Gyroscopic Investing

ochotona wrote: ↑Thu Sep 06, 2018 9:15 pm I think that op ed is probably a fake, but OMG it's really farking with POTUS' head, which was the intent. He's easily toyed with.

It could be real, and if that’s the case— well, I wouldn’t want people doing this to the next president.

I think dualstow (and I agree with him here) is invoking Taleb's Silver Rule in the context of national politics: don't do things to others that you wouldn't want them to do to you.

Or maybe, don't set precedents that you don't want to be usable in the future. Something like that.

MangoMan wrote: ↑Fri Sep 07, 2018 7:14 am

dualstow wrote: ↑Fri Sep 07, 2018 6:32 am

ochotona wrote: ↑Thu Sep 06, 2018 9:15 pm I think that op ed is probably a fake, but OMG it's really farking with POTUS' head, which was the intent. He's easily toyed with.

It could be real, and if that’s the case— well, I wouldn’t want people doing this to the next president.

Are you saying you are okay with people doing that to Trump?

If it's a known fake then shame on the media - but it's just so much damn fun to watch the running around and bloviating, who can resist? It's like cat videos... Can't resist! Entertainer In Chief

Kriegsspiel wrote: ↑Fri Sep 07, 2018 7:27 am I think dualstow (and I agree with him here) is invoking Taleb's Silver Rule in the context of national politics: don't do things to others that you wouldn't want them to do to you.

Or maybe, don't set precedents that you don't want to be usable in the future. Something like that.

Bingo. Precedent is the key word.

I support some of the same policies as Trump, such as the absolutely incredible idea that the American president should actually put the interests of the American people first, as opposed to people from other countries.

As a bonus, I said to anybody who would listen long before the election that I hoped Trump would win because it would be much more entertaining if he did.

Both the authoritarian war-monger clown in office and the perma-war surveilance staters trying to secretly oppose him (not to mention the lapdog establishment media) are enemies of both liberty and democracy (whichever one might prefer) and should be ridiculed into unemployed irrellevence.

Is he mongering a war now?

Also, just saw this. I heard this ruckus on NPR and assumed they were young, fat, butch lesbians

But 3 out of 4 ain't bad.*

*assuming that's what the picture is of.

Kriegsspiel wrote: ↑Fri Sep 07, 2018 2:39 pm Is he mongering a war now?

Also, just saw this. I heard this ruckus on NPR and assumed they were young, fat, butch lesbians

But 3 out of 4 ain't bad.*

*assuming that's what the picture is of.

Yemen he's helping the U.S. participate in a terrible genocide. Afghanistan. Some in Syria though it appears to have died down a bit for now. Continuing to expand the empire into Africa.

I'll also add the ridiculous retrenchment with Iran, though sanctions aren't outright war.

I'd recommend following "Scott Horton" on anti-war stuff if you want the best version of that argument. He's no lefty (claims to be an ancap but rarely focuses on economics).

moda0306 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 07, 2018 3:27 pm Yemen he's helping the U.S. participate in a terrible genocide. Afghanistan. Some in Syria though it appears to have died down a bit for now. Continuing to expand the empire into Africa.

I'll also add the ridiculous retrenchment with Iran, though sanctions aren't outright war.

I'd recommend following "Scott Horton" on anti-war stuff if you want the best version of that argument. He's no lefty (claims to be an ancap but rarely focuses on economics).

LOL... bro, I go to his site, and the first headline I see is "Bear Witness To American War Crimes". It's an article about a Saudi Arabian airstrike in Yemen. How is it an American war crime? Because the Saudis use American-made bombs . Give me a break. His other stuff might be ok, but didn't you think you should put his best foot forward? In fact, I didn't see anything that indicated Trump has started bombing Yemen.

A cursory search for Trump and Afghanistan turned up an Economist article saying that Trump authorized deploying 3,500 and relaxed restrictions on air support and on what we used to call Military Transition Teams, or MITTs/MIT teams, and a Brookings article that added that he's maintaining a presence there still. Although I don't think that's a good idea, it doesn't really sound like war mongering to me.

"Trump Syria" kinda tells me that he's kept up the bombing, but is only leaving 3,000 military personnel on the ground. One article said

He has ended support for anti-regime rebels. And he talks of recalling US forces assisting pro-western Kurds.

Trump’s objectives in Syria, in so far as he has a defined policy, are twofold. Firstly, to kill or catch remaining terrorists belonging to Islamic State. Secondly, to curb Iran’s influence by forcing the withdrawal of Revolutionary Guards units and Tehran-controlled Shia militias, as demanded by Israel.

Again, doesn't sound like war mongering. Drop links if you've already waded through this shit.

moda0306 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 07, 2018 12:55 pm Both the authoritarian war-monger clown in office and the perma-war surveilance staters trying to secretly oppose him (not to mention the lapdog establishment media) are enemies of both liberty and democracy (whichever one might prefer) and should be ridiculed into unemployed irrellevence.

Putting aside his bombastic, buffoonish, bloviating, which of Trump's actions do you describe as authoritarian?

He’s kind of like an unsuccessful authoritarian, a mere wannabe.

The press is”the enemy of the people” but he can’t shut them down, not one outlet. He wants the NYT to name the mystery op-ed writer for the, uh, security of the country. Not going to happen.

