Friday, March 9, 2018

Post #18: 3/9/18

As I mentioned in the signature political blog, I've decided to return to Twitter in a more limited fashion (e.g., fewer reply Tweets, hashtag games) and will soon introduce a (more RAG Trolling segment in this blog. I will continue to experiment with content, including shorter Facebook or other Internet comments, ad libs to memes or political cartoons. This blog will not go away because of a decision to resume my Twitter account. In fact, I hope to use Twitter as a way of driving more readers to other content.









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A brief note to readers that familiar with my Facebook format conventions: I use blue fonts for OP commentary, purple (also dark green or brown for other commentators) with a comment that I typically don't agree with, and red font (of course) to correct or expand on

On FB, a Russian troll uggests Trump's strategy over his unconstitutional tariffs:

 He is fighting the labour and production outsourcing to the low labour cost countries. The idea is to close the production cost gap so the employers stop outsourcing and start employing localy

 You realize that mercantilists have been spreading that bullshit for centuries --about 90% of job losses have to do with improvements in technology. Trump is simply another corrupt bastard who lusts for power like Putin.

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Image of the Day

via Pro-Life Libertarians on FB
Their campaign slogan: ".Getting your fair share of other people's stuff: "he didn't earn that""
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Thursday, March 8, 2018

Post #17: 3/8/18

Rubio, Lee and others scheming to let workers borrow against future social security benefits for paid federal family leave. I have no doubt why Ivanka Trump would champion such a cause; Trump himself has no problem spending other people's money. I'm sure Lee would argue, after all, it's their money. But it's not. The assets in the trust fund are IOU's from past government spending, not like, say, the Canadian pension system which actually invests the money into other vehicles like stocks. As for Ivanka: didn't I warn Trump that Clinton girl was a bad influence? Ivanka was bound to catch spendicitis sooner or later. Just say NO; we can't afford more entitlement spending; it's actually time to privatize the whole social welfare system.

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 If there was any doubt of the intrinsic corruption of Trump's politics, consider the fact that US Steel has publicly pledged to step up hiring in the wake of Trump's tariffs.  Trump, of course, would politically benefit in steel-producing states (like Pennsylvania).

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Never underestimate the stupidity and economic illiteracy of Democrat politicians. You would think that just as Sen. Johnson (R-WI) points out that hikes in aluminum tariffs/taxes hurt the beer industry (i.e., cost of cans), Michigan would be protesting about the fact that car companies will be hurt by increased costs in relevant car costs.

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Not to mention that parasitic capitalist Elon Musk, who has milked every federal subsidy possible (e.g., Tesla purchases), is tweeting in support of Trump's tariffs. Why? Won't his own production costs go up and hurt profits or sales? Never underestimate the ability of a person to cut off one's nose to spite his face. Musk is upset with Chinese tariffs on (his) car exports and figures Daddy Trump's tariffs on resource imports will punish China.

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Fox News is heavily promoting Jeff Sessions' unconstitutional lawsuit against California's "sanctuary state" policy. First, the state is not impeding ICE's arrests, but under our federalist system the federal government cannot interfere with the exercise of state police powers under the Tenth Amendment. State and local officials are not subordinate to the whims of federal policy.  Now I do have issues with California trumping local voluntary cooperation with ICE, which I see as unconstitutional, but let's point out that California in releasing violent criminals accepts full responsibility for risks to public safety.

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Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Post #16: 3/07/18

107 House Republicans signed a letter opposing Trump's economic illiterate tariff policies. An idiot Trumpkin tweets "I doubt these 107 House Republicans are representing the people of their state and more like the lobbyists." Trumpkin, a short lesson. A tariff is like a federal sales tax on certain imported goods." The GOP is about LOWERING taxes on people, NOT raising them. The real-life corrupt capitalists and lobbyists basically collude with the corrupt Trump to raise prices on American consumers and businesses. Ask Herbert Hoover whether his high tariffs got America out of the Depression.

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#IfIHadASuperpower  I would switch Trump's body with a Latino's and send ICE  after him.

