Jump to content

US Politics: Don't Panic - Organize


Fragile Bird

Recommended Posts

Here's the link to the story Fragile Bird was posting about:

"Decade in the Red: Trump Tax Figures
Show Over $1 Billion in Business Losses"

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/07/us/politics/donald-trump-taxes.html

Quote

 

The numbers show that in 1985, Mr. Trump reported losses of $46.1 million from his core businesses — largely casinos, hotels and retail space in apartment buildings. They continued to lose money every year, totaling $1.17 billion in losses for the decade.

In fact, year after year, Mr. Trump appears to have lost more money than nearly any other individual American taxpayer, The Times found when it compared his results with detailed information the I.R.S. compiles on an annual sampling of high-income earners. His core business losses in 1990 and 1991 — more than $250 million each year — were more than double those of the nearest taxpayers in the I.R.S. information for those year....

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exclusive: Trump fixer Cohen says he helped Falwell handle racy photos

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-falwell-exclusive/exclusive-trump-fixer-cohen-says-he-helped-falwell-handle-racy-photos-idUSKCN1SD2JG

Quote

 

The Falwells enlisted Cohen’s help in 2015, according to the source familiar with Cohen’s thinking, the year Trump announced his presidential candidacy. At the time, Cohen was Trump’s confidant and personal lawyer, and he worked for the Trump Organization.

The Falwells wanted to keep “a bunch of photographs, personal photographs” from becoming public, Cohen told Arnold. “I actually have one of the photos,” he said, without going into specifics. “It’s terrible.”

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apparently Trump was a real 1%er in one of those years.

His losses represented 1% of all losses declared by individual taxpayers.

As a result of all the losses, even though he made millions each year, he paid no taxes in 8 out of 10 years.

This magic happened because he borrowed money for his failing businesses. When they failed, he got to deduct all the losses , even though it was actually other people’s money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote

 

The New York state Senate is set to take up a bill on Wednesday that would allow state officials to release President Donald Trump’s state tax returns to Congress, and the lawmaker behind the legislation is confident it has the votes to pass.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman’s bill would allow the New York tax commissioner to release any state tax return requested by one of three congressional committees for any “specific and legitimate legislative purpose.”

In other words, Congress could finally get Trump’s tax returns.

 

New York Senate On Verge Of Passing Bill Allowing Release Of Trump Tax Returns
The financial information the president files in his home state should be similar to that on his federal returns.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-new-york-state-tax-returns_n_5cd1ead4e4b0a7dffccdf5b3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, ThinkerX said:

  I had one tell me, sincerely, that 'God would not let climate change destroy the earth.'

 

 

How do they know God isn't using climate change as part of his end times strategy? Why not use the damage humanity itself is creating to bring about the end times and the apocalypse. Saves God a bit of work.

Of course if they start believing that, then they will try to make more climate change to hasten the end times. Though I think secretly most of them want to be safely tucked away in heaven when the end times hit and they don't really want to live through it.

Really though, my understanding (for some at least) is that it makes no difference what happens to Earth before Jesus returns. Climate change can run rampant, it doesn't matter. Because when Jesus comes back, there will be a proverbial snap of the fingers (though Jesus won't need 6 infinity stones and a golden glove) and the world will be re-made and put right. And that will be the end of history. The lucky few will be back in Paradise as it was for Adam and Eve and there will be perpetual everlasting bliss for the true of heart. Believing or not believing in climate change isn't really important and not worthy of consideration.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, ThinkerX said:

Believe you me, I argue this point with conservatives fairly often.  Again, some things (once properly presented) - they have no qualms with, energy efficiency, solar panels, maybe even electric cars.  But past those things, there's a sort of cultural/ideological 'wall,' a refusal to acknowledge how serious climate change is.  To Conservatives, the more serious changes are the literal end of everything they've worked for and they'll grab at any straw rather than face reality.

I think it's simply a matter of who is going to pay for the solution(s). Electric cars, solar panels and the like are mostly non-controversial because they're voluntary. Yes, there's a tax subsidy for many of these things, but it's not that large and given that the list of things for which there is some tax subsidy or other is very long, it's not obvious why this one should be singled out for complaint. However, to make a meaningful impact, non-voluntary measures are required and these almost always cause redistribution. It's hard to see a scenario in which this redistribution doesn't go against conservatives so they're not interested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Altherion said:

I think it's simply a matter of who is going to pay for the solution(s). Electric cars, solar panels and the like are mostly non-controversial because they're voluntary. Yes, there's a tax subsidy for many of these things, but it's not that large and given that the list of things for which there is some tax subsidy or other is very long, it's not obvious why this one should be singled out for complaint. However, to make a meaningful impact, non-voluntary measures are required and these almost always cause redistribution. It's hard to see a scenario in which this redistribution doesn't go against conservatives so they're not interested.

I know replying to Altherion is pointless but I feel the need to say this for other peoples benefits.

The real redistribution here is from the youth and those not yet born to those who are currently living out their later years. Climate change isn't coming out of nowhere, its a direct consequence of all the activities that have built the wealth that they then use to justify inaction - because you cant possibly think its fair to "redistribute" their wealth. Just ignore the giant externality in the room that is the looming end of human civilization as we know it and the death of a million + species of life if we continue to act without change.

