Chit-Chat: The Feels

[kittykat]

My two voted no.  Patty Murray has been pretty vocal thankfully.  But I think an angry letter is brewing in me to some of the top officials in the DNC.

[Dimity]

So Musk's mother came to his defense with regard to the attacks aimed at Tesla.  She used twitter to call out 'r****ds'.  Lovely, just lovely.  Apple truly did not fall far from the tree in that family.

[Anela]

  On 3/14/2025 at 10:57 PM, isalicat said:

How did your investments (I assume in the stock market) do in early 2021 (when Biden was president)? Did you blame Biden then when the stock market cratered due to the incredibly unwarranted Covid shut down?

Every financial advisor of merit that ever lived says that putting money in the stock market is a long term plan - you have to be willing to ride the ups and downs of the market and this market will surely turn up as surely as it turned down. People are panicking for emotional and political reasons, not actual economic reasons, if it is about their investment portfolio.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-soar-nasdaq-rebounds-in-best-day-since-november-to-cap-volatile-week-200045291.html

 

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Not only was lockdown NOT unwarranted, it wasn’t a full lockdown.  My State did really well, until June 2020, when my governor caved to to the rabid MAGA crowd.  He was getting death threats, and so was Amy Acton.

I remember some cities having a really horrific time, and needing freezer trucks for extra storage space for bodies.  

[annzeepark914]

  On 3/14/2025 at 11:59 PM, Anela said:

I remember some cities having a really horrific time, and needing freezer trucks for extra storage space for bodies.  

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The good ol' days of Donnie's pandemic. All he cared about was his re-election chances, not the poor folks who got covid and were dying left & right.

[Dimity]

  On 3/15/2025 at 12:05 AM, annzeepark914 said:

The good ol' days of Donnie's pandemic. All he cared about was his re-election chances, not the poor folks who got covid and were dying left & right.

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Not unlike Jan 6th we're seeing revisionist history in action with regard to the pandemic.  Most of my family works in health care in one way or another and the idea that it was "just the flu" is just dead - and I don't use that word lightly - wrong.

[Absolom]

Pushing Plaquenil which does nothing for COVID when no research had been done.  It created a shortage and those of us who depend on it were struggling to get our proven and much needed medication.  

[LexieLily]

  On 3/14/2025 at 7:14 PM, partofme said:

A shutdown isn’t ideal, but if Schumer could at least keep his coalition together to threaten one, maybe the Republicans would make concessions.   It’s a long shot because I don’t trust Republicans to ever compromise but the bill as is is a disaster and gives all Congressional power away to Trump and Musk.  

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I feel like I've said this a zillion times over the last decade but especially this time around - I do not understand why what seems like the entire country is giving in to Trump and his whims. 

[annzeepark914]

Well...here's my unpopular opinion: I'm with Chuck. He's right about a govt shutdown. The courts would be shut down & the Musk/Trump team would take full advantage. 

[PRgal]

  On 3/14/2025 at 7:17 PM, supposebly said:

As a born German, I think people in Europe (and I'm projecting here, since I really can only speak for the Germans to some extent) don't usually expect the Canadians, so they hear a North American accent and default to American.

But yes, Canadians are, on average a lot more welcome than Americans. I'd say that started slowly around the war in Iraq. To be fair, most Germans know a lot more about the US than they do about Canada.

So, yes, don't treat our flag as camouflage. Not cool.

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I think we're more welcoming in general since we've always had Quebec.  They do their own thing and we Anglophones are (somewhat) okay with it.  They have their own culture, their own legal system, language, etc...and we let them be them.  So over time, we've learned to be more tolerant.  You may also argue our so-called "cultural mosaic" view of multiculturalism vs. the US and their assimilation.  But coming from a child-of-immigrant perspective, I don't see much of a difference.  Italian Americans will always have their thing that is distinct from so-called "mainstream."  It's not Italian to people in Italy, but they see themselves as people with Italian heritage (using Italians as an example).  Same with ANY immigrant group that came after, say, the 1880s.  The immigration patterns may be different (e.g. Hong Kong Chinese in Toronto and Vancouver while the older Toishanese speaking communities remained more prevalent in the US) but people DO keep parts of their ancestral heritages, sometimes generations after their families arrived.  Hey, a few generations down the road, you might see an ethnically ambiguous descendant of my family who makes baked chickpea pierogies in a curry sauce and topped with mozzarella and matzoh crumbs.  And no one will tell them that it's cultural appropriation because that's what everyone does.

