich family seeks every legal means to minimize their tax burden. The question is were they clever/ legal or simply committing fraud?. I don't know but I expect it was a combination of both. For instance the story goes on about them understating the value of buildings being transferred from the elder Trump to Donald but it takes an actual sale between a unrelated willing buyer and a willing seller to establish the actual value of a real estate property and the local markets asking prices or the cities tax assessments will be far off from that true figure.
There is this quote from the story:

These maneuvers met with little resistance from the Internal Revenue Service, The Times found. The presidentâ€™s parents, Fred and Mary Trump, transferred well over $1 billion in wealth to their children, which could have produced a tax bill of at least $550 million under the 55 percent tax rate then imposed on gifts and inheritances.

The Trumps paid a total of $52.2 million, or about 5 percent, tax records show.

Well this made me think about what would the government done with the 500 million difference if the Trumps had paid it?
We all know that the government would have spent it all within a year of it's being received and would have nothing today to show for it.
On the other hand the Trumps (Not just Donald ) have used the money to expand their businesses and wealth and in the course of that have paid(assuming they didn't get out of all taxes)years of real estate taxes and corporate and personal income taxes and are still paying them year on year.
I'm betting the accumulative total is many times the guesstimated $500 million so letting the Trumps hang on to that $500 million was probably one of the best investments the IRS could have made with it.[/quote]

careful_eugene · Post by **careful_eugene** » 05 Oct 2018, 11:21

vtsnowedin wrote:
Well this made me think about what would the government done with the 500 million difference if the Trumps had paid it?
We all know that the government would have spent it all within a year of it's being received and would have nothing today to show for it.
On the other hand the Trumps (Not just Donald ) have used the money to expand their businesses and wealth and in the course of that have paid(assuming they didn't get out of all taxes)years of real estate taxes and corporate and personal income taxes and are still paying them year on year.
I'm betting the accumulative total is many times the guesstimated $500 million so letting the Trumps hang on to that $500 million was probably one of the best investments the IRS could have made with it.

We could all argue that we could make better use of our money than the government. Unfortunately if we want to live in any kind of civilised society, taxation is necessary and everyone should pay their share.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 05 Oct 2018, 11:54

If the Trumps are allowed to get away with paying a tenth of their taxes then why shouldn't every one? Just because he is rich and can afford a clever accountant shouldn't make him any different to your average Joe/Jo who has to pay 100% of the taxes they owe.

Don't you realise, VT, that because Trump and his ilk weren't paying their taxes you were paying much more? So a bunch of rich sods, to whom it wouldn't make much difference apart from to their ego, were getting away with it while you and your friends were paying through the nose and noticing the difference!