President Donald Trump

[Sour Masher]

Our debt is now over 22 trillion, and well over 100% of our GDP. Obama wasn't good on this, adding about 8 trillion to the debt in his tenure, but he is but one in a long line, R and D, to raise our debt since Reagan raised it substantially. Of course, different presidents face different economic realities, and I don't think we should judge them all solely by the numbers, without taking into account major events like the Depression, or recessions. I also think for a long time, this issue has been overblown at times, but it is hard to ignore the need to be concerned when a country crosses that magic threshold of having a debt ration above 100% of the GDP. We touched that number in 2014, but fell back under it, and we are now up to 108% under Trump, thanks largely to his tax cut. I think when the economy is running hot, we really need to pay more attention to the debt. It is unrealistic to hope for dramatic reductions without severe austerity measures that I don't think are yet needed. However, it wouldn't be too hard to get us back down under 100% debt ratio, if the country was committed to that. It is one of the things I hope Trump eventually pays attention to, because the US can't be bailed out by a bankruptcy like he has been.

https://www.thebalance.com/us-debt-b...ercent-3306296

[baldgriff]

Our debt is now over 22 trillion, and well over 100% of our GDP. Obama wasn't good on this, adding about 8 trillion to the debt in his tenure, but he is but one in a long line, R and D, to raise our debt since Reagan raised it substantially. Of course, different presidents face different economic realities, and I don't think we should judge them all solely by the numbers, without taking into account major events like the Depression, or recessions. I also think for a long time, this issue has been overblown at times, but it is hard to ignore the need to be concerned when a country crosses that magic threshold of having a debt ration above 100% of the GDP. We touched that number in 2014, but fell back under it, and we are now up to 108% under Trump, thanks largely to his tax cut. I think when the economy is running hot, we really need to pay more attention to the debt. It is unrealistic to hope for dramatic reductions without severe austerity measures that I don't think are yet needed. However, it wouldn't be too hard to get us back down under 100% debt ratio, if the country was committed to that. It is one of the things I hope Trump eventually pays attention to, because the US can't be bailed out by a bankruptcy like he has been.

https://www.thebalance.com/us-debt-b...ercent-3306296

This is not an issue either party wants to really address in a meaningful way.

[revo]

I love that Dopey is so concerned about ratings and attendance that he has to constantly lie to make himself look better. He lied the other day that he drew 35,000 at his rally in El Paso (he didn't) and Beto O'Rourke's competing rally only drew 200-300 (it didn't). Both drew somewhere between 7,500 and 10,000. It's sad, really, that Dopey's ego gets so bruised. What a loser.

[Steve 2.0]

I love that Dopey is so concerned about ratings and attendance that he has to constantly lie to make himself look better. He lied the other day that he drew 35,000 at his rally in El Paso (he didn't) and Beto O'Rourke's competing rally only drew 200-300 (it didn't). Both drew somewhere between 7,500 and 10,000. It's sad, really, that Dopey's ego gets so bruised. What a loser.

But, I'm guessing his followers believe the lies. I don't get it. All politicians probably lie, but his are so easily checked. What a goober he is.

[hacko]

But, I'm guessing his followers believe the lies. I don't get it. All politicians probably lie, but his are so easily checked. What a goober he is.

Why? It hasn’t mattered in the past!

[In the Corn]

If true, we have descended into a dictatorship:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/national-emergency-border-wall-trump_n_5c65cb83e4b0bcddd40fe7e1

Sad day in America.

[TranaGreg]

If true, we have descended into a dictatorship:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/national-emergency-border-wall-trump_n_5c65cb83e4b0bcddd40fe7e1

Sad day in America.

Given the recent statements by prominent Republicans suggesting what a bad idea this is, it will be interesting to see how the party reacts - or if it reacts at all or is silent ...

