All Purpose News and Politics Thread Part IV: The Center Cannot Hold

[Tami]

Lemme guess, Kid Jackboot (Stephen Miller) wrote that speech. That sounds like the sort of ridiculous **** the administration's resident Nazi would spew out of his piehole.

Trump condemns globalism, touts nationalistic view of foreign affairs at U.N

UNITED NATIONS — President Trump leveled one of his harshest critiques of globalism on Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly, promoting the “America First” approach that has defined his presidency on issues of defense, trade and immigration before a body built on multilateral cooperation.

Trump read the address in a somber monotone, rarely punctuating words or pausing for emphasis, but his message for the 74th session of the annual gathering of world leaders was clear.

“The future does not belong to globalists,” Trump said. “The future belongs to patriots.”

He argued that a globalist worldview had “exerted a religious pull over past leaders, causing them to ignore their own national interests,” and called on other nations to “embrace its national foundations.”

Trump also emphasized his desire to limit the United States engagement around the world militarily.

Paraphrase 'To hell with the rest of you, unless you have money or will let me build a shiny new building with my name on it in your country.'

[Malvolio]

I've got no problem with noble institutions offering higher salaries and benefits in efforts to get better people to apply.

They are still often asking talented and experienced individuals to take pay-cuts relative to what those people could be making so it's more about offering something that allows a decent living commensurate with higher levels of skill, education and experience. The goal is to make it less painful for them to do their civic duty.

It's not the best people in Congress, but I do suspect it's a better group than if salaries and benefits were lower. In that case we'd probably be stuck with a combination of zealots willing to make personal sacrifices in order to get as much of their agenda through as possible, and people who just view Congress as the equivalent of a residency paving the way for a high-paying lobbying career. This is related to why I don't think it's a good idea to make it difficult to be a Congressional staffer. It's the type of thing that weeds out temperamentally normal people.

There is a history of companies and institutions using health-care plans as an employment lure that allows them to keep salaries low (artificial caps on salaries during and after World War II is part of how employment-based health insurance providers came to be so important) so I could see the argument that the current benefits package is part of that, making it easier for members of Congress to claim they're making sacrifices when they're getting a benefit that would be worth a lot of money on the free market. So I am perfectly fine with increasing congressional salaries in exchange for having members of Congress buy their plans on the private market.

But it doesn't work. In both government and the private sector, offering more money doesn't get the best people. It just gets greedy people who run things into the ground just for their own short term gain.

[Malvolio]

Here's the thing about Trump's latest tweet dismissive of Greta Thunberg. Because we are so used to Trump being the biggest dick in the room, we look at this tweet and just shake our heads. But what's truly disgusting about this particular Twitter feud is how ordinary it is in comparison to Trump's other Twitter feuds. This time, he's being dismissive in the same way that so many other politicians would be of a young girl coming from Europe to talk to the UN. A pat on the head and a few nice words without even really listening to what she said. And make no mistake, there are plenty of people in power in the US who are just as dismissive of Miss Thunberg.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Trump condemns globalism, touts nationalistic view of foreign affairs at U.N



Paraphrase 'To hell with the rest of you, unless you have money or will let me build a shiny new building with my name on it in your country.'

In other words, Trump wants to shake down countries like mobsters shake down local businesses. Tony Soprano (with much respect to the memory of the late James Gandolfini), but on a global scale.

[Iron Maiden]

Lemme guess, Kid Jackboot (Stephen Miller) wrote that speech. That sounds like the sort of ridiculous **** the administration's resident Nazi would spew out of his piehole.

Yup. I think it was maybe Jim Acosta on CNN that said it hit all of Miller's trademarks. Did someone give Trump some tranquilizers before that speech. Once again, a fifth grader could probably have done a better job of reading that. It put Commerce secretary Wilbur Ross to sleep, not that it isn't a thing with him. I see he had all the other toadies present in the hall, Pence, Ivanka, Jared and Don Jr.

