Politics

mdwest · Monday at 9:55 AM

Aaron N said:
Azim Jiwani: Conservatives don't need softer principles. They need a more persuasive tone — National Post

I founded Centre Ice Conservatives, because I thought we needed to moderate our policies. We were wrong.

apple.news

And interesting editorial about the recent conservative win in BC, and how they succeeded not by watering down the platform, but by toning down the aggression.

Which is exactly what the R party needs to do here..

The truth is that the overwhelming majority of people in this country support a large sum of Trump policy.. shutting down the border.. pushing allies to step up.. government reform (DOGE).. etc..

They absolutely hate the assclown rhetoric though.. and they dislike the methods of execution of most policy issues.. The country readily rid itself of the most aggressive, most loud mouthed members of the party (MTG, Gaetz, etc)... but has clinged to and rewarded the more polished and more sensible members of the "freedom caucus" like Byron Donalds (now the gov elect in FL)...

And last week they soundly rejected any new comers that would have likely backfilled the Gaetz/MTG void like Paxton..

I dont think many are demanding a return to the "center".. the center today would be left of the line of where things were 20 years ago in the US.. the goal posts have moved dramatically.. but.. theyre tired of the bullshit antics and circus level clown show being used to try to get the country back on track..

While the left is clearly still embracing their own clown car.. running more and more extreme leftists, socialists, etc..

tinktink12 · Monday at 9:58 AM

TRUE BUT NOT FUNNY, ESPECIALLY SINCE I LIVE IN OHIO.

spike.t · Monday at 10:13 AM

skydiver386 said:
View attachment 806643

Mmm....would sure as hell speed up getting down the pages :A Thumbs Up:

Tanks · Monday at 10:15 AM

Big_Easy said:
My wife's new job this year pays $34,000 more than her prior one. The result is we are now in a 24% MFJ tax bracket, vs a 22% MFJ tax bracket now. 24%-22% = 2%. The marginal increase in our taxes would be $34,000 x 0.02 = $680. Paying the federal government an additional $680 per year does not in any way remove the motivation for her to work harder. (That also assumes that the entire amount is subject to a higher tax bracket, which it is not).

Yes, it does not make a significant difference if one is within tax brackets. However, if one is already at 37% tax bracket increasing that makes a significant difference. Here in CA and in NYC one is already paying over 50% of one's income in federal and state taxes. Increase it more then one wonders if loss of free time is worth paying more than half of one's income to the government.

Red Leg · Monday at 10:22 AM

Apparently a well documented breach was successfully made in the Russian state statistics bureau known as Rosstat. The thousands of downloaded documents apparently contained highly classified combat mortality records compiled from February 2022 through August 2026. These records do not count missing (MIA), of which there must be tens of thousands based upon the number of Russian casualties left to rot on the steppes, and wounded (WIA). Total casualties would have to be at least 1.5 million. To put the magnitude of these losses in some perspective, US deaths from all causes in WWII were 405,000 to 407,000. 291,000 to 292,000 were actual combat killed in action.

Kremlin shaken as leak exposes 450,100 Russian soldiers killed - AOL

Hackers claim a cyber attack on Russia's Rosstat agency has exposed data suggesting as many as 450,100 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine, in a major blow to Moscow's wartime secrecy

www.aol.com

Moreover, as recently as July, the highly respected Center for Strategic & International studies concluded that the casualty exchange rate between Russian and Ukrainian forces had risen to eight to one this year with most of the casualties being inflicted by small attack drones.

Russian Blood and Treasure: The Ballooning Costs of Putin’s War

Russia has suffered approximately 1.4 million casualties and 450,000 fatalities in Ukraine for only marginal territorial gains, according to new CSIS data. In addition, Ukraine has conducted deep strikes into Russian territory, including with AI-enabled drones.

www.csis.org

Proportionally by population, this would be the same as the US suffering 3.64 million casualties during the same period of which 1.1 million would be KIA. A democracy would have ended this long ago, but even a dictatorship with a long suffering population like Russia can only sustain so much. It is clearly why the general mobilization that was test ballooned in the summer never materialized this fall.

