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Thread: Had enough yet

  1. #3586
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    Hey Buffy:

    While I respect your opinion, as a ‘blank’ I hold a different perspective.

    Trump is toxic and the only thing that would prevent a Republican landslide in the midterms or presidential election in 2024 is Trump.

    The midterms are not all about Trump and his influence but about voters having had enough of the inept Biden and his ruinous domestic and foreign policies, his lying administration, and media lackeys failing to make the Biden administration a success where Americans are hurting from inflation, surging crime and a soft judicial system, reckless spending, an open border, high energy costs, etc.

    The Supreme Court Roe decision was a shot in the arm for Democrats. Today’s raid at Trumps house should be looked at how corrupt the Biden justice system and how desperate the Democrats are to destroy Trump and his chance for running gain for the presidency. They will stoop to the lowest level to accomplish that goal.

    Now, do the Republicans want to roll the dice with damaged goods, where even 53% of his own loyal base are calling for another candidate? Or do they want to run another candidate and be assured of victory.

    The Democrats don’t want Biden, the Republicans don’t want Trump. 86% of America say the country is headed in the wrong direction and don’t want either one.

    While some Democrats and their media lackeys are trying to sell a Biden success story, American’s are not buying it. Americans have had enough of socialism, progressivism, and wokism. Americans are afraid to openly say it for fear of intimidation / retribution. Like Hillary, Hunter Biden, and others on the left, the scales of justice are tipped in their favor.

    If you and the Republicans didn’t get a wakeup call today and Sunday with passage of the Inflation Reduction Act that screws the country over, and if the Republicans don’t come to realize Trump is a liability, and get their fingers out of their collective asses, and speak of other candidates they could lose this country – IMHO!

    It is early yet. Presidential campaign announcements will come after the midterms. Trump will have competition. He should have. Biden is going nowhere but home – where he should be now if it were not for the even more inept ‘cackling’ Harris waiting in the wings.

    This old man has never seen his country more f’ed up!

  2. #3587
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    Yes - Me too !

    Quote Originally Posted by buffy View Post
    Lee, who do you think is rallying Americans (not just republicans) to take back our country from the disastrous plans of Joe Biden and the Democrats? Trump!

    Who is largely responsible, through his endorsements, for the many new, exciting, and energized 'America 1st' candidates winning primaries across the country? Trump!

    Through his efforts, Americans are waking up to the fact that the 2022 election is pivotal to Save America by pulling it off the wrong track before we fall off the precipice into socialism/communism,the great re-set.

    Whether you like it or not, Trump is the leader of the Republican Party; Trump endorsed candidates will take over the House & Senate and get to work restoring our Republic and exposing the lies that falsely accused Trump during his presidency. Trump WILL BE VINDICATED and will be the next POTUS. He will, once again, work tirelessly to restore our energy independence, our economy, and our leadership role in restoring peace in the world.

    You are in the minority - many more people than you apparently realize, are very grateful that Trump is still in the game, regardless of the injustices he has endured and the false accusations that continue. We, the majority, stand with him in his fight for truth and are thankful for his dedication towards restoring our Republic.

    I thank God for Donald Trump and may God protect him from the evil, lying ruling class that works overtime to devise ways in which to stop him from exposing their corruption and planned tyranny.
    #Dems play musical chairs + patronage and nepotism = entitlement !

  3. #3588
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    Biden is back, America is on solid footing - NOT!

    Biden and the media morons are touting Biden’s accomplishments and declaring that he is back. Trump is getting savaged, a banner week for the left.

    Biden’s approval rating rose to 40 percent, up 2 percentage points, while his disapproval rating fell to 55 percent. Biden’s approval rating in the poll hit its lowest point in May at 36 percent, and it has remained below 50 percent since August 2021, according to the poll. Someone is drinking the Kool-Aid.

    I went grocery shopping yesterday and gassed-up the car. Grocery prices rose on some items by as much as $1 within a week. When the cashier told me the grocery bill, I uttered WOW. The couple in line heard my comment and called out: Go Brandon!”

    Gas is still $4.35 in Western New York, not $4.

    Then I read the following reports today and get a different perspective on inflation and the economy re the middleclass and poor and the forecast for the extent of inflation impacts and predicted time for Biden policies to become effective in reducing inflation – if at all. Even if inflation has peaked, it will likely remain high well into next year.