[PRgal]

  On 3/14/2025 at 10:47 PM, isalicat said:

There are absolutely no real parallels between the Trump administration's cancelling federal grants to *privately owned U.S. universities* and Mao's Cultural Revolution. This is entirely Fareed Zakaria's fever dream of a clickbait WaPo editorial column and has no basis in actual historical reality. Anyone who has actually studied the Cultural Revolution and was paying attention to what is actually the goals of the current U.S. government would not be drawing any conclusions along those lines. And I have a Master's degree in history and have spent considerable amount of time on just this subject (from a history of religion point of view, as that was my specialty).

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You don't think, though, that heavily criticizing media, all that flawed facts (e.g. RFK Jr.'s views on health...seriously, shouldn't a doctor or nurse be in that position?) that's out there, coming out from him and his people isn't even getting close?  At least they haven't reached the point where they're getting young people to criticize their elders just yet.  The 3 Antis campaign, for example, were set to end corruption, bureaucracy and "waste."  To Orange Guy and his buddies, a lot of what has been set up in the past are seen as corrupt and wasteful (thus closing of the Department of Education, DEI and others).  A government created recession (just like the government-created famine during the Cultural Revolution) is a real possiblity thanks to the tariffs too.  I suppose anything can be spun into anything...

And yeah, people are scared of him.  I'm worried that media would be shut down and it might be next to impossible for you guys to get balanced news...unless it's THAT fair and balanced (#sorrynotsorry).  I think my great aunt had to go into hiding because she's the child of a journalist whose father OWNED a small paper (plus she was also very educated).  The CCP DID NOT like media unless they sided with them.  Just like Orange Guy and his People.

[Dimity]

  On 3/15/2025 at 12:53 AM, PRgal said:

And yeah, people are scared of him.  I'm worried that media would be shut down and it might be next to impossible for you guys to get balanced news.

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Agreed. Trump has come out and called CNN and MSNBC illegal.  You know who else calls the media illegal?  Every dictator that's ever come down the pike.

[peacheslatour]

Yeah and Biden was the senile one.

[PRgal]

  On 3/15/2025 at 1:01 AM, Dimity said:

Agreed. Trump has come out and called CNN and MSNBC illegal.  You know who else calls the media illegal?  Every dictator that's ever come down the pike.

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Get those VPNs ready then….

[Mollywolly555]

  On 3/14/2025 at 11:50 PM, Dimity said:

So Musk's mother came to his defense with regard to the attacks aimed at Tesla.  She used twitter to call out 'r****ds'.  Lovely, just lovely.  Apple truly did not fall far from the tree in that family.

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Hope she loses those lucrative modeling contracts. 

[peacheslatour]

  On 3/14/2025 at 11:31 PM, kittykat said:

My two voted no.  Patty Murray has been pretty vocal thankfully.  But I think an angry letter is brewing in me to some of the top officials in the DNC.

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I was a bit concerned about Cantwell. She hasn't been out in front of the resistance like Patty has. I'm glad she came through.

[Lantern7]

  On 3/14/2025 at 11:50 PM, Dimity said:

So Musk's mother came to his defense with regard to the attacks aimed at Tesla.  She used twitter to call out 'r****ds'.  Lovely, just lovely.  Apple truly did not fall far from the tree in that family.

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Do they have old folks’ homes where she is? Sounds like she needs one.

  On 3/15/2025 at 1:13 AM, peacheslatour said:

Yeah and Biden was the senile one.

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First, I hope he got lots of salutes of the single-finger variety. Second, where do you think Dawn got her degree? I’m thinking proofs of purchase were involved. Third, he’s got the nerve to rip on CNN and MSNBC, while he gets glazed by FNC, OANN and NewsMax? Fuck him.