As a result, in spite of the nonsense occasionally emerging from the mouths of the president and his vice president, Ukraine has successfully crushed Russian offensive efforts in 2026. A major reason is that Russian replacements can no longer fully replace losses setting up a cascading correlation of forces issue at the Russian military's operational and tactical employment levels. In short, this will not get better for them.

Red Leg · Monday at 10:27 AM

Tanks said:
Yes, it does not make a significant difference if one is within tax brackets. However, if one is already at 37% tax bracket increasing that makes a significant difference. Here in CA and in NYC one is already paying over 50% of one's income in federal and state taxes. Increase it more then one wonders if loss of free time is worth paying more than half of one's income to the government.

That was true in Virginia as well where our combined taxes were just over 50%. It absolutely was a decision consideration for me as I approached retirement. We purchased our home here in Texas in 13 and I decided to retire early in fourteen at 62 rather than continue to work at half pay for three more years until reaching our corporation's mandatory out at 65.

PHOENIX PHIL · Monday at 10:30 AM

Red Leg said:
Apparently a well documented breach was successfully made in the Russian state statistics bureau known as Rosstat. The thousands of downloaded documents apparently contained highly classified combat mortality records compiled from February 2022 through August 2026. These records do not count missing (MIA), of which there must be tens of thousands based upon the number of Russian casualties left to rot on the steppes, and wounded (WIA). Total casualties would have to be at least 1.5 million. To put the magnitude of these losses in some perspective, US deaths from all causes in WWII were 405,000 to 407,000. 291,000 to 292,000 were actual combat killed in action.

Kremlin shaken as leak exposes 450,100 Russian soldiers killed - AOL

Hackers claim a cyber attack on Russia's Rosstat agency has exposed data suggesting as many as 450,100 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine, in a major blow to Moscow's wartime secrecy

www.aol.com

Moreover, as recently as July, the highly respected Center for Strategic & International studies concluded that the casualty exchange rate between Russian and Ukrainian forces had risen to eight to one this year with most of the casualties being inflicted by small attack drones.

Russian Blood and Treasure: The Ballooning Costs of Putin’s War

Russia has suffered approximately 1.4 million casualties and 450,000 fatalities in Ukraine for only marginal territorial gains, according to new CSIS data. In addition, Ukraine has conducted deep strikes into Russian territory, including with AI-enabled drones.

www.csis.org

Proportionally by population, this would be the same as the US suffering 3.64 million casualties during the same period of which 1.1 million would be KIA. A democracy would have ended this long ago, but even a dictatorship with a long suffering population like Russia can only sustain so much. It is clearly why the general mobilization that was test ballooned in the summer never materialized this fall.

As a result, in spite of the nonsense occasionally emerging from the mouths of the president and his vice president, Ukraine has successfully crushed Russian offensive efforts in 2026. A major reason is that Russian replacements can no longer fully replace losses setting up a cascading correlation of forces issue at the Russian military's operational and tactical employment levels.

At some point you'd have to think this will ultimately cause Putin's regime to fall.

rookhawk · Monday at 10:52 AM

Tanks said:
Yes, it does not make a significant difference if one is within tax brackets. However, if one is already at 37% tax bracket increasing that makes a significant difference. Here in CA and in NYC one is already paying over 50% of one's income in federal and state taxes. Increase it more then one wonders if loss of free time is worth paying more than half of one's income to the government.

The 37% tax bracket is a rare one. The 1% affluent are at the Capital Gains rate, around 22%. The only people that pay the top tax rates are highly compensated workaholics that cannot deduct anything as a w2 employee. Trial lawyers. CXOs. It is inequitable because those jobs are very high-risk, high-stress occupations and they don't really pay much better than the far easier and lower risk subordinate positions.

I tell me kids that if they want to get ahead, they need to own their own businesses and receive payments via 1099s. The deductions make it far more advantageous for most people than working "for the man".

Scott CWO · Monday at 11:07 AM

Big_Easy said:
My comment was with regards to the tyranny of the minority, not the majority. Specifically the filibuster in the senate. It's not part of the original form of government, so if we're getting back to the original vision, time for that to go. But that's a separate discussion.