#IfIHadASuperpower I would make an attractive woman see in me the man of her dreams.

#IfIHadASuperpower I would make it a crime for politicians to have a nose job and then make their noses grow for each lie they tell the voters.

#MakeHistoryModern "Four score and 7 years ago--okay, what [expletive deleted] didn't put his cellphone in airplane mode? I'm trying to make history here!" -- Lincoln

#MakeHistoryModern "A $20T national debt? 800 military bases in over 70 countries around the world? A national bank which devalues the dollar by 97%? Stop trying to scare people! I can assure you our Constitution will never allow that to happen!" -- James Madison

#IfIWereTheLastPersonOnEarth I would finally win Time's "Man of the Year" competition.

Schumer, who favors economic protectionism against China, isn't for sweeping tariffs at the expense of allies like Canada and the EU, which are likely to impose retaliatory tariffs. Of course, NY shares a border with Canada. Just across from where my folks honeymooned, where it sounds like Democrats flushing taxpayer money down the toilet. Chuckie, there is no such thing as a "good" tariff and a "bad" one: they are all bad. If you think China won't retaliate against discriminatory tariffs, you are both naive and stupid.
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Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Post #15: 3/06/18

CNN and MSNBC #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

Any Paul Krugman op-ed piece. #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

Anything a celebrity has to say about politics. Including Trump. #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

Buying anything that's been on the bargain table for 2 years. #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

Any leftist rally. #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

Anything Trump likes. #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

Smelling whatever the Rock's been cooking. #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

Eating re-gifted fruitcake. #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

Shopping on Black Friday. #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

Shaking hands with a politician. #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

Anything Barry Obama says or does. #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

Clapping at what I hope is the end of a Trump speech. It only encourages him to go on. #ThingsIAlwaysAvoid

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I'm pleased to see at least one worthy member of the Trump Administration, Gary Cohn, his chief economic adviser, is resigning over Trump's anti-consumer tariffs. His professional reputation would be impugned over Trump's economically illiterate protectionism.

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Who is this disingenuous idiot, Steve Doocy, on Fox and Friends? (No, I'm not a viewer. Let's just say I've got an obnoxious noisy neighbor.) Doocy's obsequious Trumpkin minion pandering for the Trump tariff is downright embarrassing and undermines whatever residual integrity FNC has left. It's bad enough that FNC openly cheerleads for Trump's faux-populism. Most of the time I'm listening to Trumpkin guests being spoon-fed predictable softball questions being responded to with trite political spin.

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 Some 20-year-old is unhappy some retailers, including a prominent sporting goods company and America's biggest discount retailer, are raising age minimums to purchase firearms. Now personally I think it's stupid for people to deprive late teens, who can legally join the military to bear government firearms and die for one's country, of the right to purchase drinks or acquire weapons for self-defense or hunting. Not all gun sellers, however, will leave money on the table to responsible young adults. From a liberty perspective, I subscribe to the principle of voluntary associations, transactions. I might not agree with restaurants who dictate no suit and tie, no service. But it's not I'll starve if the restaurant leaves my money on the table. I can go to almost any supermarket or casual diner and they'll gladly accept the same money. This is little more than the rights of photographers or bakers to decide whether to accept special event business for any or no reason. People do not have the right to compel others to do business with them; that's basically a form of economic slavery. Money is fungible; there are any number of people, including gay-owned businesses, who will eagerly accept their business.

A lot of singer/songwriters are furious with certain politicians (e.g., Trump) using their songs. Me, if I wrote a commercially successful song, I wouldn't care if a gay couple used it for their commitment ceremony or reception, so long as I got my royalty.

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Both major party nominees are Catholic. Conor Lamb is yet another "Catholic in Name Only" (like the Kennedies, the Bidens, the Cuomos, the Pelosis, and others) who insists they religiously believe in the right of the preborn to live but won't "impose" their beliefs on others. These hypocritical Statists, of course, have no such scruples over government threats. Saccone is spot-on in terms of Church history; the Didache spoke out against the Roman practice of abortion. It is not a matter of faith but morals, which span across creeds and ideologies. Lamb is sacrificing his personal integrity for political gain.
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Monday, March 5, 2018

Post #14: 3/05/18

After just penning the observation that Canada is the biggest exporter of steel and aluminum to the US and suggesting that Trump with his related tariffs was acting on his anti-NAFTA agent, Trump has basically acknowledged tariffs are his weapon for forcing the renegotiation of NAFTA on US terms.

