Rapunzel

As if things with Russia weren't scary enough, here is part of an article from the Washington Post: Love the Billboard in Russia as well - a photo of Trump and Putin saying "Let's make the World Great Again - Together!" (Not sure if I embedded the photo correctly or not - hopefully it worked). Yes, let's do that while Russia is allowed to freely develop more advanced weapons and systems to prevent any attack against them, including any threat related to "information wars." Trump is in way over his head here. Putin is definitely playing him and he is way too stupid to see it because Putin knows Trump has this tiny, fragile little "ego" and he won't hesitate to exploit that. Trump claims he's a great negotiator - he isn't. Good negotiators don't let their weaknesses show at all - let alone so horribly blatantly that it makes it extremely easy for anyone to take advantage of them. Trump would give Putin anything as long as Putin continues to call him a "genius," which, according to Trump, Putin did. Putin knows what he's doing - the man was KGB and certainly knows how to lie and flatter to get what is in his best interests. The fact that Trump believes Putin's bullshit is just pathetic. Trump is too fragile and too emotionally damaged to be President. He can't be objective at all and he craves so much attention and affection that he is going to destroy America because of it.

Fellow Californian here and I agree. We also have silicon valley and some of the largest companies in the world - they are unlikely to back down. I work for one of them, and though certain silicon valley companies may compete with each other in some areas, there are others where they actually have strategic relationships/partnerships. If Trump tries to force the manufacturing issue with Apple, for example, I can see several other companies, many of which are in the Top 50 of the Fortune 500, step in and tell him where he can stick it. If all (or even just some) of those publically traded silicon valley companies collapse, he is going to have an economic disaster on his hands. Let's not forget that these companies also have some the best engineers in the world (and from all over the world) - hardware, software, firmware, etc. Forget about Russia hacking our e-mails - some of these people could very easily shut a lot of things down if they were so inclined. Hell, they could shut down Donald's beloved Twitter if they really wanted to. I would love to see him lose his shit if he and his staff couldn't Tweet or use any social media at all. Unlike Trump and Russia, however, these people are law abiding, and, in addition to being extremely brilliant and having advanced degrees, also have a strong sense of moral and ethical obligations and are unlikely to go rogue and use their talents in that manner unless it became an absolute necessity. I'm just thankful that CA will not be on his "victory tour." He lost pretty "bigly" here and votes are still being counted, I believe, and Hillary gains more every day.

For those of you that watched "Brain Dead," the TV Show, I'm almost wishing aliants would come and invade the brains of those who Trump is selecting for these critical positions (assuming the aliants would be against the agenda that Trump's minions are wanting to move ahead with). I also wish they would invade the Trumpster and his spawn as well. If Trump or any of his minions suddenly start sounding more intelligent, then there may be hope that the aliants have invaded.

Yeah, apparently Trumpsters don't even know how to boycott properly. We all know that, generally, when you boycott a company, you do not continue to patronize it and give them your money, particularly as you don't want them to use your money to support whatever it is you are against them doing. This tiny detail seems to have escaped these people. I just can't believe how the stupidity level just keeps increasing here and that they are having such a difficult time seeing, or comprehending, what is right in front of them.

I'm an attorney for one of the largest tech companies in the world. We have a large range of products, and we have offices in most countries in the world and several manufacturing sites in each Region. When we decide where to manufacture a product, it isn't just about the cost of labor or taxes. We have to look at our entire supply chain from end to end and determine what is the best fit for that particular product. We have some things manufactured in the US and we also manufacture in places where the cost of labor is higher than in the US, like certain countries in Europe because it makes more sense for that particular product given all the factors at play. For someone who supposedly understands business like Trump to make a blanket statement claiming that he'll make Apple manufacture in the US is just foolish. Manufacturing decisions are complex and you have to factor in logistics, labor, your supply base, service and support, your customer base, regulatory concerns, social and environmental impacts, etc. I'd love to see him try to force a silicon valley company (or really any company), especially ones the size of my company or Apple, to do anything. Relocating a manufacturing site can be extremely costly - that alone usually causes a company to keep it where it is even if certain costs may go up. Publically traded companies also have certain rules they have to abide by, and just the sourcing and evaluation process of a new manufacturing site, the competitive bidding process, establishing a new supply chain, etc., takes time and money. Even if you do ultimately decide to relocate, it does not happen over night. It can take years and often you are locked into contracts that can be difficult to terminate. Trump has no clue about any of this as he hasn't actually "manufactured" anything, his corporation is private, he doesn't care to know about any of these key little details when it comes to working with large, multi-national, publically traded companies that have contracts and shareholders and everything else. There is just no way he is going to keep his promise to bring all of these jobs back to the US. As others have mentioned, even if certain manufacturing jobs did come back, training would likely be required. Who is going to help pay for that in addition to all the other costs associated with moving a manufacturing site?