    In July, the inflation rate compared to a year ago was 8.5%, lower than 9.1% in June, a 41-year record, helped by lower prices in energy. According to the Energy Information Administration, the national demand for oil plummeted from 9.25 million barrels daily to just 8.54 million barrels going from the oil price peak of mid-June until now. Duh, Americans are driving less, demand decreases, supply increases, lower cost.

    The Federal Reserve will likely be further incensed that core CPI (a preferred inflation measure of theirs that ignores the more volatile categories of energy and food) remained at 5.9%, the same as the month before. Yes, ignore that grocery prices in July had largest price increase since 1979. The price of food at home rose 1.3% from June to July, marking a 13.1% increase compared to last year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics food price hikes continue to accelerate, with the price spike of food at home nearly double that of food away from home.

    Even worse are shelter costs that, despite them comprising a third of the CPI basket, are a gross underestimate. Although the BLS reports that shelter costs increased just 5.7% over the past year, both monthly mortgage costs and rents have risen far higher than that. Thanks to the increase in mortgage rates, the average monthly payment on a median-priced home has increased from $1,289 to $1,877 in the past year — a staggering 45%. The average monthly rent, aggregated by Redfin, is up by 15%.

    With the news of another 100,000 cars cut from North American production plans this week, it seems as if car shortages are here to stay. The global semi-conductor shortage has become a significant problem for car manufacturers. Even worse are the forecasts for the rest of the year. Industry experts believe car shortages will grow far worse. The expectation is that, worldwide, 3.8 million vehicles will get cut from production lines by the end of the year.

    U.S. productivity has biggest drop in 74 years.

    Zero inflation rate touted by White House proven false.

    Very few EV cars will meet the must be made in America requirement to receive a tax credit. Most Americans won’t be able to afford an EV anyway.

    We have never had it so good. right?


    Get Trump! No one is above the law – except Hillary, Bill, Paul Pelosi, and the Bidens.

  4. #3589
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    Inflation Reduction Act – Putting Lipstick on a Pig

    Biden is back! Everyone loves the Inflation Reduction Act. The progressives and media are thrilled over it. We just saved the planet. Well not everyone is of that mind.

    The Democrats’ 2022 death wish

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...7cc0af5589cb2e

    The Democrats, supported by many in the liberal mainstream media, are taking a victory lap for passing the $800 billion Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a label that Gerry Baker, former editor of the Wall Street Journal, has deemed to be so inaccurate that he called it an insult to used car salesmen.

    The political calculus seems to be that massive additional spending, higher taxes and more regulation — that trifecta that has cratered the American economy over the past year and driven Joe Biden to the some of the worst approval ratings for a president in history — will somehow work this time, severely testing the definition of insanity. The age-old Democrat formula of virtue-signaling on the environment, sticking it to large companies, and attempting to bribe selected voter groups is thought to be the perfect alchemy to win this November’s midterm elections and the presidential election in 2024? So, when you’re heading for a cliff, be sure to accelerate and, as you’re sailing over the edge, be sure to give all your passengers a high-five? I’m not thinking that’s a great strategy.

    At the moment, most Americans are deeply concerned about a faltering economy; massive inflation that hurts the middle class and poor the most; soaring food, gasoline and home energy prices; and an overbearing government that is rapidly eroding personal freedoms for all Americans — not to mention disastrous foreign policy that may be inching us closer to potential nuclear war with Russia, China, Iran or North Korea, you pick. Let’s just further drive up inflation and energy prices, prod Russia and China to war (not to mention the possibility of another phony payoff deal with Iran), do nothing at all for the environment — and celebrate. Is that really a platform on which the Democrats want to run? Now that’s an insult even to lemmings.

    To put it in plain English, spending $800 billion more will continue to drive up inflation, pushing it toward 10 percent. Everyone will get hurt with that implicit “tax increase,” lower real wages, and collapsing savings and retirement plans. The Federal Reserve will be forced to take even more drastic action. No amount of rhetoric or political misdirection can change that.

    The Democrats are already hemorrhaging Black and Hispanic voters from their core base. This will accelerate it, along with union members and other middle-class Americans. At this stage, if Biden and the Democrats say such economics will work, no one will believe them.

