william.scherk Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 The fourth in my series ... pure audio podcast, illustrated. Featuring some Trump live in Concord North Carolina, and a painful lament from a libertarian angle, I give my potted reaction to the latest Trump news @ 10:15 -- "Hung Jury" at the Cleveland convention @ 13:35 -- Sexy Emma reads Brant Gaede and other Front Porcg Poets. -- also. updating the Trump extracts from the last GOP Debate, with better sound. A real eye-opener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 5 hours ago, merjet said: For anyone who considers success in business to be a very important consideration for supporting a political candidate, consider the following. Michael Bloomberg has been far more successful than Trump. Bloomberg also did not start a public company that became a disaster. So if Bloomberg decides to enter the race, are you going to switch your support to him with far more enthusiasm? P.S. A few minutes after writing the above, I saw the news that Bloomberg decided against running. Why here. That doesn't make my question irrelevant. In business = data not in business = data other things = data --success --failure --character --cheat on your wife --bull shit --your evaluation (what kind of person are you?) --etc. none of the above is necessarily good or bad and bs has a quality all its own (would you give Grant command of the Union armies in 1861 off 1861 data?) --Brant where is Robert E. Lee? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KorbenDallas Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 2 hours ago, merjet said: Thanks for posting Hannity interviewing Trump. Yes, it is more substantive than Trump's stump speeches or debate performances. I liked some of what Trump said and didn't understand some other things. After 7 minutes Trump speaks about health care. He lauds health savings accounts (HSA), but he seems to have a poor understanding of them. 1. Very few people have them because they have employer-purchased coverage (Medicare if over age 65). 2. An HSA requires the owner have a high deductible health plan (HDHP). A low deductible plan is not allowed. The HSA is then a vehicle for the owner to pay with pre-tax money medical costs not covered by the HDHP, i.e. co-pays, deductibles, and prescription drugs. HSA money cannot be used to pay the HDHP premium or another premium (with minor exceptions). 3. Trump says HSAs provide the "incentive to spend wisely." Very, very little, since HSA money can be used for only a small fraction of all medical expenses, i.e. co-pays and deductibles. There is no incentive for the HSA owner to minimize the amount spent by the HDHP insurer. Also, how does a copay or deductible influence choosing among different medical providers? As I posted earlier (link), I believe HSAs have the potential to radically alter the health care landscape toward individualism, but not as they are now. Trump was speaking of HSAs as they were before Obamacare, and also how they could have been even better during that time period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KorbenDallas Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 6 hours ago, merjet said: For anyone who considers success in business to be a very important consideration for supporting a political candidate, consider the following. Michael Bloomberg has been far more successful than Trump. Bloomberg also did not start a public company that became a disaster. So if Bloomberg decides to enter the race, are you going to switch your support to him with far more enthusiasm? P.S. A few minutes after writing the above, I saw the news that Bloomberg decided against running. Why here. That doesn't make my question irrelevant. It's common knowledge among businessmen that with entrepreneurship you'll have successes and failures, and often more failures than successes, but it is the success(es) that make the person a success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KorbenDallas Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Gingrich makes a good point about Trump and learning in this video: What concerns me is during the presidential debates they drill down on issues and ask intricate questions, questions that are tough for any candidate no matter their acumen (Romney, GW Bush, Kerry, Gore, etc.). I have concerns that Trump will be able to withstand this level of questioning at this stage of his political career. I hope he takes Gingrich's advice here.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Personal comment: I have not been angry once during this election. Not in the sense of being furious with the establishment and all that other stuff I have read that explains Trump supporters. I did a lot of bantering, but in my inner life, I've always thought if Trump loses, I'll banter about eating crow, be a bit disappointed, whatever. I gave it my best shot and it didn't work. Time to go after the next project. However... What I am seeing out of the establishment Republicans is making me furious. These are sore loser parasites who want to betray their own voters to win elections they did not earn, starting with Mitt Romney. And for what? To keep their snouts in the trough and keep the endless war machine that they supply grinding. They never say they want that, but look at what they do. It never gets better with them, but it always gets just a little bit worse. These people don't know what a fair fight looks like. They corrupt the very air they breathe. Why? Because they feed your child's life and mine into their goddam endless war machine so they can have more stuff than other folks. Your blood for their bank accounts. Has anyone noticed that the USA only fights primitive countries and still can't win the goddam wars? This is the greatest fighting force in human history, for God's sake. And when the USA does win one like Iraq, there's a gobs-of-money thing called "nation-building" and the enemy takes over the friggin' country again. I don't mind losing an election fair and square, but to lose to cheaters? And foul-souled cheaters at that? Bah! Cheating is exactly what made me go cold on Cruz. This guy's a cheater. But he's a squirt compared to the sloshing sewer of these establishment Republican parasites. I'm almost hoping they are successful because, if they are, I just found the villain I want to fight in life. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 45 minutes ago, KorbenDallas said: Trump was speaking of HSAs as they were before Obamacare, and also how they could have been even better during that time period. Prove it. Trump didn't say that in the above video. He only said the Obamacare architects didn't consider HSAs. How could they be better? Trump gives no answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KorbenDallas Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 37 minutes ago, merjet said: Prove it. Trump didn't say that in the above video. He only said the Obamacare architects didn't consider HSAs. How could they be better? Trump gives no answer. Well, I definitely won't be going to the internet and grabbing "evidence" and pasting it in this thread. Trump said to Hannity, "I know you've been talking about it for years." Hannity, "I have."--and the context here is of several years ago, long before Obamacare, in which Hannity spoke on his radio about HSAs and Trump was a frequent guest. During this time period HSAs weren't the beast they are today, and in this interview Trump described some of their aspects of how as they used to be in the interview, but was indicating improvements to them, which was being talked about at the time, and before the government overstepped into them with more regulations (which, by the way, happened before Obamacare..). Probably not the proof you want, but those are facts nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Letendre Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 How do I clear my comment box? Can't seem to get rid of "mer jet said" box. Sorry. 2 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Personal comment: I have not been angry once during this election. Not in the sense of being furious with the establishment and all that other stuff I have read that explains Trump supporters. I did a lot of bantering, but in my inner life, I've always thought if Trump loses, I'll banter about eating crow, be a bit disappointed, whatever. I gave it my best shot and it didn't work. Time to go after the next project. However... What I am seeing out of the establishment Republicans is making me furious. These are sore loser parasites who want to betray their own voters to win elections they did not earn, starting with Mitt Romney. And for what? To keep their snouts in the trough and keep the endless war machine that they supply grinding. They never say they want that, but look at what they do. It never gets better with them, but it always gets just a little bit worse. These people don't know what a fair fight looks like. They corrupt the very air they breathe. Why? Because they feed your child's life and mine into their goddam endless war machine so they can have more stuff than other folks. Your blood for their bank accounts. Has anyone noticed that the USA only fights primitive countries and still can't win the goddam wars? This is the greatest fighting force in human history, for God's sake. And when the USA does win one like Iraq, there's a gobs-of-money thing called "nation-building" and the enemy takes over the friggin' country again. I don't mind losing an election fair and square, but to lose to cheaters? And foul-souled cheaters at that? Bah! Cheating is exactly what made me go cold on Cruz. This guy's a cheater. But he's a squirt compared to the sloshing sewer of these establishment Republican parasites. I'm almost hoping they are successful because, if they are, I just found the villain I want to fight in life. Michael That's the spirit, Michael! Trump is going to kick in the door and piss in the punch bowl. That's why piece-of-shit-mitt is bringing more to this battle than he ever did to Obama. So much more at stake. In this battle their whole thing is at stake, their whole game. Whereas a Dem admin. just means four years of being second in line at the trough. Trump means no more trough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 10 minutes ago, KorbenDallas said: During this time period HSAs weren't the beast they are today, How did they become beasts, at least for owners who do not want insurance via the so-called ACA exchanges? This article has details on how Obamacare affected HSAs. Not much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KorbenDallas Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 1 hour ago, merjet said: How did they become beasts, at least for owners who do not want insurance via the so-called ACA exchanges? This article has details on how Obamacare affected HSAs. Not much. Originally someone could fund their HSA and buy medical supplies, ie. bandages, OTC drugs, etc. essentially tax-free as the HSA was a cafeteria deduction on a person's payroll. Many people signed up, and about a year later those benefits disappeared (by reported government restrictions.. ie. lobbyists). HSA plans then had lower premiums, but higher deductibles and one paid their deductible from their HSA. The HSA health plan was preferred by those who didn't get sick often, but if they did their trip to the doctor became expensive. Insurance companies loved this because, for them, it meant they were pushing the costs of actually using health care onto you. Hannity still supported HSAs during this time, I did not. Then what happened the following year? The HSA premiums went up again, but still with the same screw-the-individual payment described in the previous sentence. Trump appeared to be describing HSAs how they originally were, and with the addition of reducing overall insurance costs by encouraging cross-state competition (like the car insurance). But once the lobbyists got involved, HSAs became cost ineffective for the individual, which is largely how they are now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 1 hour ago, Jon Letendre said: How do I clear my