Politics

[VertigoBE]

I was planning to include a stop in London to visit gun stores and makers next year. While heading to Italy. I think I will leave that nation off my travel list until the businesses and citizens take their country back.

My little protest. I can’t justify one dollar going to fund that government. Even though I just bought a painting from Rigby. I will try to refrain in the future.

While I fully sympathise with this line of thinking, there are unfortunately very few top gun making houses outside of Europe. And what you see and hear about the UK, is not waiting for long in the rest of the continent.

Rather perhaps only invest into, purchase products and services from, those companies in Europe that are not aligned with the woke, green and socialist totalitarianism.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I completely agree that my piss ant protest won’t do a thing. But eventually businesses and citizens need to take action and not look the other way. Keeping their heads down.

And to be honest. We are quickly turning to a surveillance state in the U.S. also. And no one political party is to blame. They both are complicit.

Who knows. By then I could change my mind. I wanted to visit the Isle of Man also.

 

[Brent in Az]

Countries like the U.K that will send the social media police to your front door if you say the wrong thing on social media.
I feel that more countries will trend in that direction of authoritarianism.
The U.S.A is certainly going down that path if Democrat ever obtain long term control.

All the anti Trumpers can bitch and complain all they want.
Like him or not, just remember, right now he is the firewall that is keeping us from going down the path that the U.K is taking.

 

[spike.t]

South African bank becomes first African bank to plug into China’s cross-border payment system | Business Insider Africa https://share.google/pOxsFsQFVnjGAg7fe

 

[deewayne2003]

South African bank becomes first African bank to plug into China’s cross-border payment system | Business Insider Africa https://share.google/pOxsFsQFVnjGAg7fe

What could go wrong with this........

 

[Wheels]

A question and I hope it comes across as sincere, because it is.

If President Trump is so against narco-traffickers (as we all should be), what is the rationale for pardoning the former president of Honduras, who is serving a legitimate and much deserved sentence in a US jail?

Good question. I certainly don’t have the answer.

Trump has done seemingly strange things like this before. ie: Rod Blagojevich, who probably was considering doing a crime but didn’t prior to indictment and conviction.

With the lawfare against Trump he is probably empathetic regarding what he might consider unjust prosecutions. Does Trump have evidence that Hernandez was working with America in a Nicaraguan Contra type situation and feeling he shouldn’t be imprisoned for those actions. Who knows.

Did Trump have a good idea of what would happen in the Honduras election yesterday with the military stepping in. Probably so. Was Hernandez pardon a play to keep stability in the country. Possibly but again I don’t know.

I am not found of a narco trafficker being released from prison but am also confident Trump has more details of what is going on than I do regarding the pardon.

 

[Corey0372]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1995587334394577193

 

[Red Leg]

Of one thing that I think the current administration can honestly claim a significant qualitative leap over the previous is with regard to the taste exhibited by the respective First Ladies.

Below are Jill Biden and Melania's respective Christmas videos showing off their White House Christmas decorating efforts.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1735074586721468855

https://twitter.com/x/status/1995493761363906621

 

[Altitude sickness]

Every time I see this ad I cringe. It’s so self aggrandizing and throws non segueing shout outs to Trump to some how justify the purpose of the video. And portions of it show a huge blind spot on the Ad topic and the land she is sitting on.

It’s almost like somebody said. “hey this ad is all about you. Maybe we better throw the boss in so he doesn’t get mad.

Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts

The company is run by the husband of Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. DHS invoked the “emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rules for the taxpayer-funded campaign.

www.propublica.org

 

[Brent in Az]

Que the leftist federal judges in 3...2...1

 

[Tanks]

Que the leftist federal judges in 3...2..1

He can definitely redo Executive orders etc. by issuing his own that reverses them as he has done in the past. I doubt he can undo pardons legally. Not to mention any laws that were signed via the autopen if there were any.

 

[wesheltonj]

He can definitely redo Executive orders etc. by issuing his own that reverses them as he has done in the past. I doubt he can undo pardons legally. Not to mention any laws that were signed via the autopen if there were any.

Wholesale you are correct. Those autopens will be case specific.

 

[rookhawk]

So today was the big announcement of “Trump Accounts”. I read the IRS publication linked below trying to make heads or tails of this new kiddie account and why anyone should give a damn.

Answer: You shouldn’t. These are very stupid accounts.

The only upside I see is it is trying to teach kids to save, but it does so with a social welfare program where a kid gets $1000 to start off the account “free” from the American taxpayer, provided they were born after Jan 1, 2025. They can’t touch the money until they are 18, they or their parents, or an employer can contribute to it each year up to a maximum from all sources of $5000 per year. The investments are going to be a small swath of “American” ETFs or indices. When an adult, the child can take a 10% penalty it appears, and access the money. Otherwise it is basically an IRA that is taxable as ordinary income in retirement.

What the hell is Trump and his chronies thinking? There is a superior option already in existence, the ROTH IRA! A kid can contribute to that, up to $7000 per year. Kids pay hardly any taxes on earnings because they are below the poverty line anyway, and a ROTH’s proceeds are tax free in retirement. Prior to retirement, withdrawals for education are also tax free but it can only be the principle amounts invested, not the growth. (A WAY better version of a 529 plan with way more ways to use the money) Oh, and a ROTH can be invested in virtually any stock, bond, or ETF or mutual fund.

So what the hell is the point of this political grandstanding to create a loser investment vehicle that provides no incentive to the parent, it only creates inflation and national debt?