    The bill also further subsidizes rooftop solar. Various studies confirm the only alternative energy that competes with fossil fuels on cost is utility-level solar. In short, the government will subsidize Americans to virtue-signal and install solar panels, but it will not stop the government cancer that is eating away at the economy.

    The other problem is energy storage. Unlike fossil fuels and nuclear power, solar and wind cannot store energy — it is “use it or lose it.” To supply consistent “alternative” energy to America requires batteries. America has around nine quads of battery storage capacity. To supply sufficient power to run America’s industrial, home and transportation needs requires 90 quads, which is probably three decades away. It also requires doubling and hardening America’s electrical grid, which also is three decades away. It requires mining highly toxic battery materials, of which there is a limited supply that is increasingly controlled by our enemies.

    No matter how much you try to dress it up and promote it through friendly media, you cannot put lipstick on that much pork and expect to win elections. Will Americans buy a “great used car” from these Democrats in 2022 or 2024? No sale!

  5. #3590
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    Biden Claiming 0% inflation is wrong

    Pollster and political analyst Frank Luntz claims saying 0% inflation is wrong: cynical, a destruction of words. You can’t trust our politicians; you can’t trust our institutions. (Spot on!)

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/tops...ategory=foryou

    More than 70% of Americans have trouble making ends meet. One-out-of-four latterly have trouble paying their bills at the end of the week or at the end of the month because of inflation. For Biden to say the inflation rate is zero is one of the issues that people will remember for playing games with them with the English language.

    When asked by the CNBC host whether this wasn’t good news, Luntz responded in kind: So this isn’t inflation? When the media host replied that he was not questioning the fact that there was inflation but whether Biden had no right saying this was good news and had a right to take a victory lap. Luntz replied it was the language used.

    Luntz: “He has the right to say inflation hasn’t gotten worse this month from last month. But to say the inflation rate is zero is the height of hypocrisy. And the president has a responsibility to tell the American people the truth. To claim that the inflation rate is zero, that we are not in a recession is simply wrong!”


    Semantics? BS is BS in any language!

  6. #3591
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    The climate bill's projected emissions cuts rely heavily on carbon capture – it would mean thousands of miles of pipeline

    Not to worry, the Democrats have a successful history when it comes to pipelines.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mark...d94291c7ae47cb

  7. #3592
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    Let's look at the latest polls...

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec View Post
    Hey Buffy:

    Trump is toxic and the only thing that would prevent a Republican landslide in the midterms or presidential election in 2024 is Trump.

    Now, do the Republicans want to roll the dice with damaged goods, where even 53% of his own loyal base are calling for another candidate? Or do they want to run another candidate and be assured of victory.
    Where are you getting that Trump's loyal base doesn't want him to run?

    Trump's "Loyal base" includes more than just Republicans - earlier this month during the Texas CPAC, Conservatives overwhelmingly chose Trump in a straw poll that included19 other candidates...


    https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/06/polit...xas/index.html


    But, even amongst Republicans, the latest poll shows...




    And, speaking of the mid-terms...there's a strong Trump influence...


    https://dailycaller.com/2022/08/10/p...-midterm-vote/
    A new poll released Wednesday following the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home found a majority of Independents and Republicans believe the raid was political and are now inclined to vote in the midterms.

    The poll, conducted by the Convention of States Action in partnership with The Trafalgar Group found 53.9% of Independent voters believe Trump’ political enemies were behind the Monday raid while 35.3% believe it was impartial.

    Nearly 77% of Republicans said Trump’s enemies were to blame while just 14.6% said it was an impartial justice system at work. Only 11.9% of Democrats believed it was politically motivated.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  8. #3593
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    New York governor slammed

    Loose lips sink ships. New York Governor Kathy Hochul must feel invulnerable in the upcoming election attacking politicos from other states without concern from exposing herself to counterattack. Lord knows she is disappointing many New Yorkers.

    New York is no longer the Empire State I remember decades ago. A prosperous state, opportunity for all, with safe streets, no longer. Hochul is not the governor I expected.