comment box? Can't seem to get rid of "mer jet said" box. Sorry. Jon, I fixed it for you, but I don't know what caused it. Maybe it's the following since this has happened to me. If you highlight some text in a post, a little black rectangular popup box appears saying "Quote This." If you click on that box (on purpose or by accident), the part you highlighted will appear in the comment field where you make your post. It will contain all the code to make it look like a quote. If what you post afterward mixes with that (after you try to delete part of it), funny things happen. If the problem was that you could not delete it all in normal view, click the "Source" button on the top left of the comment field. This will toggle the comment field to HTML, then select all and delete every last bit of that sucker. You can then toggle back to make your post and make it look (to yourself) like you are writing English. I hope that's your problem because it's easy to fix. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Letendre Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 12 minutes ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Jon, I fixed it for you, but I don't know what caused it. Maybe it's the following since this has happened to me. If you highlight some text in a post, a little black rectangular popup box appears saying "Quote This." If you click on that box (on purpose or by accident), the part you highlighted will appear in the comment field where you make your post. It will contain all the code to make it look like a quote. If what you post afterward mixes with that (after you try to delete part of it), funny things happen. If the problem was that you could not delete it all in normal view, click the "Source" button on the top left of the comment field. This will toggle the comment field to HTML, then select all and delete every last bit of that sucker. You can then toggle back to make your post and make it look (to yourself) like you are writing English. I hope that's your problem because it's easy to fix. Michael The sequence, I think, is: hit the Quote button, start to reply, then later decide not to reply at all, after all. refresh the page. hit another quote button, see that comment box still contains the unwanted from above and it can't be deleted, and I can't find a way to start over with a fresh, empty, comment box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 5 minutes ago, Jon Letendre said: I can't find a way to start over with a fresh, empty, comment box Jon, Toggle with the "Source" button to HTML view and delete everything, toggle back, then start over. If all else fails, refresh the page. That deletes post remnants. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 On March 4, 2016 at 3:23 PM, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Adam, I've seen you refer to Trump as a one-term president before and I don't understand why. Once a person is running the show with lots of plans in motion, he wants to finish them. I see Trump after 4 years with a crapload of things still being built. For him to be a one-term president, he would have to plan--right from the beginning--all his projects to be accomplished (or near finalization) within four years. I just don't see him doing that. I think, once in power, he is going to survey the terrain, dream big, consult his experts, analyze the obstacles, then draw up plans with timelines based on the reality he observes, not on a wish to get it all done in four years. I do expect him to take the term of office into account after he gets a handle on what things look like from the inside, but I think he's going to be busier than a mofo during the first couple of years--way too busy to think like that. And by then, he'll need the extra four years. Don't forget one of his big dreams is to make the Israel deal where Arab countries acknowledge Israel's right to exist, right to exist where it exists, and is fine enough with it to live in peace. Trump has said, many times, this is the mother of all deals. I don't imagine he sees this as a deal that can be made in four years and be lasting. It needs a lot of preparation and I firmly believe he will give it his all--up to every last tiny bit--and all of it will be his best effort. Michael A discussion about one or two terms ! Ok , ok my boy Rubio is done but we still got a way to go before this gets settled . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 6 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Personal comment: I have not been angry once during this election. Not in the sense of being furious with the establishment and all that other stuff I have read that explains Trump supporters. I did a lot of bantering, but in my inner life, I've always thought if Trump loses, I'll banter about eating crow, be a bit disappointed, whatever. I gave it my best shot and it didn't work. Time to go after the next project. However... What I am seeing out of the establishment Republicans is making me furious. These are sore loser parasites who want to betray their own voters to win elections they did not earn, starting with Mitt Romney. And for what? To keep their snouts in the trough and keep the endless war machine that they supply grinding. They never say they want that, but look at what they do. It never gets better with them, but it always gets just a little bit worse. These people don't know what a fair fight looks like. They corrupt the very air they breathe. Why? Because they feed your child's life and mine into their goddam endless war machine so they can have more stuff than other folks. Your blood for their bank accounts. Has anyone noticed that the USA only fights primitive countries and still can't win the goddam wars? This is the greatest fighting force in human history, for God's sake. And when the USA does win one like Iraq, there's a gobs-of-money thing called "nation-building" and the enemy takes over the friggin' country again. I don't mind losing an election fair and square, but to lose to cheaters? And foul-souled cheaters at that? Bah! Cheating is exactly what made me go cold on Cruz. This guy's a cheater. But he's a squirt compared to the sloshing sewer of these establishment Republican parasites. I'm almost hoping they are successful because, if they are, I just found the villain I want to fight in life. Michael Could not agree with you more and exactly my point throughout the thread . Its a war , a lot of dirty corrupt politicians and establishment folks who lose it all if/when Trump becomes POTUS . Its a coup attempt in effect . These guys don't fight fair , and I really do not see Trump as much different to be honest . I am not measuring that against what Trump has done but by what he will do if/when he becomes POTUS . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 On March 7, 2016 at 1:17 AM, Michael Stuart Kelly said: For those who like this sort of thing, very very very very very very very very very interesting. Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, using his knowledge of hypnosis and persuasion to show what Trump is doing. Scott predicts Trump will win the general election in a landslide and I don't think he supports Trump. Michael Wow !!!!! Great video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backlighting Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 On 3/5/2016 at 3:46 PM, Michael Stuart Kelly said: On 3/5/2016 at 3:46 PM, Michael Stuart Kelly said: On 3/7/2016 at 0:39 PM, Selene said: If I was advising my grandparents in 1928 from 1958, I would have told them that they would have been smarter to buy stock in GM after the crash rather than purchase half of a brownstone off 2nd Avenue near where the Triborough Bridge would be developed nine months before the crash. They still did well and it was their home also. This was a very successful step for two individuals who arrived at Ellis Island from Northern Italy in 1905 unmarried in a brave new world. I have never understood the probative value of Monday morning quarterbacking statements. A... My grandparents, from southern Italy, arrived at Ellis in 1915. From what I was told, they weren't greeted warmly. Denied employment & often spit upon..usually by the Irish who arrived before them, they couldn't have had a pleasant time trying to start a new life in a foreign land. They did ok though, raising 4 sons... there was always food on the table. -Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backlighting Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 52 minutes ago, Marc said: On 3/4/2016 at 0:23 PM, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Adam, I've seen you refer to Trump as a one-term president before and I don't understand why. Once a person is running the show with lots of plans in motion, he wants to finish them. I see Trump after 4 years with a crapload of things still being built. For him to be a one-term president, he would have to plan--right from the beginning--all his projects to be accomplished (or near finalization) within four years. I just don't see him doing that. I think, once in power, he is going to survey the terrain, dream big, consult his experts, analyze the obstacles, then draw up plans with timelines based on the reality he observes, not on a wish to get it all done in four years. I do expect him to take the term of office into account after he gets a handle on what things look like from the inside, but I think he's going to be busier than a mofo during the first couple of years--way too busy to think like that. And by then, he'll need the extra four years. Don't forget one of his big dreams is to make the Israel deal where Arab countries acknowledge Israel's right to exist, right to exist where it exists, and is fine enough with it to live in peace. Trump has said, many times, this is the mother of all deals. I don't imagine he sees this as a deal that can be made in four years and be lasting. It needs a lot of preparation and I firmly believe he will give it his all--up to every last tiny bit--and all of it will be his best effort. Michael A discussion about one or two terms ! Ok , ok my boy Rubio is done but we still got a way to go before this gets settled . Lets not forget, if Trump is sitting in the big chair, he will still need the support of the Senate & House to get most of his decisions put in motion. That means considerable time might be spent negotiating with those, even in the Republican Party, who don't share his positions. I don't believe he could get much done in 4 years. -Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 46 minutes ago, Backlighting said: My grandparents, from southern Italy, arrived at Ellis in 1915. From what I was told, they weren't greeted warmly. Denied employment & often spit upon..usually by the Irish who arrived before them, they couldn't have had a pleasant time trying to start a new life in a foreign land. They did ok though, raising 4 sons... there was always food on the table. -Joe Yep, and I can confirm that mine were treated viciously by the Irish also. Throwing rocks at my grandmother. One of their sons had to literally run a gauntlet through certain Irish "neighborhoods" to get to school. It is always fascinating to realize that there is a right of passage that all immigrant groups have to prevail through. One of the reasons that I try not to disrespect someone who is an immigrant. Nice to have such good genetics isn't it...lol. A... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 1 hour ago, Marc said: ... if/when Trump becomes POTUS Marc, Could you repeat that? I want to soak it up. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Trump took Mississippi convincingly. And he is taking Michigan strongly also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 1 hour ago, Marc said: ... ok my boy Rubio is done... Marc, btw - Could you repeat this one, too? (I've always had a problem with grace... ) Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KorbenDallas Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Ru ru Rubio having a rough night again. Too bad, as he wears his dancing shoes everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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