Checks & balances at work, so far anyway.

I guess I'm an authoritarian too, because I think that the press is our enemy as well.

In my humble opinion, he's not an authoritarian. He's just not afraid to call them as he sees them.

No. I’m not referring to his opinion, but the pressure he applies (even though it’s not really working). His old PressSec, Spicer, did get those inauguration photos doctored, so that’s something. That’s evidence of authoritarian-lite.

Thanks to checks and balances, it may not get any further than that. He can only make his silly requests.

From my vantage point, any time I see leftists accusing Trump of authoriatarianism, it looks like projection of their own shortcomings. The vast majority of shutting down free speech seems to come from the left when someone tries to express opinions that don't kowtow to the party line.

Where are his tax returns?

Did he really stiff his contractors?

Follow the money

The left certainly have their problems. That’s why, for the first time in memory, I was unable to vote democrat in ‘16. However, this is the Trump as tragicomedy thread. /

Are we talking about the NY TImes op-ed piece now?

The content didn't shock me as much as I expected. Don't you all think that this is exactly what administration members have been doing for decades? Ronald Reagan, both of the George Bushes, and Bill Clinton come to mind as obvious examples where damage control from within was required in several instances. In the case of George Bush II, I'm not even sure that he did much more than cut switchgrass and occasionally act as Dick Cheney's spokesperson while in office.

It's actually good to know that there is a group of responsible people making sure that the President's missteps are nipped in the bud. No matter who the President is, missteps likely happen all the time. I'm pretty sure Trump is more extreme in that regard than most, but hardly unique.

So "Yes, Minister" is a documentary!

Xan wrote: ↑Sat Sep 08, 2018 2:12 pm So "Yes, Minister" is a documentary!

My wife’s favorite show. And back in the day, Thatcher‘s favorite.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/201 ... trump.html

The president has long sold himself as a self-made billionaire, but a Times investigation found that he received at least $413 million in today’s dollars from his father’s real estate empire, much of it through tax dodges in the 1990s.

By age 3, Mr. Trump was earning $200,000 a year in today’s dollars from his father’s empire. He was a millionaire by age 8. By the time he was 17, his father had given him part ownership of a 52-unit apartment building. Soon after Mr. Trump graduated from college, he was receiving the equivalent of $1 million a year from his father. The money increased with the years, to more than $5 million annually in his 40s and 50s.

Absolutely insane how much Trump is NOT self-made in his fortunes... oh and appears to be downright a tax-fraud.

I'm sure the "rule-of-law" crowd is downright incensed at this...

downright

moda0306 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:01 pm https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/201 ... trump.html

The president has long sold himself as a self-made billionaire, but a Times investigation found that he received at least $413 million in today’s dollars from his father’s real estate empire, much of it through tax dodges in the 1990s.

By age 3, Mr. Trump was earning $200,000 a year in today’s dollars from his father’s empire. He was a millionaire by age 8. By the time he was 17, his father had given him part ownership of a 52-unit apartment building. Soon after Mr. Trump graduated from college, he was receiving the equivalent of $1 million a year from his father. The money increased with the years, to more than $5 million annually in his 40s and 50s.

Absolutely insane how much Trump is NOT self-made in his fortunes... oh and appears to be downright a tax-fraud.

I'm sure the "rule-of-law" crowd is downright incensed at this...

Can you be more specific about the tax fraud you are alleging?

jacksonM wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:08 pm

moda0306 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:01 pm https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/201 ... trump.html

The president has long sold himself as a self-made billionaire, but a Times investigation found that he received at least $413 million in today’s dollars from his father’s real estate empire, much of it through tax dodges in the 1990s.

By age 3, Mr. Trump was earning $200,000 a year in today’s dollars from his father’s empire. He was a millionaire by age 8. By the time he was 17, his father had given him part ownership of a 52-unit apartment building. Soon after Mr. Trump graduated from college, he was receiving the equivalent of $1 million a year from his father. The money increased with the years, to more than $5 million annually in his 40s and 50s.

Absolutely insane how much Trump is NOT self-made in his fortunes... oh and appears to be downright a tax-fraud.

I'm sure the "rule-of-law" crowd is downright incensed at this...

Can you be more specific about the tax fraud you are alleging?

Disguising taxable gifts as deductible salary income is fraud. He had a $200k "salary" as a child. $1 Million salary as a college student.

moda0306 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:34 pm

jacksonM wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:08 pm

moda0306 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:01 pm https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/201 ... trump.html





Absolutely insane how much Trump is NOT self-made in his fortunes... oh and appears to be downright a tax-fraud.

I'm sure the "rule-of-law" crowd is downright incensed at this...

Can you be more specific about the tax fraud you are alleging?

Disguising taxable gifts as deductible salary income is fraud. He had a $200k "salary" as a child. $1 Million salary as a college student.

And that didn't trigger any IRS audits at the time?

jacksonM wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:43 pm

moda0306 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:34 pm

jacksonM wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:08 pm

Can you be more specific about the tax fraud you are alleging?

Disguising taxable gifts as deductible salary income is fraud. He had a $200k "salary" as a child. $1 Million salary as a college student.

And that didn't trigger any IRS audits at the time?

It would appear not, wouldn't it.

I'm not exactly sure what the IRS' audit lottery matrix looked like back then.