    New York governor slammed for bashing DeSantis at Holocaust event: 'She owes everyone an apology'

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...fcd34cd995afc1

    Watch the full interview video

  9. #3594
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    Hey Buffy:

    As a lifelong ‘blank’ I owe no allegiance to any political party and have often stated: With rare exception all politicos suck! While I agree with 86% of the Americans who state the country is headed in the wrong, agree that the social experiment has been a failure, I will continue to hold that neither Trump or Biden will run, or should run in 2024. As all politicos, both are liars, full of themselves, past the expiration date, and the one bat**** inept, propped up by fawning media lackeys.

    As one who’s career involved statistics, I no longer fully trust any institution or related media report knowing how data can be manipulation to get the answer sought. Your poll data is not as relevant as reading that there is discord in the Trump family and Ivanka and Melania, who don’t agree on much, are encouraging the Donald not to run. I remain steadfast in my opinion that if the Republicans want to ensure victory, the party has several candidates that can take them home.

    If the Donald would run, become the party nominee and win it would have to be attributed to an electorate had enough of an inept political system that took us to the position the country is now in.

    My focus will remain on the following:

    An NPR poll showed which demographic groups are feeling inflation the most. According to the poll, 69% of Native American families are facing "serious financial problems due to inflation," as well as 58% of Black families, 56% of Latino families, and 44% of White families are facing serious problems due to inflation.

    The Biden administration and parroting mainstream media are touting the economy is doing better and note employment statistics and other indices to claim proof. For many Americans the economy is not doing better, and inflation will be the number #1 concern at the midterm elections – NOT Donald Trump!

    The overly optimistic outlooks on the economy offered by the Biden administration and by its media allies belies the fact that inflation is still near a 40-year high in the U.S., despite ‘Biden-the-inept’s’ claim of zero percent" inflation for the month of July.

    A Buffalo News report Saturday touts how the Inflation Reduction Act will benefit Buffalo. If you read and believe this ‘tax & spend’ bill is all it’s cracked up to be, and/or will come to fruition, or believe it is in the country’s best interest, you are being had.

    Creatively named the Inflation Reduction Act, the bill won't immediately trim the price you pay at the pump or at the grocery store. But it will, over the long term, help control the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and basic healthcare for many others.

    On top of that, it is the federal government's largest-ever effort to make the nation go green. That means it will benefit some people who aim to buy electric vehicles or appliances or more efficient heating and cooling systems – as well as companies that are at the heart of the green revolution.

    The House sent the measure to President Biden for his signature. Republicans uniformly opposed the bill, calling the legislation another big-spending boondoggle that won't achieve its goals.

    Nevertheless, the bill's central goals are clear: trimming healthcare costs, combating climate change and paying for it all with higher taxes on corporations and a crackdown on tax cheats.

    Here's a closer look at those three facets of the bill:

    Health savings

    While the bill's climate change measures have drawn the most attention, its health-care changes are likely to have the most direct impact on the largest numbers of people in metro Buffalo. Given the region's sizable elderly population, "Buffalo disproportionately benefits from the health care provisions in this bill," said Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat.

    Starting in 2025, the bill will cap the annual amount that seniors on Medicare can pay for prescription drugs at $2,000. Meantime, the monthly price for insulin would be capped at $35 a month for diabetics on Medicare. And starting that year, Medicare would – for the first time – be authorized to negotiate the price of several commonly prescribed drugs, thereby adding more downward pressure on the price of prescriptions.

    Those provisions explain why AARP, the giant lobbying group for seniors, is among the strongest supporters of the bill.

    Thanks to the bill's passage, "millions of Americans 50-plus are one step closer to real relief from out-of-control prescription drug prices," said Jo Ann Jenkins, AARP's CEO. "This bill will save Medicare hundreds of billions of dollars and give seniors peace of mind knowing there is an annual limit on what they must pay out-of-pocket for
    medications."

    But it is not just seniors who will benefit from the bill's health provisions. Congress last year expanded the Affordable Care Act by eliminating the income cap for qualifying for federal healthcare subsidies, instead setting a goal that no family should pay more than 8.5% of its income for health insurance. That change was set to expire at the end of the year, meaning that millions of middle-income families would suddenly see their health care costs rise dramatically.

    That won't happen, though, because the Inflation Reduction Act extends that 8.5% cap on health care costs – and the federal subsidies that make it possible – through 2025. The move will cost the federal government about $64 billion.