And externality is an economic term, it indicates a cost in this case that has been shifted from those who are deriving the benefit to others/society as a whole. In this case its shifted from the past and the present onto the generations of the future. Forcing those with the wealth now to actually lose some of their ill gotten wealth to try limit the damage of the future isn't redistribution, its finally paying their debt now before the interest becomes terminal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48185793

Quote

US objections to wording on climate change prevented Arctic nations signing a joint statement at a summit in Finland, delegates said.

It is the first time such a statement has been cancelled since the Arctic Council was set up in 1996.

A Finnish delegate, Timo Koivurova, said "the others felt they could not water down climate change sentences".

There is international concern that Arctic temperatures are rising twice as fast as in the rest of the world.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addressed the forum in Rovaniemi, northern Finland, with a speech welcoming the melting of Arctic sea ice, rather than expressing alarm about it.

"Steady reductions in sea ice are opening new passageways and new opportunities for trade," he said. "This could potentially slash the time it takes to travel between Asia and the West by as much as 20 days."

"Arctic sea lanes could become the 21st-Century Suez and Panama Canals," Mr Pompeo said.

At short notice he cancelled talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Tuesday, in a surprise move.

...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Fragile Bird said:

Donald Trump lost more money between 1985 and 1994 than any other individual taxpayer in the US, more than a billion dollars.

The New York Times has received portions of his tax returns, without schedules, from those years. That includes the year he ‘wrote’ The Art of the Deal.

Is anyone surprised by this?  Anyone?  Trump is a conman who sells his personality as as some sort of sign of “business acumen”.  It has always been smoke and mirrors (weak ones at that).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Is anyone surprised by this?  Anyone?  Trump is a conman who sells his personality as as some sort of sign of “business acumen”.  It has always been smoke and mirrors (weak ones at that).

I am definitely not surprised that Trump has lost millions and is quite unsuccessful as a businessman.

I am a bit surprised that he managed to lose more money than any other individual taxpayer, though. He did manage to be #1 in something. That's impressive in a sick sort of way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Ormond said:

I am definitely not surprised that Trump has lost millions and is quite unsuccessful as a businessman.

I am a bit surprised that he managed to lose more money than any other individual taxpayer, though. He did manage to be #1 in something. That's impressive in a sick sort of way.

He’s all bluster and bluff.  I once read that he is “a stupid person’s version of a smart person”.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

He’s all bluster and bluff.  I once read that he is “a stupid person’s version of a smart person”.

Eh, I’m not so sure about that. He’s more like what a poor person imagines it’s like to be rich. I think that’s how his con is so successful.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Eh, I’m not so sure about that. He’s more like what a poor person imagines it’s like to be rich. I think that’s how his con is so successful.

His con is successful because of The Apprentice. Mark Burnett deserves all of the credit for creating Donald J. Trump, successful businessman.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More Positives about Elizabeth Warren, mortgages, the economic meltdown and her history of that -- she said this doesn't work even back in 2005. 

 

 

Quote

In this second clip, the interviewer displays the widespread attitude that led to the '08 crash." The houses around me are rising in price. It makes sense that I should be able to harness some of that rising real estate value" Warren proceeds to give him a quick economics lesson.

Alas, being female, there's no immediate pop culture doppelgänger*  that comes to voters' minds eyes of her as POTUS, because she's female, and thus cannot fill the preconceived image of a leader of any sort, much less of nations, that this leader will be a version of a patriarchal image ideal. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


* For ex, those who voted for Carter may have identified him with Andy Griffith, as sheriff of Mayberry; the nasty voters lurve the cancer because they see him as Tony Soprano or Al Swearingen of Deadwood, and they lurve that sort of fellow, sticking it to authority.  Then there is the whole Apprentice fabrication of the Big Success, a guy who is as mean as he wants to be and nobody can or will stop him, and there are NO repercussions. 

We even see this is in the conversations between Varys and Tyrion in the jump-the-shark 8.4 episode discussing Daenerys and how she isn't liked by anyone, and everyone, for instance, lurves Jon. 

This likeability quotient for electability issue, is, after all, one created by a man, which means, just for starters, to demand the candidate be male.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/04/opinion/sunday/likeable-elizabeth-warren-2020.html

:dunno:  just a theory, based on listening to the (older white guys) in coffee shops and Dairy Queens, etc. throughout the country during the campaign season of 2015 - 2016.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, Mexal said:

His con is successful because of The Apprentice. Mark Burnett deserves all of the credit for creating Donald J. Trump, successful businessman.

The New York media was doing that long before Burnett was on the scene. But speaking of him, when is someone going to steal all the outtakes from that awful show?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

I'm not a lawyer, but my understanding is that ultimately Trump and Barr can win on this if they're willing to push it to the extremes. Barr can ignore a Congressional subpoena, then ignore a court ordered subpoena, then ignore the charges levied by a court, and then Trump can pardon him for the federal crimes he's committed. I'm not exactly sure what happens after that, other then to say it opens another potential Constitutional crisis.

Thoughts, members of Westeros LLC?

@Mlle. Zabzie, @Ser Scot A Ellison, @Mudguard, @Whiskeyjack, @sperry

Not my area.  Sorry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...