This is why that antiquated, bullshit system that was created 100s of years ago when white males who owned land were the only people allowed to vote needs to be done away with. We all hear everyone telling people to get out and vote - your vote counts, but in truth, under the EC, each individual vote really doesn't. Though I do vote, and it is easy and convenient for me as a permanent mail in voter, I still have big issues with the EC and think it should have been abolished years ago. Most other countries go off of the popular vote, and that really is how it should be. The person with most votes wins. Period.

Let's just please make sure Trump doesn't get an airport or military base named after him. His name is now basically synonymous with racism, sexism, homophobia, bigotry, etc. Can you imagine how people coming to visit the US from other countries would feel landing at what would essentially be "Racist Field?"

Mail in ballots are still paper, however, in many cases they are still read by machines, therefore subject to hacking. Also, the old paper ballots some states used to use, some types of the "punch ballots," were part of what caused an issue in the 2000 Gore vs. Bush election. FL had ballots that, when punched, could still leave a piece hanging on (a "chad"). These "hanging chads" were in huge dispute because you couldn't tell if someone actually punched one for a particular candidate, or perhaps it was partially pushed by accident, or maybe it got poked or torn somehow in the collections process, there were even cases where it appeared people voted for both candidates, etc. This is one of the reasons states are trying to get away from paper ballots in general, but if you vote by mail/absentee you still have to use the paper cards where you fill in the circles and those, in most cases, are still read by a machine. This is why you can only use certain ink colors, have to ensure the circle is completely filled in, etc. At the end of the day, no system is going to be completely perfect and, therefore, somewhat vulnerable to manipulation of some kind. We try to control it as much as possible, but nothing is completely infallible.

Posted this in the Trump thread, but thought I would post it here as well. According to the BBC, Trump's plan to build the Wall are back on, though he is stating that it could be "partly fence." So this wasn't some "metaphorical campaign device" like his minions are stating - he still wants to do it and, in his warped, ignorant mind, probably still believes Mexico will pay for it. As I've mentioned in previous posts, said Wall will do nothing to keep people, drugs, guns, etc. from crossing the boarder. I live in San Diego, 45 minutes from the boarder, and they use tunnels (we regularly hear on the news about ICE or some other law enforcement agency finding them) as well as take things by boat over the ocean. It's a big ocean - the Coast Guard cannot cover all of it and there is a lot of coastline as well. The CG does not stop every single fishing boat they see - it just wouldn't be feasible and the majority of them are legitimate fishing boats. A Wall will not keep people, drugs, etc. from crossing the boarder. If he is now saying it will be "partly fence," well, that makes it even easier to get through. A simple pair of bolt cutters will let you cut a hole in that thing and there is no way ICE and other agencies can patrol every inch of the "Wall/Fence." This is just so absurd - and this is where our tax dollars will be going.

According to the BBC, Trump's plan to build the Wall are back on, though he is stating that it could be "partly fence." So this wasn't some "metaphorical campaign device" like his minions are stating - he still wants to do it and, in his warped, ignorant mind, probably still believes Mexico will pay for it. As I've mentioned in previous posts, said Wall will do nothing to keep people, drugs, guns, etc. from crossing the boarder. I live in San Diego, 45 minutes from the boarder, and they use tunnels (we regularly hear on the news about ICE or some other law enforcement agency finding them) as well as take things by boat over the ocean. It's a big ocean - the Coast Guard cannot cover all of it and there is a lot of coastline as well. The CG does not stop every single fishing boat they see - it just wouldn't be feasible and the majority of them are legitimate fishing boats. A Wall will not keep people, drugs, etc. from crossing the boarder. If he is now saying it will be "partly fence," well, that makes it even easier to get through. A simple pair of bolt cutters will let you cut a hole in that thing and there is no way ICE and other agencies can patrol every inch of the "Wall/Fence." This is just so absurd - and this is where our tax dollars will be going.

