leh-nerd skin-erd

The immunity question aside, I think the reality is that sort of thing is not at all uncommon. Which brings me back around to maybe anything that may have been there is long gone, deep sixxed by whomever for whatever reason. Intelligence community? Or, maybe there isn’t/wasn’t all that much in there to begin with.

The biggie question imo is why anything involving Epstein was hidden/redacted/confidential to begin with, outside of the victims involved. As for Trump, the flip side of the argument is why he would demand release of the files if he knew he was in them. Some people are just above the law.

Joe really looking forward to a beer, borscht and wingos with Leonid Brezhnev.

Personally, I think it was symptomatic of a much bigger issue, and that’s a fundamental lack of trust in our elections/leadership. I believe that the events of 1/6 were set in place when leadership of the Democrats party referred to Trumps election as illegitimate, a Russian op, a coup and more. I believe that set the stage for all sorts of nefarious and shady dealings by the Dems looking to stifle the Trump agenda. I most definitely believe Trump supporters saw that whole 4 year debacle and took it personally. So, when Trump loses the election, he started on his version of stolen and illegitimate elections. I think some people believed it, it motivated them to action. I think some people probably didn’t believe the election was stolen yet figured if the Dems did it, might as well support the cause and turn out. Then of course, there were the hyper aggressive people in the crowd who like to see sh$t burn and things spiraled from there. I think people are manipulated into believing all sorts of things— illegitimate elections, stolen elections, classified document raids, “slippage”, and mostly that most political inquiries are completed to uncover the truth.

Of course.

I wasn't implying anything, Teef. I stated how I view these issues generally, and this issue specifically.

I'm not certain I could have been more clear in my reply.

If life has taught me anything, it's that you cannot count anyone out on anything. Of course, that includes everyone in the food chain that has something to gain from this sort of thing. The overwhelming likelihood is that it's a story designed to do lasting political damage to the opposition party leader.

Just hopping in for a moment in your dialogue with @teef. For my money, very well done dialogue between you guys and I appreciate it. My only add here is that in spite of overwhelming data at the fingertips of most Americans, it’s less about the “morons” and more about people who just don’t understand some basic math. When you add in a compulsion for immediate gratification, the lure of easy money (at a substantially elevated interest rate), the failure to understand the notion of being “upside/down” on a vehicle that depreciated rapidly….and the notion that personal bankruptcy is no big deal, it’s a recipe for disaster. In this regard, while we can bash Dems or bash Rs, it’s a failure of our education system at a minimum.

He was able to extract a Moratorium on Mischief, which was Harris-esque in scope and importance. I heard somewhere he was looking for Abeyance on Azzholery but just couldn't pull it off because the elections snuck up on him. At the airport, somewhere in American, an annoucement shall soon be made: HIS ROYAL NIBS....THE FRANKISH REICH, HE WHO SHAN'T BE DISRUPTED...

Well, if you're going down this road, isn't it really the greedy homeowner who is the problem? He/she could certainly direct the property be sold at a certain level that would encourage homeownership for local families, yes?

You’ve made a pretty compelling case as to how it might play out. I’m going to commit right now to not voting for him if this whole ‘cannot be elected’ but can be “serving 3rd terms” comes to pass. The only thing that could get in the way if he is successful in his bid to convince Canada to become North Idaho. I’m against all that talk as it’s disrespectful, but I feel like Niagara Bill has been really mean to me lately and it hurts my feelings.

I’ve previously pointed out the elements of wealth redistribution in the American system as it exists. That was your original hot button issue. In regards to tax generally, I’m a supporter of progressive tax policy, which by design increases contributions as income increases. It has nothing to do with some silly concept like “fair share”, just a recognition that things must be paid for. I’d sure love the tax rate to be adjusted downwards, and would love to see an overhaul where we had some reason to believe waste and abuse wasn’t a problem, but that’s a different discussion. By applying your theory as outlined here, I would have been for the abolishment of all tax or redistributive programs. That’s silly, as silly say as a Canadian citizen declaring the system the best in the world, while private paying for life-changing or life-saving treatment in a foreign land. Carry on.

I agree this is a very bad idea, favoring shorter term mortgages of 10-15 years. Or, in some cases, a 30 paid down over a much shorter period of time. That said, part of the problem we have is many people undervalue the notion of $150/ month saved over an extended period of time, and adjusted periodically as wages grow. Interestingly, the same $150/mo at 7% over that period of time exceeds $700k. At 8%, the hypothetical buyer has over a million in the account. Inflation is a huge factor, of course.

Oh goodness….you’re spiraling with this talk of devils and kings. Take a breath, secure in the knowledge that after every 936 posts about your neighbor to the south, you come up with a tepid criticism on politics in your own country. In that regard, Trudeau may be the biggest a$$ in Canadian history, but you seem determined to make a run for the title. Godspeed.

I think you’re confused. You specifically mentioned Canada and policies unique to your country several times. Canadian carbon tax. Canadian rebates. How Trump hated Trudeau. Canada and d food stamps. I mentioned Canada and its socialist approach to Haitian refugees. Just like the Canadian people don’t seem to want food stamps, they don’t seem to want Haitians. That’s odd, because Socialist governments would typically embrace immigrants, but maybe they have to be the right kind of immigrant. Anyway, you don’t want to talk about, I can understand. Yes, there are elements of our way of life that involved redistribution of wealth. Taxes. Foreign aid. That sort of thing.

You mentioned Canadian carbon tax. I assumed you rejected the Haitians (partly) because of their carbon footprint on the way from their to your country.

@muppy I am NOT, repeat NOT down with this.

You don’t have many Haitians either. https://www.sfltimes.com/news/haitians-facing-deportation-flee-to-canada-but-are-turned-away#google_vignette “There are limits,” Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters. “We have to be human, but realistic. Canada can’t accept everyone.”

I would think that a gait match of 94-97% has all the hallmarks of proof that some intelligence operatives may have been involved. Now, seriously, I know a guy who sold his security business quite a few years ago. Prior to selling, he was telling me that they were working on some “very high-tech CSI” information including body language analysis. He did not mention gate analysis. I’ll wait and see, and don’t see these guys as the final source of truth and justice (in line with other media types) but I would not be surprised in the least.

Your readers may be few, but they are committed to disparaging you relentlessly. You have to respect that. I appreciate your commentary, and you might be right on this. Or, wrong, in which case, see above.

Great question, Mumplestilskin. I'm at the mercy off the reporting (or lack thereof) as to current status of tariffs. One report suggests $90 billion has been collected and the proceeds are held by the US Treasury. That same report suggested refunds might well be in order if the SC determines his actions were beyond the scope of his authority. I imagine that will be a pretty serious cluster***. I saw another report that suggested $195b has been collected. From my perspective, we'll know when we know, and deal with the fallout when it happens.

You keep bringing it up, Tibs. Let it go.

I understand that you may be incapable of juggling multiple thoughts at the same time, but others can. To break it down so you understand— by you, I mean you. By others, I mean me (and others).

You sent a link over, I read the link, read up on the guy and offered thoughts on the situation as he described it. You’re not restricted from discussing nuances—well, you might be because you’re a simpleton taking marching orders from your betters. I’m not. It is ok to think deeper, dig deeper, and have conversations. This is how we learn, and it may have helped you avoid losing your shirt when you went all in with your Beanie Babies investment at the top of the market.