The electoral college was also established for other reasons as well, not only concerns regarding the tyranny of the majority. The founders were concerned that ordinary voters could be easily manipulated by prejudices, passions, or a demagogue appealing to public fears...now who does that sound like? Also to insulate the process from "cabals, intrigue, corruption, and foreign influence." - Federalist No 68.

Kinda like when Trump attempted to use public tax dollars to bribe/solicit interference in his favor during an election from a foreign power? Or perhaps when he incited a seditious mob to stop the counting of the votes from the very electoral college you are advocating for? If the electoral college can't stop such a man, what purpose does it truly serve?

The question isn't if the minority has influence, its how much do they have, and is it an outsized amount?

88% of all TV ad spending is spent in 6 battleground states. 96% of presidential candidate campaign events occur in only 12 states...You need to work on your math skills.

This goes to my greater point. Your concern for "the core tenants of our republican form of government created by the founders" is only skin deep. You're only distressed when it's politically favorable for you to be so. The electoral college doesn't even function as originally intended anyways. It's no longer a group of "men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station, and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice," as Hamilton wrote in Federalist No 68. They are now nothing more than a rubber stamp by a political party.

In roughly half the states a faithless elector can be fined, penalized, their vote nullified, and/or immediately replaced. Is that what the founding fathers had in mind? Your argument would hold more weight if the process wasn't already a faint echo of its former self. If you want to advocate for an originalist vision, champion for restoring the electoral college to its originally intended purpose. Not just because it suites you politically.

Who's trying to dictate what is best for who now?

I’m pretty sure that the people in the DC are free to move if they are worried about representation.

MOST of us on this forum derive a lot of our pursuit of happiness through the outdoors, hunting locally, hunting overseas and firearms. If you do as well, to advocate for simple majority rule is undeniably stupid.

tinktink12 · Monday at 1:16 PM

CJW · Monday at 2:35 PM

Russell Brand receives 10.5 years after a trial with zero evidence of an alleged sexual attack 20 years ago.

If he would have identified as a Pakistani or Algerian he would have only received 4.5 years even if there were eye witnesses and video evidence.

Aaron N · Monday at 2:46 PM

CJW said:
Russell Brand receives 10.5 years after a trial with zero evidence of an alleged sexual attack 20 years ago.

If he would have identified as a Pakistani or Algerian he would have only received 4.5 years even if there were eye witnesses and video evidence.

One rape, and three separate sexual assaults.

RLD · Monday at 2:53 PM

CJW said:
Russell Brand receives 10.5 years after a trial with zero evidence of an alleged sexual attack 20 years ago.

If he would have identified as a Pakistani or Algerian he would have only received 4.5 years even if there were eye witnesses and video evidence.

No evidence? Wow some trial.

I guess the victims, the corroborating witnesses and the documentary evidence don't count in "pro-rape" world.

Big_Easy · Monday at 6:09 PM

Red Leg said:
If you are waiting for Red Leg to moderate anything on this site, it will be a very long wait indeed.

I guess August 14th was a lifetime ago then?

Post in thread 'Politics'

Aug 14, 2026

Tbitty said:
For all of the complete bullshit BE spews, none of it crosses the line to break forum rules. Many can agree this site and specifically this thread, since that's the only place BE posts, would be better without the nonsense, but it's a free and open forum so I see no justification for being banned.

I'm guilty of engaging a few times, with the same result every time when I disprove the lies and I provide real facts. I believe having real discussions and considering other viewpoints is important (we should never assume our own beliefs and opinions are the only right view). However, when...

Big_Easy · Monday at 6:12 PM

Scott CWO said:
I’m pretty sure that the people in the DC are free to move if they are worried about representation.

MOST of us on this forum derive a lot of our pursuit of happiness through the outdoors, hunting locally, hunting overseas and firearms. If you do as well, to advocate for simple majority rule is undeniably stupid.

And the double standards train just keeps on a rollin!

Red Leg · Monday at 6:19 PM

Big_Easy said:
I guess August 14th was a lifetime ago then?