"Enjoy?" Umm... I will avoid this at all costs. I cannot watch this man gloat about how he "won" an election and not discuss his obvious ties to Russia, Assange, WikiLeaks, etc. or about Comey and the damn e-mails which were all illegal tools (possibly treasonous) that he and his staff used to help him "win" this election. He did not win the popular vote - that proves that most of the Country is against him regardless of what the antiquated, bullshit, Electoral College system may say. His lazy ass might actually have to work for the first time in his life and have to go where people tell him to go, say what people tell him to say, etc. and he will not like it, just as he is not going to like having to reside in the White House rather than in one of his tacky, gilded,"palaces" that he built with other people's money and never paid the majority of those who helped build them.

Agreed. If Trump feels he has to Tweet every single "Congrats" he gets, that just shows all the more how insecure he is and how much he needs to feel validated. This is a man with some severe emotional issues and he absolutely has to feel loved and adored. It's ironic that he is trying to be loved and adored by spewing so much hate in the form of racism, sexism, bigotry, homophobia, etc.

Thanks Padma - Nixon was before I was born, and I generally don't pay attention to many Presidential Libraries being opened as I really don't typically even spend much time watching the US news as, due to my job, I'm really only here a week or two each month. If it makes the overseas news, like the BBC or something, then I might catch it, depending on which country I'm in. I remember being in Amsterdam when both the Republican and Democratic conventions happened. They did air there. The Dutch response to Trump was fascinating - like most others that I deal with in Europe, they didn't think he stood a chance and hoped he would never be President given the potential global impact it could have.

Well, at least Hillary did get it into one of the debates that he built his Las Vegas hotel with "Chinese Steel" and that he was known for purchasing a lot of it. For whatever reason (like many other points brought up against Trump in this election) this was not built on or proliferated by the media. It makes me wonder if any of his die hard, patriot supporters who truly believe that he is going to "bring jobs back to America" would have stuck with him knowing that he has spent a ton on Chinese steel and feels no remorse or regret for it.

If he stays in office long enough and doesn't get impeached and subsequently ousted (I still have hope that he will be impeached as some are predicting), I don't know that he'd have anything named after him if he were found guilty during his impeachment proceedings. I don't think Nixon ever got a library, did he? Just curious since Nixon was impeached and, in fact, resigned before he could actually be tried/found guilty (though I don't think he really had a choice about resignation at that point - the writing was on the wall). Bill Clinton was impeached, but was found not guilty so stayed on as President. Andrew Johnson was the only other President to ever be impeached and he was found not guilty as well. Others (though not Presidents) have been impeached as well, mostly federal judges and a couple of senators, a cabinet member, etc., but it appears to be mostly judges that were actually found guilty. One judge from KS was impeached due to drunkenness back in 1873. He ended up resigning. Is drunkenness still even considered an impeachable offense? If so, I would think there would have been a lot more impeachments.

I have a feeling that he thinks being President will be like being Don Draper or Roger Sterling from Mad Men. He shows up to the office when he wants to, works on the projects he wants to, gropes and sexually harasses any staff he wants to, leaves throughout the day to see whatever mistress he wants to or do whatever else he wants to, goes out for 3 hour lunches with whomever he deems important, returns when he wants to, naps often in his office, and just has to come up with one or two significant catch phrases, give a speech on occasion (meaning read a teleprompter - though, for all of our amusement, I hope he frequently goes off message like he has throughout his campaign and that his inaugural speech, first major speech and first State of the Union are him just deciding to "wing it" because, who knows what will come out of this man's mouth?), or approve one or two high profile things every once in a while to claim to have officially done his job. Never mind that that this isn't the 60s anymore, he's not running his own company, and all Presidents have pretty much always had to put in the work since this Country was founded - even some of the most ineffective ones. It is why the job ages anyone who takes it. It is why there are many sleepless nights, it is why you cannot be away from the White House whenever you want to. It is a job with serious responsibility - not just to the US but to the rest of the World. You cannot just step away or even keep a normal sleeping schedule given the fact that you have to deal with the entire World. I'm an attorney for world wide tech company, and even I cannot avoid starting my days very early to work with Europe and ending my days very late to work with Asia-Pacific - there are many nights I do not get to sleep at all. I also have to travel a great deal internationally, and often, after traveling for over 24 hours straight, I don't get to go to my hotel and relax for a minute and freshen up, I have to head straight to a meeting. Any one who wants to be President needs to accept the responsibilities and the time commitment of the job - you are never off duty. You are not in control of your life. If you don't like it, then don't run to begin with.