[PaulBullion]

WTF? Where did you get that one from?

Good thing he is a mod, so Trump type slander like that won't get Mets banned.

[Iron Maiden]

Ah. That explains this image that I saw the other day.

Since when are the Nazi's representatiave of the Left? Ah.....I see now how that happened from Snopes, and D'Souza is used as a prime proponent of misinformation

[Tami]

Since when are the Nazi's representatiave of the Left? Ah.....I see now how that happened from Snopes, and D'Souza is used a prime proponent of misinformation

Interesting read. Some historical information I didn't know about til now.

[PaulBullion]

Boris Johnson's suspension of parliament unlawful, supreme court rules

Man. All that and now impeachment for Trump clearly coming up.

What a bad week for bad hair autocrats.

[PaulBullion]

Very solid #Dem House leadership source just confirmed to me that
@SpeakerPelosi
will announce a formal impeachment inquiry this afternoon and imply that she herself favors impeachment of
@realDonaldTrump
.

https://twitter.com/howardfineman/st...861729792?s=20

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Yup. I think it was maybe Jim Acosta on CNN that said it hit all of Miller's trademarks. Did someone give Trump some tranquilizers before that speech. Once again, a fifth grader could probably have done a better job of reading that. It put Commerce secretary Wilbur Ross to sleep, not that it isn't a thing with him. I see he had all the other toadies present in the hall, Pence, Ivanka, Jared and Don Jr.

Perhaps Trump was talked into sticking to the speech and not going into rally mode where he rants and raves like loon, blathers on about how great he is and airs his usual litany of grievances against enemies real and imagined.

https://twitter.com/howardfineman/st...861729792?s=20

Well, better late than never. Considering how Pelosi had been slow walking impeachment hearings to death for fear of backlash against Dems at the ballot box next year, I guess Trump finally went too far, leaving her with no choice.

[Jack Dracula]

I've got no problem with noble institutions offering higher salaries and benefits in efforts to get better people to apply.

They are still often asking talented and experienced individuals to take pay-cuts relative to what those people could be making so it's more about offering something that allows a decent living commensurate with higher levels of skill, education and experience. The goal is to make it less painful for them to do their civic duty.

It's not the best people in Congress, but I do suspect it's a better group than if salaries and benefits were lower. In that case we'd probably be stuck with a combination of zealots willing to make personal sacrifices in order to get as much of their agenda through as possible, and people who just view Congress as the equivalent of a residency paving the way for a high-paying lobbying career. This is related to why I don't think it's a good idea to make it difficult to be a Congressional staffer. It's the type of thing that weeds out temperamentally normal people.

There is a history of companies and institutions using health-care plans as an employment lure that allows them to keep salaries low (artificial caps on salaries during and after World War II is part of how employment-based health insurance providers came to be so important) so I could see the argument that the current benefits package is part of that, making it easier for members of Congress to claim they're making sacrifices when they're getting a benefit that would be worth a lot of money on the free market. So I am perfectly fine with increasing congressional salaries in exchange for having members of Congress buy their plans on the private market.

These people didn't run for office for the platinum healthcare package. In this case it only serves to remove them a step farther from the average person who deals with healthcare expenses on a daily basis.

[PaulBullion]

Well, better late than never. Considering how Pelosi had been slow walking impeachment hearings to death for fear of backlash against Dems at the ballot box next year, I guess Trump finally went too far, leaving her with no choice.

Yes, her early approval rating as president won't be the best, I am afraid.

[Mister Mets]

Good thing he is a mod, so Trump type slander like that won't get Mets banned.

The New Yorker is a source for Trump type slander now?

[PaulBullion]

The New Yorker is a source for Trump type slander now?

A positive drug test does not make him an addict, and you also added the part about him being unqualified. You are no better than the worst of twitter trolls who amplify whatever the russian bot army feeds them.