Politics

[WAB]

I could see him even switching parties..

he's still a democrat at heart.. but the things he seems to concern himself most with are the things the R's seem to be trying to align with, and the D's seem to be trying to distance themselves from... like working class people, organized labor, etc..

I have developed a lot of respect for him. He stands by what he believes to be right regardless of what the party line is. I wish we had more who would do the same.

 

[Big_Easy]

But Trump’s Ballroom will be paid for by private donations! It wont include any tax dollars!

 

[Big_Easy]

I could see him even switching parties..

he's still a democrat at heart.. but the things he seems to concern himself most with are the things the R's seem to be trying to align with, and the D's seem to be trying to distance themselves from... like working class people, organized labor, etc..

Republicans supposedly aligning themselves with working class people and organized labor over the democrats is the funniest joke I’ve seen on this forum yet.

 

[mdwest]

I have developed a lot of respect for him. He stands by what he believes to be right regardless of what the party line is. I wish we had more who would do the same.

Completely agree..

I dont agree with a whole lot that he believes in... but the application of common sense and decorum he displays is very much appreciated.. I respect him as well and always take a minute to listen to whatever he has to say whenever he is interviewed about something..

If we had more people in congress with common sense and decorum they could probably get a whole lot more done..

 

[Red Leg]

Sometimes AI can be pretty funny. On line Spencer Pratt campaign ad. He is running for mayor of LA.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2051647381981290697

 

[Brent in Az]

Republicans supposedly aligning themselves with working class people and organized labor over the democrats is the funniest joke I’ve seen on this forum yet.

All the Democrats do for the working class, is too bend us over, and get their grubby little grifter hands on as many tax dollars as possible.

 

[steve white]

All the Democrats do for the working class, is too bend us over, and get their grubby little grifter hands on as many tax dollars as possible.

Why not? Nobody is going to do anything to them....not even their own disenfranchised constituents...

It's a replay of the scene in "Liar, Liar" where the character says "no, I won't sue you because, ____, blah blah, and the man at the impoundment place replied, "You've been here before"

 

[steve white]

The creation of FHA in the 30’s and the GI bill being used post wwii started that trend. Though I’d be curious to know how many of the homes in America that are owned now are from older people that capitalized between 2010-2018 when prices crashed and rated lowered. I know the number of 2nd and 3rd homes skyrocketed during the period. And of course private equity groups and smaller investor firms snatched up many starter family homes.. are those counted in those figures?

And they could not offer the same help today?

 

[CoElkHunter]

The creation of FHA in the 30’s and the GI bill being used post wwii started that trend. Though I’d be curious to know how many of the homes in America that are owned now are from older people that capitalized between 2010-2018 when prices crashed and rated lowered. I know the number of 2nd and 3rd homes skyrocketed during the period. And of course private equity groups and smaller investor firms snatched up many starter family homes.. are those counted in those figures?

A brand new housing tract just south of here was bought up by some investment company who are now renting out all of the brand new homes. That’s not the way it’s supposed to work. We saw the same thing happen starting in 2008 across the country with homes under water being bought up by investment companies and rented out. A huge swath of homes were thus taken out of the market for first time homebuyers. The effect continued for years. My son and his wife were lucky to buy a 1400sf home as first time homebuyers in 2016 when the bidding above asking prices started here. Home ownership is the foundation of the American dream and shouldn’t be subject to external forces that make that dream impossible to achieve.

 

[LivingTheDream]

shouldn’t be subject to external forces

Wouldn't this be capitalism?

 

[fourfive8]

That would be as form of crony capitalism.

 

[Killingtime]

And they could not offer the same help today?

If I’m gonna be honest brother them helping is what got America into these problems. We are in a weird situation where America can not afford to lower rates because of inflation yet can not afford to keep them high because of national debt obligations and a lot of people cannot afford to buy existing homes in areas with work because of cost and rates combined.

But this was all caused by the goverment making money cheap for to long rather than letting the free market do what it’s supposed to do.