Ok, so let's review how some of our crucial tax dollars will likely be spent with Trump as President: Safeguarding and securing Trump Tower in NYC, room and board for the Secret Service Agents who have to be there with him and his family. Transportation (helicopter and/or motorcade back and forth every weekend or perhaps even more often, if he is needed in DC for a critical situation) Safeguarding and securing Mar-a-Lago in FL so he can "Winter" there, with transport back and forth to DC on a regular basis because, he can't just take the "Winter" off and will need to be in DC. Also, room and board for Secret Service Agents who will have to be there with him and his family. Security for all the rallies he still plans on holding to boost his ego And the list goes on... Yet, he's not the one for the "white, wealthy elite." That was Hillary and that's why some people didn't vote for her? How can a person honestly believe that this man is for the working class and will help improve America, bring jobs back, etc.? All he is going to do is spend a shitload in taxpayer money on these frivolous things that don't do a damn thing to improve our Country or protect its citizens (and I mean all citizens - minorities, immigrants, LGBT, etc.). How wasteful can one person be? People can lose their jobs and homes given the policies (of lack thereof) that he and his minions are proposing, yet he's going to spend a fucking fortune on things that are not at all necessary? What bullshit. ETA: I just cant' help but be reminded of the scene in "House of Cards" when Frank Underwood wins VP and, when they refuse to live in the VP Residence, he makes them completely retrofit his house. The renovations looked to be enormous and horribly expensive (and this was for a decent sized, but not enormous, Georgetown townhouse, I believe). I can only imagine what it would cost to secure Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago in the same manner.

So Trump got his Twitter account back - they are mocking him a bit on LOD now. He is claiming on Twitter that all the protesters, including the good sized crowd outside of his own building in NYC, are being paid to be there. Sure, Donald, people have to be paid to dislike you. Could it not be the fact hat you're an asshat, lost the popular vote, ran an horrific campaign, has very dubious ties to Russia (possibly treasonous), have no real policies or plans on how to execute them, wants to kick out immigrants and prevent any new ones from coming in, have no relevant experience to be President, have sunk a number of businesses (not just your own, but those of people who did work for you), filed for bankruptcy 6 times, had Daddy around to give you millions of dollars and don't know what an honest day's work is, refuse to disclose your taxes, etc., etc., etc., aren't those enough reasons to dislike you?

Then I assume that Erectile Dysfunction would be considered a pre-existing condition as well so people like Oompa Loompa and others (many who voted for him) would have to pay out of pocket for their treatment and meds...

I had a conference call this morning with two of my colleagues, one in Germany and one in Spain. They, like me, are both female attorneys. Before we even got to the topic at hand, they immediately expressed their regret at how election turned out and they both said that the news in both of their countries on Trump was not good and that people there were very worried as well. They thought his election was impossible and they fear for diplomatic relations around the world, especially given Trump's ties to Russia, and they are not even remotely at ease. This election does have a world wide effect. Trump is not a diplomat, nor will he ever be. He offends people regularly, likely will not bother to learn certain customs and traditions of other countries that one needs to in order to be respectful and he will just tear apart any progress we've made with our allies over many decades. He will likely also cause irreparable damage with newer alliances and agreements, as those relationships are still quite fragile. He will be just like a bull in a china shop when it comes to international relations, and I don't have any faith in whomever may end up as SoS either, since the only people Trump will put forward for the position will likely be just as bad as he is.