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Kudos for Speaker Ryan pushing back on Trump's economically-illiterate tariff threat. Let's point out that Bush's failed steel tariff over a decade ago didn't realize the sought-after economic payoff.

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The lack of fiscal discipline during the Trump Presidency makes it clear #MAGA stand for "Make America Greece Again".

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"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - Santayana.  The Smoot-Hawley tariffs exacerbated the Great Depression. Workers and farmers, who would allegedly benefit from the intervention, found their fortunes worsening, which contributed to the disastrous 1932 election.. Canada, one of our biggest trading partners, retaliated by raising tariffs on about a third of popular American imports and further developed ex-US trading partnerships. No, Trump, trade wars aren't easy to win; In fact, US economic growth boomed in the post-WWII era under largely unilateral reduction in tariffs.  Trump doesn't have a clue that trade deficits imply capital surpluses, i.e., net investments in the US economy. Exports are a price we pay to get access to resources, components and other goods and services which benefit the American economy in cost management and global competition.
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Sunday, March 4, 2018

Post #13: 3/4/18

First post after a 30-odd hour power outage.

Trump is quoted as praising the Chinese President for attaining a lifetime tenure. Of course, the authoritarian Trump loves that idea. Trump, the only way you'll be President for Life is if the good Lord calls you home before the end of your current term.

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H/T Ron Paul
When We Had a Real President
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This was my response off a Facebook Twitter game mocking Russia hacking tweets:

 Russia hacked Trump's Twitter account and sent out all Putin topless photos.

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Thursday, March 1, 2018

Post #12: 3/01/18

via Eye of the Tiber (Catholic Satire Site)
"Adam, don't you dare tell me what I can or cannot eat. If I want that forbidden fruit, I'll eat it."
Houston Nations I don't have to look at Ronald's profile to tell that he's married.

Ha, ha, ha! This is the funniest reaction I've ever gotten on social media, including all the time I spent on Twitter. Nope, never married, not by conviction but circumstances (workaholic, road warrior, etc.) But I have dated, plus I have a Mom and four little sisters

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And as I'm not already pissed off  enough about Trump's suggestion that the government steal citizen guns without due process, Trump decided to put tariffs on imported aluminum and steel. Faithful readers know what I'm about to say: protectionism is  economic illiterate, anti-consumer (including producers who use these commodities in intermediate or final goods. It's a case of concentrated benefits (domestic producers of these products) and diffuse costs (consumers); it's intrinsically corrupt and will lead to retaliatory responses targeting American products. It's lose-lose economics: why do you think the stock market tanked in the aftermath if Trump's actions "made the economy great again?" Nobody, not even Democrats except from union workers for protected industries, thinks this is a good idea.

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Steppin' in a Twilight Zone #ClassicRockForClassicTV

GunSmoke on the Water  #ClassicRockForClassicTV

Little Pink Houses on the Prairie  #ClassicRockForClassicTV

Gilligan's Islands in the Stream  #ClassicRockForClassicTV

We Are All in the Family  #ClassicRockForClassicTV

Take It To the Outer Limits  #ClassicRockForClassicTV

I Dream On Being With Jeannie  #ClassicRockForClassicTV

She Loves Chachi, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah  #ClassicRockForClassicTV

Waiting For a Star Trek to Fall  #ClassicRockForClassicTV

Golden Girl Days (Wa, Wa,  Wa)  #ClassicRockForClassicTV

Welcome Back To My Nightmare, Kotter  #ClassicRockForClassicTV

We Don't Need Another Hogan's Hero  #ClassicRockForClassicTV

Eight Days a Week Is Enough  #ClassicRockForClassicTV
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