US Elections 2020

[Stavros]

I assure you my diatribe is against Donald Trump and Donald Trump only. Every home in the United States should have an outdoor recess bell ringing in their living room constantly ever since Trump practically got down on his knees and blew Putin on the world stage at Helsinki. How could anyone not see that footage and not lose their mind? I'm pretty sure if I stopped holding back and said what I really felt two guys in suits would be knocking on my door like I'M the bad guy!!
My position hasn't changed one inch since Trump was elected. Either I'm insane or the world is insane. Possibly both. I bleed red white and blue. Stavros doesn't even like Elvis. Not Treason, but close. Stavros isn't Felix, Stavros is Stavros. I'm not Oscar, but I'm not Buttslinger, either.
I'm on my knees praying that Trump didn't just do what we were all afraid he was going to do in Syria. Everybody's just standing around. I'm sick of it.

It is the lack of reason that worries me in your posts -all this emotional stuff doesn't deal with voter suppression, the purging of voter rolls, law enforcement murdering innocent people in their own homes, the illusion of economic health, the crisis in education, the foreign policy of the US now privatized to become a family business with its own email servers, its own personnel and its complete indifference to the Constitution and the law. All these things can be dealt with rationally, and politically, just as in the UK we have created a political impasse due to the fact that much of what people want from Brexit cannot be delivered, or delivered in the manner that can make it work. People want instant solutions, they don't exist.

It will be hard work getting rid of the worst President since Andrew Jackson, because he has not only no respect for the law, but deliberately breaks it knowing his guy in the Department of Justice will let him do what he wants. This is the opposite of the politics the Founding Fathers wanted when they created the United States, it is up to you do either protect your Constitution or throw it away and in effect, cancel Appomattox and hand victory to the Confederates, dividing the US for the next 50-100 years, just as the UK must 'go it alone' in the same period, but without the same degree of resources.

As for Elvis, it is simple: I was raised on JS Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, but in my teens via Eric Clapton and John Mayall developed a love of Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. The appropriation of Black American music by a slob who could not sing has been one of the crimes against culture White America has committed. It was not the first or the last, but every time that ridiculous cretin tries to sing we are violated, polluted, and it is all on record for posterity, we can't purge it from the history of music. Why would anyone want to listen to his squealing whine when you can spend a moment with Robert Johnson and the magic of individual creativity? There is so much that the US has produced that exists to be enjoyed and admired. It is when you set real jewels of America against its worst excesses that you wonder how this other man managed to pull of the heist of the century (so far) to rob Americans of the dollars in their pockets, and the dignity that the Presidency once had. He is turning the USA into a shithole, not the Twilight Zone.

[buttslinger]

There you go again,
You see, when you call the USA a shithole, I have to remind you the your wonderful country wouldn't exist if it weren't for us, Heil Hitler.
Maybe economically you'd be better off as part of the Third Reich, at least you wouldn't have a joke King and Queen.
And every once in a while you mention young boys. Yikes!! Please, Enlighten us all about that, Please.
As for Elvis, you don't seem to realize when your leg is being pulled. Until he died, I laughed at Elvis. But he was the Beatles before the Beatles.
I assure you John Lennon and Eric Clapton listened to Elvis and Scotty Moore as much as Robert Johnson.
God forbid I get personal, but have you ever had any friends?
Severe Clinical Depression is the SECOND worse thing about me, but I've been fortunate enough to have lots of good friends, I don't think one of them were raised on J S Bach. If I ever had a friend as pompous as you I'd cut him down to size faster than you can deep fry a Krispy Kreme Donut.
If you want to call me an asshole, bring it. But don't get any mud on your suit. You might tarnish your reputation as the most overqualified English Gentleman whoever daily looked down his nose at a bunch of jerkoffs at a goddam PORN SITE!!!
Lighten up, Francis.