[Kemper]

  On 3/14/2025 at 8:43 PM, ProudMary said:

She was my candidate, too. 😢

FWIW, and against what nearly everyone else here has said in the past, I completely believe that Bernie Sanders would have beaten DJT in the 2016 election, but the DNC decided it was "Hillary's turn." 😡

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This is when I started to become angry and disillusioned about the leadership of the Democratic Party. I felt that I (and many others) did not have a voice in who the nominee would be. It was going to be Hillary from the time Bill left office. Preordained. 

And then the same happened with Kamala; and not her fault. Surely many in Congress knew of Biden's decline. They should have gone quietly, very early on, at night, to The White House and told Biden he needed to not run. That they would not support him. And if he refused? Make it public. 

If memory serves (I am 77) ... I think that Barry Goldwater and a group of Republican Senators or Congress people did just that; they told Nixon he had to resign, etc.  Possibly when he was fighting impeachment or had already been impeached and wouldn't leave?

[lookeyloo]

  On 3/15/2025 at 12:13 AM, LexieLily said:

I feel like I've said this a zillion times over the last decade but especially this time around - I do not understand why what seems like the entire country is giving in to Trump and his whims. 

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I think from what I've read and posted on here that there are a lot of threats going around.  Pres musk and company have the power and resources and now thr data to make it happen

[ProudMary]

From the BlueSky account of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:

  Quote

Among the material devastation to everyday people, Senate Dems have now blown a hole in their ability to work with the House.

We had an agreed upon plan, House took immense risk, then Senate turned around midway and destroyed it w/ a fear-based, inexplicable abdication.

They own what happens next.

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https://bsky.app/profile/aoc.bsky.social/post/3lkeqn7u7u22c

[isalicat]

  On 3/15/2025 at 12:53 AM, PRgal said:

You don't think, though, that heavily criticizing media, all that flawed facts (e.g. RFK Jr.'s views on health...seriously, shouldn't a doctor or nurse be in that position?) that's out there, coming out from him and his people isn't even getting close?  At least they haven't reached the point where they're getting young people to criticize their elders just yet.  The 3 Antis campaign, for example, were set to end corruption, bureaucracy and "waste."  To Orange Guy and his buddies, a lot of what has been set up in the past are seen as corrupt and wasteful (thus closing of the Department of Education, DEI and others).  A government created recession (just like the government-created famine during the Cultural Revolution) is a real possiblity thanks to the tariffs too.  I suppose anything can be spun into anything...

And yeah, people are scared of him.  I'm worried that media would be shut down and it might be next to impossible for you guys to get balanced news...unless it's THAT fair and balanced (#sorrynotsorry).  I think my great aunt had to go into hiding because she's the child of a journalist whose father OWNED a small paper (plus she was also very educated).  The CCP DID NOT like media unless they sided with them.  Just like Orange Guy and his People.

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In my opinion, all of this is over-reaction to some very necessary correction in the point of view of the government, which the American people clearly voted for. The major ("mainstream") media including the entertainment sphere has been heavily tilted leftward, as has academia and the scientific research establishments (and research grants in every arena are as political as *anything* else). As long as there has been a U.S. federal Department of Education U.S. student test scores in math and english have been declining, so that is a demonstrably failed experiment that needs to end. I could go on, but again, there are *actual reasons* that people voted for such a change of course and I don't see that as leading towards Maoism or anything like it. A lot of the forced DEI stuff was and is more akin to what you refer than anything RFKJr. is saying.

[anony.miss]

 

  On 3/14/2025 at 10:57 PM, isalicat said:

How did your investments (I assume in the stock market) do in early 2021 (when Biden was president)? Did you blame Biden then when the stock market cratered

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The stock market didn't "crater" in early 2021 - per S & P:

"Stocks got off to a strong start to 2021. In fact, the S&P 500’s performance in the first 100 days of President Joe Biden’s administration was the best of any president since Lyndon Johnson in 1963."