It’s the cantillon effect.
Allowing investment firms (many of which had access to zero or near zero rates) to buy single family residents should never have been allowed goverment could have stopped it instead they create the environment for it.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Wouldn't this be capitalism?

Yes, but with no apparent rules to limit boundaries in this instance.

 

[Killingtime]

Wouldn't this be capitalism?

If it was a free market it would be capitalism. Having a corporation pay off a cheap official to make a rule set that favors you is the opposite of a free market.
Though I do acknowledge as Milton Friedman did that some regulation is required because markets are not static and so one will rise and potentially be malicious in their dealings.( seems to me though that government just speeds that process up).

 

[CoElkHunter]

All the Democrats do for the working class, is too bend us over, and get their grubby little grifter hands on as many tax dollars as possible.

It's been that way forever. They always promised to go after the millionares and now billionares, but when that money proves elusive, they go after the poor bastards having to work for a living to pay for all of the nonworking parasites in our society that suck the financial marrow out of our economic system.

 

[fourfive8]

If you carefully study the under-pinned details without preconceived bias, crony capitalism becomes indistinguishable from fascism. Also, I think most on the left who so loosely throw around the terms fascist and fascism haven’t a clue about their meaning.

On related topic… Keep an eye on Beta-boy Jerome Powell. You won’t find a bigger, Club Fed, deep state chameleon scum bag in the swamp.

 

[steve white]

A brand new housing tract just south of here was bought up by some investment company who are now renting out all of the brand new homes. That’s not the way it’s supposed to work. We saw the same thing happen starting in 2008 across the country with homes under water being bought up by investment companies and rented out. A huge swath of homes were thus taken out of the market for first time homebuyers. The effect continued for years. My son and his wife were lucky to buy a 1400sf home as first time homebuyers in 2016 when the bidding above asking prices started here. Home ownership is the foundation of the American dream and shouldn’t be subject to external forces that make that dream impossible to achieve.

One reason to rent homes is because if you build a home and rent it out for a stated number of years, you are allowed to build it cheaper--as in lower quality than would pass inspection otherwise. Afterward you can sell it and the cheapness is "grandfathered" in. One of my uncles built 30 such homes, but decided to just keep renting them. Shades of Fox & Jacobs trash.

 

[Big_Easy]

That would be as form of crony capitalism.

I think David Stockman once coined the terms deformed and/or bastardized capitalism in his book, it’s a good read.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

It's been that way forever. They always promised to go after the millionares and now billionares, but when that money proves elusive, they go after the poor bastards having to work for a living to pay for all of the nonworking parasites in our society that suck the financial marrow out of our economic system.

Tell us how you really feel. Haha! I feel the exact same, just not as articulate as you, love that parasite description. I pictured big engorged ticks like you find on a Cape buffalo scrotum.
As a Canadian, I am not totally against helping people, a hand up, not a hand out, is what I live by. I’ve reached for that hand before, but then I reached behind to the next guy to help them, not keep reaching forward to the next hand.

 

[Red Leg]

Axios, and confirmed by the Jerusalem Post and others, is reporting that a deal is almost done between the US and Iran to end the conflict.

https://archive.is/6DkGF

Assuming enrichment limitations and current nuclear material stockpile disposition is resolved in the US's favor, this would seem to be about as good a deal as we should expect without dictating peace in Tehran under the muzzles of the 1st Armored Division.

An enrichment ban of 15 years is frankly about as good as a promise not to do it forever. A lot can happen over 15 years whichever direction the pendulum swings. Critics will of course claim that this is little more than the 10-year moratorium that the Obama deal would have provided. However, militarily and industrially Iran is in a much different place than it was in 2015. Also, the regime has a lot of internal expenditure demands now as a result of the conflict that will compete with any efforts to resurrect Hamas and Hezbollah. Finally, we are 11 years farther along than the Obama agreement which would have ended this year.

The administration will need to keep the pressure up, because I am certain Iran can be counted upon to try to slow-roll the thirty-day negotiations framework.