It's almost like trying to confront someone who has an issue with alcohol or drugs (and please understand that I am definitely not trying to trivialize substance abuse issues by any means). You give them facts about the physical harm is it doing to them, point out events that occurred in their lives that were clearly affected by their substance abuse (forgetting to turn up to important events, losing a job, getting a DUI, etc.), yet nothing still gets through to them. You can show them video of them on said substance and how they were acting abusive, stupid, reckless, etc. and it still doesn't sink in. Trumpaholics behave this same way. Even when confronted with true facts, data, video and audio tape, etc. as to how monstrous this man is and to illustrate his millions of lies and showing them proof about his background and how he grew up and has next to nothing in common with the majority of people that voted for him, they are still completely bamboozled. They are being scammed by a true snake oil salesman con artist who doesn't even pay taxes, is in bed with Russia (which should really go against their "patriotic" beliefs), he is not middle class and never has been, he can't take responsibility for anything at all and changes his views on anything at the drop of a hat. He has also yet to set forth one solid policy that he will enact and exactly how he is going to make that happen. This man has absolutely no plan for anything. As I've mentioned in previous posts, when they start to feel the impact of losing healthcare, losing their jobs, having their homes foreclosed on, realize that coal mining is not going to make a huge return, realize that things are still going to be manufactured overseas, understand that he can't build a Wall and that there is no way in Hell Mexico would ever pay for it even if they could afford to, etc., they better start seriously rethinking what they, the so called "patriots," have done to this country and realize that living under a Dictatorship doesn't benefit anyone. A note about the Wall - even if the impossible happened and Trump was able to build said Wall, does he not realize that a lot of trafficking is done via tunnels or over the ocean? I live in San Diego, 45 minutes from the Mexican boarder, and we regularly hear about ICE or other law enforcement groups discovering various tunnels and also how they will smuggle drugs, guns, money, people, etc. by boat from the Mexican coast to the CA coast. It is a big ocean and the Coast Guard can't cover all of it. There is also a lot of coastline to try to cover and the drug cartels aren't stupid. They've been finding ways to get product into this country for decades. They hide it in American fishing boats, along with other illegal contraband or even people. Even if the Coast Guard notices them, they do not stop and check every fishing boat out there. The Wall idea is just so stupid it is beyond belief. Where there is a will there's a way, and they will keep finding ways to get whatever they want transferred across the boarder.

The electoral college is horribly dated. It was established 100s of years ago when white males who owned land were the only people allowed to vote. Clearly, that is not the case today. Now, in order to vote, you just have to be 18 years of age or older, an American Citizen, and not have been convicted of a felony. Had we done away with the EC ages ago and only went by the popular vote, just like most other countries do, Al Gore would have been elected in 2000 and Hillary would be our President today. The EC just fucks up everything, especially because not every vote matters under that system. The only way you can truly say every vote matters is by going to the popular vote. This country needs to wake up and we need to modernize the system and do what is right and ensure that every vote really does count and that everyone really does have a voice.

Just remember, Trump's plan is to replace the ACA with "something terrific." Shouldn't we all be excited about that? That sounds really well thought out and like it will fix any glitches that the ACA was still in the process of working out, right? He also said he planned to privatize health care again and he would do "something to help the poor people." Doesn't that give you confidence that we'll have the best health care system in the world? Clearly, I'm being completely sarcastic. The man has no clue what to do about healthcare - the ironic thing is, if he tears apart the ACA and replaces it with something shitty, it will impact a fair number of his supporters as well. How are they going to feel about either having no health care or about having to pay a ton for it? How are they going to feel about getting substandard coverage because a lot of doctors and medical facilities may not opt to accept whatever he comes up with? Are they finally going to start to wake up and realize their stupidity and ignorance in voting for this man? Once his "policies" or lack thereof, start to affect everyone in this country, including Trumpsters, they had better realize the mess they put us in and they should be ashamed.

Back at you WalnutQueen!

All day I've had "It's the End of the World as We Know It" by REM stuck in my head - except I don't "feel fine." Quite the opposite. Glad to have this forum to come to and glad that the vast majority of my friends and colleagues feel the same. I have alternated between needing shoulders to cry on and just being numb all day long.