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/8-charts-that-tell-the-stock-market-story-of-2021-1031071872?op=1

And the rest of 2021 was equally successful under Biden:

"2021 joined 2014 as the only year since 1928 in which the S&P 500 made new record highs in all 12 months of the year."

Nobody needed to panic in 2021 over investments in the market because Biden wasn't burning down government infrastructure, firing thousands upon thousands of federal workers, threatening to destroy health care for millions, declaring economic war on allies - while kissing the ass of America's longest-standing enemy -  leading to the loss of American prestige and power abroad, and stability at home.

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People are panicking for emotional and political reasons, not actual economic reasons,

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eta: Tell that to the people working on Wall Street, who are very much on edge due to actual economic reasons, not emotional/political ones:

"Even as stocks bounced back Friday — the Dow rose 600 points, or 1.4%, the S&P 500 was 1.9% higher and the Nasdaq was up 2.4% — sentiment on Wall Street has been overwhelmingly negative, and stocks are still poised for losses this week...investors have poured money into traditional safe havens like government bonds and gold."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/wall-street-is-turning-its-back-on-trump-and-flashing-an-economic-warning/ar-AA1AUWYz

 

Edited March 15 by anony.miss

[Yeah No]

  On 3/14/2025 at 10:57 PM, isalicat said:

How did your investments (I assume in the stock market) do in early 2021 (when Biden was president)? Did you blame Biden then when the stock market cratered due to the incredibly unwarranted Covid shut down?

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No, I didn't blame Biden, but there was no clear link between anything Biden did and the market downturn like there is right now with Trump. There is a clear reason why investors are worried and pulling out and it's Trump, pure and simple.

And stocks didn't really crater until 2022, and that is widely seen as being a result of the worst inflation in decades and the Fed raising interest rates as a result, which was directly a result of the pandemic, not Biden. The two situations cannot be compared.

When Trump was president the first time his base credited him with everything good that happened with the economy and stocks even though that was largely not thanks to him. Now they're unwilling to see how he's directly to blame for what just happened and may continue if he doesn't cut it the frack out? Give me a break. And they buy it when he slithers out of responsibility by saying we may have to "endure some hardships along the way to a better economy" and how some things are "more complicated" than to fix like he promised. What a total pile of steaming doo doo!!! I mean there is no BS from him his base won't buy!!

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Every financial advisor of merit that ever lived says that putting money in the stock market is a long term plan - you have to be willing to ride the ups and downs of the market and this market will surely turn up as surely as it turned down. People are panicking for emotional and political reasons, not actual economic reasons, if it is about their investment portfolio.

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I don't know about you but I'm closer to 70 than 60 at this point so I don't necessarily have the time to wait for stocks to rebound enough to see a profit, especially not with the low risk level I have elected for my accounts. At this point I'm just concerned with keeping what I have, not being vulnerable to the ups and downs of the market, which incidentally is exactly what any good financial advisor would recommend for someone in my age bracket.

Anyway, speaking of that, after days of worrying about how much I lost thanks to Trump I finally took a look at my balances online. I lost maybe 3% overall since the highest point last month. That's actually not bad at all. I didn't really have a sense for how low my risk level was but this reassured me that it was on track. No thanks to Mr. Trump, mind you!

My friend that lost 40% is a wonderful person but he's anything but a finance whiz. He was looking at an IRA he opened in the 90s and never touched again. It still has the same money he first invested in it 30 years ago. And because he didn't change anything since then he has basically what he started out with thanks to market ups and downs and a poor strategy. When I told my husband this his jaw fell. After 30 years that money should be worth much more even despite all the ups and downs. Not knowing that and hearing stuff online from people that said they lost a lot, it's no wonder I freaked out.

I spoke to my financial advisor today and he told me not to move anything around just yet. But I still worry because Trump is like a loose cannon at this point and we don't know whether he's going to retreat or double down on the tariffs and other policies that will put the market in a panic again. This time it was 3%. Next time it might be more. Or we might see a few downturns over a short period that add up to 20% in no time. We have seen market volatility in the past few years worse than in a long time. It's not fair to just excuse what Trump did based on pointing out the "usual" ups and downs and telling people they need to weather them better. Between the pandemic and Trump's tariff stupidity being in the market has been much riskier than it was since the recession of December of 2007. And speaking of that, who was president then? George W. Bush.