[Stavros]

Can you read? No mention of young boys, no knowledge of the history of the UK on your part -or the US- least of all in the Second World War, so no need for a silly reference to the Third Reich. I am a cultural snob, that should be obvious, but that is hardly an issue worth debating. As for the shithole, who was first to describe states in that way, as he presided over the wholesale dismissal in some states of the very basis on which the US was formed? Up to you if my comment was satire, or description.

It all depends on how much you want the US remade in the image of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, how much you want the Presidency replaced by an ATM for the incumbent, unaccountable to anyone, including you. You have to decide if the 45th President is a blip on the screen or the warning of a radical change to your political arrangements, just as I and others in the UK have to decide if Brexit is going to damage the UK for the next 10-15 years, at least, or mark an opportunity for greater prosperity. We still don't know what Brexit will mean, least of the all any deal Boris Johnson offers Parliament to conclude this phase of the process, but Rafael Behr offers a sober analysis that points out what the future might look like. When you can offer an analysis of the US that has a similar depth of knowledge you might write a post worth reading.

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...ion-eu-britain

[buttslinger]

I heard there was news about Brexit today, but I heard it on Fox News, they seemed to think it was great news.
It seems to me that your overly dramatic portrayal of me deciding how I have to decide on the Future of the USA is as stupid as my nonsense. I didn't vote for the prick, unless I send all my money to the DNC, that's as far as the Constitution allows me to protest. What do you expect me to do, make a sign and go stand outside the White House? Should I scream at a history book? The answer is if you venture into the World expect to get punched in some dark alley. I guarantee you Trump is not the end of the World. If he launches ICBMs at Iran, then I'm wrong. Oh well,,,
As far as I can see the Democrats kowtow to whoever didn't watch "The Apprentice" and the Republicans bend over backward to please the morons who watched that TV SHOW! Our leaders follow us. And all of our faults. For votes. It used to be we were all Americans and leaned toward social conscience or fiscal responsibility. Now it's about a guy in Pakistan this morning, working in a 7-11 tonight.
All we know is the tip of the iceberg, the weight of the unseen gravity is speculation. Some know more than others. Our leaders hide how fucked up things are. On both sides of the aisle, here, there, Russia, China, We're ALL on the Titanic. There's a sucker born every minute and there's a guy who feels it's his duty to separate that sucker from his cash.
Debate She-bait, everybody does what they can, nobody knows what others are up against. The larger picture always exists, there's a day on the calendar when we're gonna die, and on that day it's going to be today, if you want to spend your life focused on politics, good, if you want to bash my country, TODAY, good. Fuck You. You're Greek anyway, right?
Not only is the earth falling under your feet, this forum has dissolved into what it was created to be. A place where guys go to hopefully drop a few bucks into Grooby's pocket. He seems like a good guy, I had lots of fun here. But this forum has seen better times. It's nobody's fault, that's just the way it is. Nothing good lasts forever. I'm pretty sure all Trump means is that the rose colored glasses have come off and 2020 vision is a bit ugly. A bit TOO real. Never in my life would I have believed the citizens of the United States would put a grifter like Trump and all the little Trumps in the White House. But the people spoke. I fight Authority, Authority always wins. Still, we fight.
I commend you for everything you've done for this forum, Stavros, I'm sure you're as right as you can be, but to be honest, I glide over or ignore some of your longer posts. I don't live here, I've never sucked a cock in my life. Everything Counts. Even illiterate hillbillies get to vote and deserve their day in the sun. Lots of those hicks died on Omaha Beach, no Kurds, No way.

[buttslinger]

Let me sum it up as clearly as I can. I've got one foot out the door. Even at my best, I was typing with one hand and jerking off with the other. I don't even recognize the names of 98% of the posters upstairs. You're giving thoughtful probing debate to a podium with nobody there. Who's the idiot?
Gotta Go. There's a real debate on TV. I wish everyone the best and hope Trump finds God in prison. If it's a fake god, c'est la vie.