    The green revolution

    The biggest part of the bill is also the most complex: a $369 billion effort to help forestall climate change by trimming U.S. carbon emissions by 40% by the end of the decade. The bill aims to do that largely by subsidizing the move to green energy. Most notably, it:

    • Extends the $7,500 tax credit for purchase of electric vehicles and creates a new $4,000 tax credit for buying used Teslas, Chevrolet Bolts and the like. Not every EV buyer will qualify, though, because the bill sets limits both on the price of vehicles that qualify for the subsidy and the income of vehicle buyers who can get it.

    • Establishes a series of tax credits for homeowners who want to buy solar panels, as well as energy-efficient heat pumps, HVAC systems and appliances.

    • Offers $10 billion in investment tax credits for companies to move to clean energy sources.

    Adding it all up, “it’s the biggest thing Congress has ever done to fight climate change,” said Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund.
    But how effective will it be?

    "The overall answer is that it will help a little, but won’t be transformative," said James E. Hanley, senior policy analyst at the Empire Center, a conservative New York think tank, in an analysis of the bill published Friday.

    If New York gets an equal share of the bill's bounty as other states, that would add up to a green-energy subsidy of about $1,100 a person, Hanley noted.

    Nevertheless, Higgins said he expects the bill to have a transformative effect on General Motors and Ford – and perhaps their Buffalo-area manufacturing facilities – as they move to produce more electric vehicles.

    And Jon M. Williams, CEO of Viridi Parenti, a Buffalo-based manufacturer of electric energy storage systems, said the bill could supercharge his company's growth over time.

    "The economic incentives are good, because they help early adapters" of the company's products, which can replace less-than-green diesel industrial generators, he said.

    The tax changes

    The bill also includes a series of tax changes – but not one that Schumer and other New York lawmakers sought. Those legislators wanted to do away with the $10,000 cap on the state and local tax deduction, a limit that disproportionately disadvantages residents of high-tax states such as New York. But Republicans had just the opposite in mind, proposing an amendment that would have extended that cap to 2026, a year after its scheduled expiration.

    Democrats fought off that amendment but didn't have Manchin's support to fully repeal the cap. Democrats did, however, get some tax changes that they had long sought closing loopholes to force corporations to pay more taxes and adding $80 billion in funding to the IRS to go after tax cheats, particularly those that earn more than $400,000 annually.

    Republicans think the tax changes will do far more than that. "The bill will ratchet up taxes on companies that will drive our economic comeback and hire 87,000 IRS agents to audit Americans of all income levels," said Rep. Chris Jacobs, an Orchard Park Republican.

    But Schumer, not surprisingly, offers a very different take on those new IRS agents. "They've been instructed to focus on the multimillionaires who have fancy lawyers and accountants and were able to pay no or little taxes," he said. By cracking down on tax cheats, the IRS "will get huge amounts of income, which is going ultimately mean lower income taxes for everyone else," Schumer added.

  10. #3595
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    Your poll data is not as relevant as reading that there is discord in the Trump family and Ivanka and Melania, who don’t agree on much, are encouraging the Donald not to run.
    If there was "discord in the Trump family," why is Eric Trump touring the country as a main headliner in the Reawaken America Conference? I just got back from attending it in Batavia; I saw and heard Eric Trump say that the Trump family stands proudly and solidly behind DJT and his accomplishments. They endure the attacks and fight alongside him. He said they don't need this, but they chose this and are not going to give in "because we love our country" - this does not sound like discord.

    If Melania didnt want Trump to run again, why would Trump hold rally after rally saying he will MAGA? You can watch his rally videos and hear him say it with your own ears.

    If there was discord in the Trump family, why would Eric be touring the country telling everyone that Trump hates what is happening, but, no matter what they do to him, he will prevail and MAGA.

    I heard it straight from Eric Trump - that's called a 'primary source.'

    Who is your source?
    Last edited by buffy; August 14th, 2022 at 11:29 PM.

  11. #3596
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    Biden is back. The new normal!