If someone sees something I’m missing on this hairbrained idea, please let me know:

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-25-68.pdf

 

[Hunt anything]

Well, at least the republicans held onto the house seat in Tennessee, been a lot of hand wringing about that race.
The democrat candidate sounded as crazy as a shit house rat.

 

[LivingTheDream]

So today was the big announcement of “Trump Accounts”. I read the IRS publication linked below trying to make heads or tails of this new kiddie account and why anyone should give a damn.

Answer: You shouldn’t. These are very stupid accounts.

The only upside I see is it is trying to teach kids to save, but it does so with a social welfare program where a kid gets $1000 to start off the account “free” from the American taxpayer, provided they were born after Jan 1, 2025. They can’t touch the money until they are 18, they or their parents, or an employer can contribute to it each year up to a maximum from all sources of $5000 per year. The investments are going to be a small swath of “American” ETFs or indices. When an adult, the child can take a 10% penalty it appears, and access the money. Otherwise it is basically an IRA that is taxable as ordinary income in retirement.

What the hell is Trump and his chronies thinking? There is a superior option already in existence, the ROTH IRA! A kid can contribute to that, up to $7000 per year. Kids pay hardly any taxes on earnings because they are below the poverty line anyway, and a ROTH’s proceeds are tax free in retirement. Prior to retirement, withdrawals for education are also tax free but it can only be the principle amounts invested, not the growth. (A WAY better version of a 529 plan with way more ways to use the money) Oh, and a ROTH can be invested in virtually any stock, bond, or ETF or mutual fund.

So what the hell is the point of this political grandstanding to create a loser investment vehicle that provides no incentive to the parent, it only creates inflation and national debt?

If someone sees something I’m missing on this hairbrained idea, please let me know:

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-25-68.pdf

A 2 year old doesn't have any earned income to contribute to a ROTH IRA, so they technically can't do it.

I'm kind of indifferent, I think it is kind of cool that a kid can have it in their name, but to your point it is more of a less a way to ensure money flows into "choosen" stocks.

Not 100% sure how it will cause inflation, I see how you could make an arguement on national debt but not sure this will make a material difference.

 

[rookhawk]

A 2 year old doesn't have any earned income to contribute to a ROTH IRA, so they technically can't do it.

I'm kind of indifferent, I think it is kind of cool that a kid can have it in their name, but to your point it is more of a less a way to ensure money flows into "choosen" stocks.

Not 100% sure how it will cause inflation, I see how you could make an arguement on national debt but not sure this will make a material difference.

It’s injection of capital into the economy, so it creates more dollars chasing the same goods. (College) That’s inflationary on its face. It also increases the costs of education because more people will have money chasing finite goods. (A seat at university) It also increases national debt of course since the nation is broke and has to issue more treasuries to cover yet more deficit spending.

If I had to be a conspiracy nut, I would suggest that this Trump Account is step 1 of the scam, step 2 is a US sovereign wealth fund, Step 3 is stooges and grifters getting whoever is POTUS to invest in their crappy companies, and Step 4 would be to have that Sovereign Wealth fund be the preferred investment of these kiddie accounts which would pump up the valuations.

 

[LivingTheDream]

It’s injection of capital into the economy, so it creates more dollars chasing the same goods. (College) That’s inflationary on its face. It also increases the costs of education because more people will have money chasing finite goods. (A seat at university) It also increases national debt of course since the nation is broke and has to issue more treasuries to cover yet more deficit spending.

If I had to be a conspiracy nut, I would suggest that this Trump Account is step 1 of the scam, step 2 is a US sovereign wealth fund, Step 3 is stooges and grifters getting whoever is POTUS to invest in their crappy companies, and Step 4 would be to have that Sovereign Wealth fund be the preferred investment of these kiddie accounts which would pump up the valuations.

But I don't believe it has to be used for College, it can be transferred to an IRA. Also, not sure how someone contributing post tax dollars to an account is injecting cash (maybe the first thousand dollars but I haven't read the specifics, and need to see what the US government is actually funding). If someone is smart, they contribute let it grow tax free and then when they get a job (when they wouldn't have to much taxable income) transfer it to a Roth and then let it grow tax free with no penalty when they withdraw)

I don't think your conspiracy is that far off, it is essentially allowing the US government to pick stock winners because their will always be a demand for their stock. The US government would then dictate which companies get include in the fund (or removed). It is kind of like why the stock market given the current regulations will always go up, there is constant buy pressure from 401ks. This is just another mechanism to keep up that buy pressure.

 

[spike.t]

Well surprise surprise......putin ain't interested....and sable rattling saying bring it on to European countries if you want a war....we are ready......if this isn't clear enough to the powers that be in Washington...then fk knows what will turn the light bulb on....

Kremlin signals no breakthrough after Ukraine talks with US

Five hours of talks between Putin and US negotiators were “constructive”, Kremlin officials say, but “a lot of work lies ahead”.

www.bbc.com

 

[Altitude sickness]

My first instinct is to Marshall willing European nations and pound Moscow into rubble.

But that would tank the world economy. So most are hesitant to escalate into full on WW3 because of their individual economic situations.

So second best would be to immediately ramp up support for Ukraine and continue the conflict. Continue to completely drain Russia militarily and financially with a few more years of fighting.

 

[Foxi]

"So second best would be to immediately ramp up support for Ukraine and continue the conflict. Con
tinue to completely drain Russia militarily and financially with a few more years of fighting."

Yes, and negotiations with Putin are completely pointless.
When will Trump finally realize that?
Witkoff and Kushner had to wait three hours yesterday before Tsar Putin even received them.
I would have left after 10 minutes, but this amateur theater sat there like schoolboys in a classroom.