[Stavros]

Set to one side the scary possibility Hillary might run again...and consider this curious story from 'way back when' regarding Joe Biden...time for a change, America. Make it happen.

https://eu.delawareonline.com/story/...ts/1953590001/

[Stavros]

A trenchant view of the perennial stumbling block of domestic policy in the US: health care, and why on this issue Warren could lead the party to failure if she becomes the nominee. Tough but maybe true?

The real issues, surely are the impending collapse of the banking system -again!- and the absolute corruption of American government where, for example, Mitchell McConnnell declares without any evidence being presented to the Senate that there will be no impeachment; and Lindsay Graham says he will not even read the transcripts of the evidence from House Committees proving there was a quid pro quo, with Rudolph Giuliani Jr appearing to be the self-appointed (?) Secretary of State in charge of gathering evidence to attack the USA and American citizens. If this cannot be stopped, then why bother having an election in 2020? Just anoint the man with holy water and dance naked around a bonfire.

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices...-a9186496.html

[broncofan]

I understand the article but I wonder if we can afford to not be ambitious. Our healthcare system, even with some important and useful changes enacted under the Affordable Care Act, is still one of the least efficient in the developed world. Expenses per patient are extremely high and rates of medical bankruptcies are high as well. Our system is a hodgepodge of about a half dozen to a dozen relevant laws, adding up to not much. Without getting into detail they're hard to augment without doing something more radical.

In addition, I like the idea of a wealth tax that both Sanders and Warren are proposing but I am not sure about how it is administered.

Are super wealthy people getting appraisals of their assets every year and having to raise tax revenue through sales? With our income tax, we've always operated based on the realization principle, which is that you only have a gain when you sell an asset and can therefore pay taxes. Does a wealth tax create liquidity issues for people who have a lot of assets but not much income in a year?

I've always thought the idea of breaking up big banks was not smart, but there's a lot I don't know about banking regulation. Yes a conglomerate can threaten the strength of the economy by taking on a lot of risk (insufficient reserves, poor investment quality and unsafe loans), but lots of small banks might not meet the credit needs of businesses and homeowners. I am not sure that the lesson of the 2008 crisis is that big banks should not exist but that they should be regulated better and there should be more accountability. I've said this elsewhere but still feel that way.

I do think healthcare has to be a priority and something radical should be done. That means we need a lot more tax revenue....

[broncofan]

One of the most significant policy shifts we've seen from candidates this term is the proposal of a wealth tax. Both Warren and Sander propose wealth taxes that hit people with very high net worth. For Warren it kicks in for people worth more than 50 million dollars. It would tax 2% for those worth between 50 million and 1 billion dollars and 3% above that.

The question I asked above was how people's assets are valued. Obviously it would be cumbersome to have annual appraisals and particular tough to come up with a good value for many privately held businesses. The article I linked recommends as a solution assuming growth rates for particular asset classes and then settling the difference upon sale. I still am not sure if that's what Warren proposes.

There is also the issue of whether it is Constitutional. I genuinely don't know the answer and will not even waste room speculating, but it is a significant enough concern that it will likely be challenged by Republicans. You can read about the clause under consideration in the business insider article.

I like the idea of a wealth tax for a couple of reasons. I think people with high net worth should pay more. I also think sophisticated planning means people find a way to hold assets until death and never realize a taxable gain. There is an estate tax, but unsold assets get something called a step up in basis. So, if your grandmother bought a house for 5 hundred thousand dollars and leaves it to you in her will when it's worth 5 million dollars, you don't pay taxes on that difference. You only pay taxes for the amount above 5 million when you sell it. A lot of wealth management takes this into account. For people with hundreds of millions of dollars who would be subject to the wealth tax holding assets to avoid realizing a gain helps them escape a lot of tax that they transmit to the next generation. A wealth tax extracts some of that value.

https://itep.org/a-wealth-tax-might-be-easier-to-implement-than-you-think/

https://www.businessinsider.com/wealth-tax-definition-explained-elizabeth-warren-2019-7

[Stavros]

Good arguments on tax from Robert Reich here-

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...os-dimon-cohen