    President Biden has nabbed several key legislative and political wins this summer, defying some critics, so we are being told. Falling gas prices, passage of some major legislation and the dramatic raid that killed al-Qaida's leader have inspired a spate of stories about Joe Biden's comeback from near political oblivion – and the potential impact on Democratic chances this November. After all, it is still nearly three months until Americans fill all 435 House seats, 35 Senate slots and 36 state governorships.

    A lot can still go wrong. Biden's job approval levels remain sufficiently low and are still a distinct negative for his party. Still, it is clear events of recent weeks have energized Democratic voters, making their leaders more optimistic – and the Republicans more concerned – than just weeks ago, so they say.

    However, Biden has failed to manage - from his botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, his inability to anticipate and curb soaring inflation, and the much-publicized divisions that prevented his Democratic congressional allies from passing key parts of his economic agenda. It appeared Democrats were headed for a midterm electoral disaster that would cost them control of the House – and probably the Senate.

    But in recent weeks, that outlook has changed for the better, say Biden and his media lackeys. Gas prices have dropped steadily, and lawmakers finally got their act together to pass three key bipartisan measures — a modest gun safety bill, increased support for the domestic semi-conductor industry and significant new health benefits for veterans.

    Most importantly Senate Democrats resolved internal divisions and passed a slimmed-down version of Biden's economic agenda. It included long sought authority for Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, extension of Obamacare subsidies for millions and a significant investment in clean energy technology to fight climate change. Its final passage will enable Democratic candidates to stress the positive things they achieved for voters, rather than spend the campaign defending their party's failure to curb inflation.

    The job market continues to expand. Unemployment is now lower than before the Covid pandemic struck in early 2020. All is good! Ironically, Biden's improvement came while he was quarantined in the White House after testing positive for Covid, an echo of the fact that he won the presidency in 2020 while self-isolating in his Wilmington, Delaware, basement.

    Midterm elections are traditionally a referendum on the incumbent president and his administration. Democrats hope their recent successes — and the looming presence of Trump — will let them make it a choice between the two parties and thus help avoid the electoral disaster they once feared.

    Comment

    The so-called ‘massive’ Inflation Reduction Act has little to do with reducing inflation or cutting the deficit. The deficit reduction in the bill is at most just $30 billion per year over the next decade. The projected savings is small relative to the $23 trillion American economy.

    The energy bill is predicted to save Americans money in the future. Does that include the majority of Americans who are living paycheck-to-paycheck and will be mandated to purchase vehicles they will never be able to afford? Be able to afford making their homes energy efficient?

    As to the so-called Biden successes, the following opinion piece in today’s Buffalo News deflects on the Democrats failures and cautions readers on the attempt to mislead them by detractions and disinformation.

    Come November, do not let media, government succeed

    The political establishment, big tech, and legacy media are using whatever "bait and switch" methods they can muster, even the recent FBI raid at President Trump's Florida house, to gaslight us. However, these are the most important things we must focus on come Nov. 8: fuel prices/domestic energy exploration; protecting our borders and other entryways; replenishing our national supply lines; parental rights in education; restoring and maintaining law and order; and protecting and preserving constitutionally established freedoms.

    Since Joe Biden assumed the presidency, we have fallen behind in many measures of prosperity; the Republican Party might not be perfect, but I'd prefer their agenda that brings us back to self-respect over the Democrats and their desire to control our daily affairs.


    This is the hope and change you anticipated, right? The new normal? Trump and the Republicans are the real existential threats to democracy, free speech, and the Constitution, right?

  12. #3597
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    Lowering the temperature of the Mar-a-Largo raid without transparency is unlikely

    The Justice Department opposes the release of an affidavit (a declaration of facts) justifying the FBI ‘s search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. Prosecutors argued that releasing the affidavit used to obtain a search warrant for Trump's home would 'harm the government's ongoing criminal investigation.

    The Biden admin actively feeds half-truths & lies that the media willingly amplifies—advancing a partisan narrative to attack Trump." O'Donnell, host of "CBS Evening News," suggested the Department of Justice did not have Trump's passports, tweeting, "According to a DOJ official, the FBI is NOT in possession of former President Trump's passports."

    Jay Bratt, an official in the National Security Division of the DOJ later stated: "We have learned that the filter agents seized three passports belonging to President Trump, two expired and one being his active diplomatic passport. We are returning them," Bratt told Trump's attorneys Evan Corcoran and Jim Trusty.