To quote from the article ITC linked ...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) privately cautioned Trump earlier this month to avoid declaring a national emergency over wall funding, warning the decision could spark backlash from members of his own party...
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said last month that doing so would be “a terrible idea” and could set a bad precedent.

Others:

“The president’s going to get sued and it won’t succeed in accomplishing his goal … [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi will introduce a resolution of disapproval that will pass the House and come over here and divide Republicans,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). “It strikes me as not a great strategy.”

“While I’m in favor of what this president wants to do [on the border wall], I think it sets a dangerous precedent and I hope he doesn’t do it,” said Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, the No. 4 GOP leader.

“I can’t say for certain about what I would do. But I in general am opposed,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said that while he was "highly sympathetic" with the president's frustration about the lack of wall funding, he wants the administration "to lay out the legal case" for a national emergency

[Fresno Bob]

I'm ready for President Pelosi to introduce a general "resolution of disapproval" on the whole adminstration

[baldgriff]

He takes the money as a win - and then announces that the border is a drug trafficking corridor and gets the rest under Title 10 I believe is what I heard of the drug war rules or some such.

Just noting that I called this strategy a couple days back. Whether we like it or not - from what I have heard on the radio down here in AZ he is well within his rights to call for the money by declaring the southern border a drug trafficking corridor.

This article about Fentanyl posted earlier today:

http://https://www.nbcnews.com/news/...a-hard-n971536

We just had a 16 yr old kid get caught distributing fentanyl in Scottdale - nearly killed a kid in his school with this shit.

Fentanyl is WAY stronger than Oxy - and the volume of pills coming in from Mexico is as stated in the article above - "enough to kill millions".... That would seem to indicate a very real threat and that the border is a drug trafficking corridor.

[TranaGreg]

it's all very confusing ... the wall is needed to control illegal immigration ... no wait, it's to stop illegal drugs being imported ...

Don't get me wrong, the fentanyl crisis absolutely needs to be addressed. Up here the approach is the establishment of safe injection sites in high risk areas and ready availability of naloxone kits.

[umjewman]

Yeah, I'm sure the lawsuit is already prepared. I guess he'll be doing it to fire up his base, but it will take a while for it to wind its way through the courts. Ultimately will end up before the Supreme Court, I would guess. Then we'll see if adding Kavanaugh and Gorsuch helps him.

[fuhrdog]

Instead of constantly threatening it...Trump should just do it already. I can't wait to see all the National emergencies with future presidents. The NRA won't like it I'm sure.

[heyelander]

I love that Dopey is so concerned about ratings and attendance that he has to constantly lie to make himself look better. He lied the other day that he drew 35,000 at his rally in El Paso (he didn't) and Beto O'Rourke's competing rally only drew 200-300 (it didn't). Both drew somewhere between 7,500 and 10,000. It's sad, really, that Dopey's ego gets so bruised. What a loser.

[gcstomp]

illegal fentanyl flooding U.S. for most part comes from china. it enters our legal ports of entry or the mail. a grand wall would not stop any of that flow. you ever stand at the tampa shipping port, some of the largest container ships can hold up to 18,000 40' containers. a single kilo of fentanyl, or what you could hide in a teddy bear, is literally hundreds of thousands of doses.

drumpf has effectively controlled news cycle again by dual announcing he will sign bill to keep govt running, but also declaring emergency, despite our 50 year low rate of illegal immigration. I am sure this will work out swimmingly for him.

[nots]

Big win for the Democrats on this. The next Democratic President will have the authority to declare an emergency on guns, or climate or whatever the cause of the day is and will have a solid precedent with which to do so. All it cost was a couple hundred miles of wall that, let’s be honest, all the Democrats in the Senate have previously voted for (in spite of its ‘immorality’, lol). Reminds me a lot of Harry Reid’s filibuster gaffe. Small win in the short term for Trump, but huge loss for the GOP (and really, all of us that believe in the traditions and power of our government in the long run). I am as anti-illegal immigration as anyone in here, but this is a terrible move.