Post in thread 'Politics'

Aug 14, 2026

Tbitty said:

For all of the complete bullshit BE spews, none of it crosses the line to break forum rules. Many can agree this site and specifically this thread, since that's the only place BE posts, would be better without the nonsense, but it's a free and open forum so I see no justification for being banned.

I'm guilty of engaging a few times, with the same result every time when I disprove the lies and I provide real facts. I believe having real discussions and considering other viewpoints is important (we should never assume our own beliefs and opinions are the only right view). However, when...

Click to expand...

Red Leg

I am not a moderator, but I'll happily call attention to him or the owner with respect to bad behavior. I'll let your post speak for itself. With respect to my assessment of you and your contributions, i have seen nothing that alters my opinion. Back to ignore and having you no longer even represent background noise.

Big_Easy · Monday at 6:21 PM

Altitude sickness said:
How did you get the IRS to tax the increased wages at 2% and not 24% ?

The statement "Tax the Rich" refers to increasing the marginal tax rate on higher incomes. The more you make, the higher the rate you pay.

The tax rate increases from 22% to 24%, so we only pay 2% additional tax on higher income. The right tries to claim that everything you make gets taxed at that higher percentage, it doesn't. And contrary to what @Hunter-Habib claimed, and @rookhawk has tried to claim previously, a higher marginal tax rate does not discourage work.

Altitude sickness said:
My taxes are based on total income earned. Not stratified at each pay increase.

Your federal income taxes are stratified by how much you make.

LivingTheDream · Monday at 6:34 PM

Tanks said:
Yes, it does not make a significant difference if one is within tax brackets. However, if one is already at 37% tax bracket increasing that makes a significant difference. Here in CA and in NYC one is already paying over 50% of one's income in federal and state taxes. Increase it more then one wonders if loss of free time is worth paying more than half of one's income to the government.

There have been times where I have turned down work or did investment strategies different due to where I was in the tax brackets.

Where that 37% really hits people is if they have a one time event, such phantom stock coverting, and they are a W2. Basically guys who are trying to make the jump from Middle Class to Upper Middle class, and they just get slaughtered on taxes, because they have topped out on deductions, and the withholding amount that applies to them and their spouse gets thrown off due to a 1 time event.

At this point my wife and I are debating about moving because VA is discussing raising their taxes even more, it gets to a point where you just go, why are we doing this?

wesheltonj · Monday at 7:32 PM

Big_Easy said:
The statement "Tax the Rich" refers to increasing the marginal tax rate on higher incomes. The more you make, the higher the rate you pay.

The tax rate increases from 22% to 24%, so we only pay 2% additional tax on higher income. The right tries to claim that everything you make gets taxed at that higher percentage, it doesn't. And contrary to what @Hunter-Habib claimed, and @rookhawk has tried to claim previously, a higher marginal tax rate does not discourage work.

Your federal income taxes are stratified by how much you make.
View attachment 806811

My friend, you are leaving out the increase in FICA and Medicare taxes. I have to presume thats a joint income, so neither will max out the FICA “contribution.”

How about taxing the poor too, by having a flat tax, so everyone has skin in the game. Or do you not like that part of socialism. Karl would be proud.

Scott CWO · Monday at 7:42 PM

Big_Easy said:
And the double standards train just keeps on a rollin!

DC residents get to vote in presidential elections so they are not without any representation.

I guess you have accepted the stupid part.

Politics

mdwest

Azim Jiwani: Conservatives don't need softer principles. They need a more persuasive tone — National Post

tinktink12

spike.t

Tanks

Red Leg

Kremlin shaken as leak exposes 450,100 Russian soldiers killed - AOL

Russian Blood and Treasure: The Ballooning Costs of Putin’s War

Red Leg

PHOENIX PHIL

Kremlin shaken as leak exposes 450,100 Russian soldiers killed - AOL

Russian Blood and Treasure: The Ballooning Costs of Putin’s War

rookhawk

Scott CWO

tinktink12

CJW

Aaron N

RLD

Big_Easy

Post in thread 'Politics'

Big_Easy

Red Leg

Post in thread 'Politics'

Big_Easy

LivingTheDream

wesheltonj

Scott CWO

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