    SEN TIM SCOTT: What I am mostly concerned about is the infrequent, inconsistent, application of the rule of law as it relates to President Trump. I can’t imagine how it feels to see a 232-year precedent go down the drain over, what? A dispute over what should or should not be included in our national archives. To me, until we see specificity within the affidavit, we will not have the kind of clarity that the American people need to come to their own conclusion.

    https://www.foxnews.com/media/tim-sc...on-rule-of-law

    Watch the full interview

    Comment

    Re that rule of law thingy, like investigating and prosecuting Trump and all Republicans while the Bidens, Clintons, Pilosis, and other Democrats are not on the radar screen. What gives with the ‘no one is above the rule of law’ double standard?

    The Justice Department on Monday asked a judge to keep sealed the sworn affidavit underpinning last week’s extraordinary FBI search of former president Donald Trump’s Florida residence, a document thought to hold key details about the government’s investigation into the potential mishandling of classified materials. Having little, if any trust in any government or private institution anymore, the way this raid was conducted further diminishes trust in the FBI or DOJ.

  13. #3598
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    Mar-a-Largo: Who is playing who

    In his column today, New York Times columnist David Brooks asks whether the FBI Mar-a-Largo search just re-elected Donald Trump.

    According to his narrative, there is an interlocking network of highly educated Americans who make up what the Trumpians have come to call the Regime: Washington power players, liberal media, big foundations, elite universities, woke corporations. These people are corrupt, condescending, and immoral and are looking out only for themselves. They are out to get Trump because Trump is the person who stands up to them. They are not only out to get Trump; they are out to get you.

    The Trumpian propaganda turns what is an unfortunate social chasm into venomous conspiracy theory. It simply assumes, against a lot of evidence, that the leading institutions of society are inherently corrupt, malevolent, and partisan and are acting in bad faith.

    The investigation into Trump was seen purely as a heinous Regime plot. At least for now, the search has shaken the Republican political landscape. Several weeks ago, about half of Republican voters were ready to move on from Trump, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll. This week the entire party seemed to rally behind him.

    Republican strategists advising Trump's potential primary opponents had reason to be despondent. "Completely handed him a lifeline," one such strategist told Politico. "Unbelievable ... It put everybody in the wagon for Trump again. It's just taken the wind out of everybody's sails."

    According to a Trafalgar Group/Convention of States Action survey, 83% of likely Republican voters said the FBI search made them more motivated to vote in the 2022 elections. More than 75% of likely Republican voters believed Trump's political enemies were behind the search rather than the impartial justice system, as did 48% of likely general election voters overall.

    Comment

    The investigation into Trump was seen purely as a heinous Regime plot by the right. At least for now, the search has shaken the Republican political landscape. This week the entire party, as well as others, appear to rally behind Trump.

    If this is an act of desperation on the part of the Regime to prevent Trump from seeking the presidency and they come up empty, it is Game, Set, Match for the Republicans.

    Barack Obama has missing records. Will the FBI be ransacking his house? If federal agents are roving nationwide to ensure the National Archives is content, then Obama’s house must be ransacked next because the issue tracking all his documents stems back to 2018. Troves of Obama files went missing—vanished into the ether. Real Clear Politics around this time reported on the lost files, with Hillary Clinton’s email fiasco via her private homebrew server again being mentioned.

    It’s good to be on the side of righteousness. Ask the Bidens, Clintons, and Pilosis.

  14. #3599
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    8,919
    America’s $7 Trillion Retirement Crisis Is Only Getting Worse

    As someone retired a number of years, heed the advice and warning. For those not earning enough to contribute to an investment plan, having little hope of inheriting anything of significance, world cruises, Disneyland, and Vegas seem unlikely.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mark...6fbc92dee3b6df

    (Bloomberg) -- Americans have been warned for years of an impending retirement crisis. Yet the situation is getting worse. Even when everything was going right — inflation was nonexistent, interest rates were low and stocks were in an extended bull market — there was a multi-trillion-dollar savings shortfall.

    Then came a pandemic, war in Europe, decades-high inflation, the fastest rate-hiking cycle since the early 1980s and fears of a recession. The resulting market turmoil erased some $3.4 trillion from 401(k)s and IRAs in the first half of 2022, according to Alicia Munnell, director of Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research.

