President Donald Trump

[DMT]

With Trump backing down on SOTU, hopefully his bruised ego will snap him out of this shut-down insanity.

[Judge Jude]

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/furloughed-worker-living-paycheck-to-paycheck-i-have-1-06-in-my-bank-account/

that segment is part of the lunacy I am talking about.
the first government worker interviewed says she just bought a new home, but having missed that paycheck, she can't afford to make her first mortgage payment and has $1.06 in her bank account.

why did she buy this home? how did she get approved for a loan? and why do we pretend this is not financial suicide?

the stats on how many households live paycheck to paycheck are cited, with zero insight as to why.
of course wages are stagnant for the average American for the past 20 years, so if they continue to try to maintain an increasingly unaffordable lifestyle, they will wind up with $1.06 in the bank.

is there an alternative? anyone know? I can think of a couple of options.

but my point is unspeakable in politics or in the media. instead, we lionize people who spend wildly beyond their means as heroes.
after all, there is apparently no way to cut expenses. no way to live in a smaller home, to buy a less expensive car, to skip vacations, to pass on going out to dinner, to trim TV/phone monthly expenses, to wait to watch a popular movie when it comes to TV.

there is no way to describe this lunacy but mass psychosis. putting savings ahead of discretionary spending - so as to avoid this dilemma - is not even part of the equation anymore. it's so sad, and this story does nothing but enable the insane status quo to continue.

[TranaGreg]

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/furlou...-bank-account/

that segment is part of the lunacy I am talking about.
the first government worker interviewed says she just bought a new home, but having missed that paycheck, she can't afford to make her first mortgage payment and has $1.06 in her bank account.

why did she buy this home? how did she get approved for a loan? and why do we pretend this is not financial suicide?

the stats on how many households live paycheck to paycheck are cited, with zero insight as to why.
of course wages are stagnant for the average American for the past 20 years, so if they continue to try to maintain an increasingly unaffordable lifestyle, they will wind up with $1.06 in the bank.

is there an alternative? anyone know? I can think of a couple of options.

but my point is unspeakable in politics or in the media. instead, we lionize people who spend wildly beyond their means as heroes.
after all, there is apparently no way to cut expenses. no way to live in a smaller home, to buy a less expensive car, to skip vacations, to pass on going out to dinner, to trim TV/phone monthly expenses, to wait to watch a popular movie when it comes to TV.

there is no way to describe this lunacy but mass psychosis. putting savings ahead of discretionary spending - so as to avoid this dilemma - is not even part of the equation anymore. it's so sad, and this story does nothing but enable the insane status quo to continue.

This is an interesting discussion if separated from politics, worthy of its own thread IMO.

The culture of saving for a rainy day was really driven home by the generation that was raised during the depression and WWII, but that culture has long since been replaced by the hyper-competitive consumer culture we see today.

[DMT]

This is an interesting discussion if separated from politics, worthy of its own thread IMO.

The culture of saving for a rainy day was really driven home by the generation that was raised during the depression and WWII, but that culture has long since been replaced by the hyper-competitive consumer culture we see today.

That's because the forces of capitalism must push mass consumerism...militarism and environmental destruction are some other by-products.

[Fresno Bob]

Completely agree.

Nancy has always been 10 times the dealmaker that Donald claims to be, because she has to do multiple deals with the same people rather than just bullying/stiffing small time contractors

[revo]

Roger Stone arrested by the FBI, the latest in a long string of Trump campaign officials arrested for lying and other shenanigans. Of course, Sarah Sanders is interviewed and just babbles on about how Trump is strong on Russia, blah blah blah.

It's unbelievable that his supporters just don't seem to care about any of this. What a country!

[revo]

Apparently a deal to temporarily reopen the government has been struck.

[hacko]

So the bottom line is he is saying excactly what they passed before Rush L got to him before the shutdown. What the Hell - month of shutdown for nothing. How do people still back him? How does he get away with this %%%%.

[DMT]

So the bottom line is he is saying excactly what they passed before Rush L got to him before the shutdown. What the Hell - month of shutdown for nothing. How do people still back him? How does he get away with this %%%%.

No idea but he's getting bounced in 2020 if he makes it that long.

[hacko]

Check out Ann Coulter tweet. Lol

[gcstomp]

Trump couldnt pass wall funding when R controlled both chambers of congress. Trump thought, now with a new D controlled house and Pelosi who held view that wall funding was an immorality he could just hijack the process rather than trying to pass a bill thru regular order would just make people suffer till he got his way. Guy is just a monster.

Aside from his penchant to disrespect every long term ally while at same time heaping praise on the worlds strongman evil dictators.... And wanting to withdraw US from Nato and world climate accord and anything else that is the bedrock of holding peace and prosperity in favor of throwing his support to freakin Saudi prince who orders a hit on a US resident reporter, or Putin who has ordered poisoning of residents in UK, ( "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia."), or Trumps very friendly conversations with Rodrigo Duterte, Philippines, who kills reporters. Though, to be fair, Duterte held some criticism, "Duterte's praised Trump, he's also said: "He is a bigot and I am not." Trumps name is on a 57 story, 150 million dollar building in Manilla, Phillipines so lets play nice.

Literally Trump embodies the worst traits one could cartoonishly muster of the ugly american, and though he is an embarrassment, somehow we have not been escalated into a nuclear war yet so I have to say it could be worse.

[onejayhawk]

Wonder where they learned that?

I would say Newt Gingrich but it goes back further. Tip o'Neill maybe.

No idea but he's getting bounced in 2020 if he makes it that long.

He won't run. I doubt he ever intended to run again.

Trump gained one thing no one is talking about it. The State of the Union speech is now center stage.

J

[Kevin Seitzer]

He won't run. I doubt he ever intended to run again.

You're telling me he's going to willing give up this:

and this:



and all the benefits the presidency brings to the dealings of the Trump Organization around the world?

I'll believe that when I see it. He's got a sweet deal to fill his pockets for years to come in ways he never could as a legitimate businessman, and he's not going to give up either the adulation or the free money easily.

[nots]

You're telling me he's going to willing give up this:

and this:



and all the benefits the presidency brings to the dealings of the Trump Organization around the world?

I'll believe that when I see it. He's got a sweet deal to fill his pockets for years to come in ways he never could as a legitimate businessman, and he's not going to give up either the adulation or the free money easily.

You can make a fortune as a post-President too. Remember when the Clintons were dead broke when they left the White House? Now worth 80+M. Not bad for just 18 years. Based on his real estate purchases, it looks like the Obama’s are doing ok financially as well (net worth $40M).
He will make a ton of money, but it will be after his Presidency. Probably start that news network he was going to if he had lost in 2016. The Presidency is ego fuel for him but it’s not a cash bonanza.

[onejayhawk]

You can make a fortune as a post-President too. Remember when the Clintons were dead broke when they left the White House? Now worth 80+M. Not bad for just 18 years. Based on his real estate purchases, it looks like the Obama’s are doing ok financially as well (net worth $40M).
He will make a ton of money, but it will be after his Presidency. Probably start that news network he was going to if he had lost in 2016. The Presidency is ego fuel for him but it’s not a cash bonanza.

It was never true that the Clintons were dead broke when they left the White House. That canard is up there with taking sniper fire at an airfield.

However, the bulk of the estimated 250-300 $Million net worth was acquired since leaving office. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalex.../#8c1fdbd7a16e

J