Lol, not at all. Check your sarcasm meter, Puff, it’s malfunctioning.
Well that’s a relief. In case you were wondering, I wasn’t thinking of them.
I assumed you were letting me know that there are no thoughtful, or informed conservatives if those were your examples.
For sure, and often for good things.
Not all conservatives, and I’m leaving lots of people out here, but I was thinking of some of the conversations between DrSkeptix, Cortes, Varqanir, smh, Chushin, Push, Aragorn, CountingBeans, Jewbacca, and other posters from that time. I felt completely outclassed most of the time. It’s still like that about many things that I don’t understand well.
2 Likes
No doubt, I miss several of those folks’ presence as well. And I fully understand how life priorities can make it tough to keep everything - having just had my first kid, I have a lot less time for certain ancillaries in my life, and only have been able to post here a bit today because I got out of work early, had some downtime and the kid is snoozing like a champ right now.
4 Likes
Your list reinforced my point, @Powerpuff…
One person on your list I remain in contact with until this day…and when our schedules and lives, mesh…I plan to visit so that we can just discuss Love, Life and Politics…
As stated…he left for reasons unrelated to topics discussed on the Forum…
What’s really weird about the friendship we developed is that he absolutely hated President Obama; but unlike Trump, he (my friend) is no hypocrite…and possesses a brilliant Political Mind…
1 Like
Trump is claiming that Canada has taken a lot of jobs from the US. I can give examples of it going the other way:
Siemens moved its turbofan blade plant from Hamilton Ontario to the Carolinas.
Caterpillar bought out Electromotive diesel from London Ontario and told the workers they had to accept almost half their wage rates cut. They went on strike, then got locked out, and the plant was moved to Indiana or Illinois, I forget which.
there is some fluidity with free trade, but everyone is supposed to be better off.
1 Like
THANK YOU, @DeadKong!
This seems to be a major point lost on Trump.
Trade is not Zero-Sum…NOR is it based on the position the U.S. was in in 1946 when most of the modern World was under rubble and the rest hadn’t even entered the 15th Century.
Yes…it’s very imbalanced in certain sectors…but that is part of the reality of the World we now Live in.
We live in a Country (thank goodness) that for the most part has worker’s rights; wage and worker condition laws and regulations…the list goes on and in …that has to trade with people who could give two-shits about their workers or their people.
Under those conditions; trade will never, ever, be “fair” or “balanced”…just 1) tolerable and 2) hopefully doesn’t harm our Great Republic in substantial ways. (Which is an ongoing battle that we sometimes lose, like steel).
Trump is not bringing whole industries back that have succumbed to Technological Advances and Globalization.
I just wish people could see that.
Me too. I should have snapped a photo of the slag dump that we drove past today. It has gotten massive in the past couple of years.
So is the point that 1) steel has gotten back to it’s early to mid-20th Century Levels and 2) it is all due to Trump?
If not; what is the point?
The point is that just because people don’t know that its happening doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
And no, its not due to Trump.
I’m not even going to go into any great detail about coal either, other than to say that I’m seeing barges lined up double wide and 8 long, right along side of trains with hundreds of cars running 24/7.
Should have snapped a pic of those too.
Oh, and portal openings and vent expansions.
Chalk it up to what ever you like. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
2 Likes
Got it.
Your burden of success is we return to 1950s level manufacturing jobs? Or is that how you interpreted Trump’s “great again” message?
I’ll take less regulation, less taxes, more growth anywhere I can get it. Even if it wears a stupid wig and tweets dumb things.
I can’t speak for the entire coal industry but I’ve talked with Jimmy Brock (CEO Consol), old man Robert Murray (Murray), and Walt Scheller (WMC). They all said that all they ever wanted was an even playing field, and Trump gave it to them. They’re increasing capital investment in durable goods, hiring, re activating shuttered mines. They all said the CPP shut down coal fired power plants that were operating profitably for no good reason.
Also, NAFTA is from 1994. We keep hearing “it’s not 1950 anymore”. Well it’s not 1994 anymore either. Why not renegotiate for the new realities? Why not cut unilateral deals that benefit both countries?
For fun: a balanced look at job shifting from NAFTA with proponents and opponents weighing in:
1 Like
It really has turned around quite a few rural areas. As they’re typically stocked with much lower average quality people, you need an outlet for mostly manual/repeatable behavior. Bonus points if this outlet also pays middle of the road or better wages so you don’t end up with wild city vs rural wages and QoL.
While most coal jobs aren’t coming back, there’s still a plethora of jobs downstream that haven’t been hit so heavily with automation.
Now if an American car company could start producing a cost effective sedan, we’d have a party on our hands
All great news.
And Kudos to Trump if he is the reason for it all coming about.
1 Like
Interesting to hear a self-proclaimed libertarian say such a thing. You must have a rather narrow and idiosyncratic definition of ‘liberty.’
Please explain how Hillary would’ve resulted in more liberty.
Less spying? Less war on drugs? Less drone strikes? Certainly not less taxes and less regulation.
Perfect is the enemy of better.
Will do, as soon as you make me understand how this is in any way related to the point made.
Certainly. In the current system I have no choice of a candidate that I’d whole heartedly support with zero reservations. The two party system means that my choice for executive is extremely limited.
Basically between 2 people out of 325 million. I believe both parties had a grand total of less than 25 primary choices.
If both of them support an expansive police state, war on drugs, asset forfeiture, spying on US citizens, crippling generational debt, the federal reserve etc…
Might as well go with the option that gets an originalist on the SCOTUS (already reversed Trump once) and reduces how much money is taken from me at gunpoint.
Small victories. That’s why I feel it’s relevant. I realize you don’t feel the same.
1 Like
Is there any relation between “crippling generational debt” and how much money is taken from you at “gunpoint”?
In light of the above, I don’t see any victory…unless you don’t have kids and are satisfied with a band aid for yourself while those who’ll inherit this mess will need a tourniquet.
No actually. The more they take, the more they spend/print. The biggest tax is the hidden federal reserve tax anyway. The US government does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. And nobody I could vote for short of Rand Paul would have changed that materially. So enjoy these fiat good times while you can.
Tax revenues in million of USD 2000-2016 vs the rest of the OECD:
2 Likes
Hillary would’ve meant two liberal SCOTUS judges (anti gun, pro coerced cakes etc…). Higher taxes than we have now. Increasing takeover of healthcare. The Paris climate accord and CPP would still apply. I could go on.
This government has passed critical mass. Nobody who can get elected will change it in any real way, by design. Some people may limit the rate of growth, but that’s about it.
1 Like