    And that’s just for the people who have retirement accounts. About half of private-sector workers don’t have an employer-sponsored retirement plan, and many of those who do end up saving very little.

    It’s a problem that isn’t easily fixed and contributes to the sense that the American Dream is in decline. And while surging inflation and volatile markets are bad news for people in or nearing retirement, the picture may be even worse for young Americans who are priced out of the housing market, struggling to build wealth and buried under mountains of student-loan debt.

    “Living standards are going to decline for a large portion of the population who are in retirement — that's the concern,” said Richard Johnson, a retirement expert at the Urban Institute. “For people who are not in that age group, it's still concerning because it could strain the social safety net.”

    In 2019, Boston College estimated there was a $7.1 trillion retirement-savings shortfall among American households, with half of them facing a lower standard of living once they stop working. That number likely hasn’t changed much since then, despite the increase in stock and housing prices over the last three years, according to Munnell. “The people who profited from that were people who weren’t at risk in the first place,” she said.

    Millions of Americans face the reality of spending their senior years in straitened circumstances, struggling to make ends meet. So how did one of the wealthiest countries in the world end up in this situation?

    Until the Great Depression, Americans worked until they died or simply couldn’t anymore, at which point they’d be dependent on charity or extended family for support. The misery of the 1930s prompted the introduction of Social Security to, as President Franklin Roosevelt said, protect “against the hazards and vicissitudes of life.”

    The program was intended to provide a minimum level of support, with individuals and employers expected to supplement it as life expectancies rose and people spent more years in retirement. But the generous defined-benefit pension plans of old largely disappeared as companies cut costs and embraced 401(k)s.

    “The plans work quite well for the top third of workers, not so much for the middle third and not at all for the lower third,” Munnell said. “The top third always work for companies with 401(k) plans, the middle third go in and out of employment with coverage and end up with much smaller balances, and the bottom third are generally not covered by any plan and are entirely dependent on Social Security.”

    Things are likely to get worse as the Baby Boom generation retires. The number of Americans age 65 and over is set to increase to 73 million by 2030, or about 21% of the population, compared with 49 million or 15% in 2016, according to the Census Bureau.

    There’s little appetite politically to attack the problem. The idea of a national auto-IRA that workers could take from employer to employer has been bandied about for more than 15 years, but the only real action has been at the state level. Even there, most state plans exclude the large and growing number of workers in the gig economy.

    Even if Congress can make piecemeal reform, there’s an even bigger concern: Whether Social Security can survive in its current form. If no changes are made, the trust fund’s reserves are expected to run out by 2035, and Americans will receive only 80% of their expected benefits.

    “I think something will be done before we get to that, but I keep worrying we’ll have to get awfully close to the abyss before any action is taken,” Munnell said.

  15. #3600
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    8,919
    Here are the 21 electric vehicle models immediately eligible for new tax credit

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news...117061a3f5fd61

    Here are 18 2022 model-year vehicles that are assembled in North America and therefore immediately eligible for credit, according to a list curated by the Department of Energy:

    2022 models

    Audi Q5
    BMW 3-series Plug-In
    BMW X5
    Chrysler Pacifica PHEV
    Ford Escape PHEV
    Ford F Series
    Ford Mustang MACH E
    Ford Transit Van
    Jeep Grand Cherokee PHEV
    Jeep Wrangler PHEV
    Lincoln Aviator PHEV
    Lincoln Corsair Plug-in
    Lucid Air
    Nissan Leaf
    Rivian EDV
    Rivian R1S
    Rivian R1T
    Volvo S60

    Another eight 2022 Tesla and General Motors models that meet the assembly requirement would be immediately eligible for the credit if not for the 200,000 units sold cap that is still in effect. The new law removes that cap beginning on Jan. 1, 2023, and those models would then become eligible. They are:

    Chevrolet Bolt EUV
    Chevrolet Bolt EV
    GMC Hummer Pickup
    GMC Hummer SUV
    Tesla Model 3
    Tesla Model S
    Tesla Model X
    Tesla Model Y

    Three 2023 models are immediately eligible. They are:

    BMW 3-series Plug-In
    Mercedes EQS
    Nissan Leaf

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