[Yeah No]

  On 3/14/2025 at 11:59 PM, Anela said:

I remember some cities having a really horrific time, and needing freezer trucks for extra storage space for bodies.  

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When my father died of Covid in April of 2020 I was told his body was in the morgue at the hospital but I have no way of knowing that because I was not allowed anywhere near the property and was given very little information. I had heard about the freezer trucks and wondered if he was in one but if so no one told me that. I wouldn't put it past the hospital not to tell me. They were overwhelmed and in a state of crisis and I got very little information out of them. At that time 700 people A DAY were dying in NYC alone. I am not naive, I could not imagine that there was morgue space for all of them. My father died in early April of 2020 so there's a chance he was in a morgue but I don't think I'll ever know. His body was held for an entire MONTH because there weren't enough funeral homes and crematoriums for all of them at once. I ended up having no choice but to have him sent to Pennsylvania (paid for by the gov't.) to be cremated. His remains were sent to the funeral home of my choice. I didn't actually pick up his ashes until July as that was the first time I had the nerve to come to NYC after the lockdown. Talk about horrific!

I never got his watch or his wallet back either and no one could tell me what happened to them. Fortunately I know he had a cheap watch never kept much money in his wallet. If he had any bank or credit cards in it no one ever used them and I had his bank card canceled anyway. It's a good thing I had his Social Security number on other documents. The whole thing was a freaking nightmare. 

[kittykat]

  On 3/15/2025 at 3:38 AM, ProudMary said:

From the BlueSky account of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:

 

 

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She should run for Schumer's seat in 2028.

[Blergh]

  On 3/14/2025 at 9:20 PM, tearknee said:

I will never support pacifism. It is not a legitimate belief because as at its core it means leaving people to rot and suffer. The advocation that "we" should "show solidarity to whatever underground resistance movement exists" deliberately elides that in the vast majority of cases the regime has the monopoly of force and protests are easily crushed.

Jeannette Rankin was no hero.

(The only truly innocent Germans and Japanese in German and Japanese cities were the babies, children and the elderly -- for in a modern industrial war, anyone else is far less likely to be innocent).

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Sorry, I disagree about Representative Rankin!

My late Papa was a WWII vet in the Pacific Theater and he told me quite a few intriguing stories of his time in that part of the world-including interaction with Japanese POWs.

Anyway, had I been a representative in Congress, I likely WOULD have voted for war due to the Imperial Japanese Navy having attacked Pearl Harbor (and Manilla) without any declaration of war to the US AND while having sent representatives to DC to ostensibly negotiate peace with the US.

HOWEVER, war  for any reason virtually guarantees that there will be deaths and debilitating injuries some of the best and brightest of young adults in one's nation and the risk of the same to civilians on the homefront  (as well as the risk to irreplaceable historic and cultural treasures that transcend national boundaries- to say nothing of spent resources for the purpose of the enemy's destruction that could have been used to better one's citizenry). Hence, it  should NEVER be taken lightly or declared for purely emotional, jingoistic or impulsive MO's. IMO, Representative Rankin was perfectly correct in being the ONLY US Member of Congress to have voted 'NO' which prevented the vote from being a total rubber stamp deal- even with the knowledge of the extreme unpopularity of her stance which would result her being voted out of office by her Montana constituents.

Having studied history of a wide range of times and nations, I can also say that I agree with her quote of 'You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake!'

I'd like to point out that Representative Rankin was most proud of having been elected to the US Congress due to her state having had women's suffrage and she felt truly honored to have been able to have been in a position ( in 1918) to have voted FOR the 19th Amendment giving US women citizens over 21 the right to vote  in all elections from federal, state to local levels- literally the ONLY woman US Representative to have been able to have done so!

OK, to bring this to contemporary issues, I am very dissapointed in Governor Newsome for having invited Charlie Kirk (then later Steve Bannon) on his podcast- and essentially gushing over them. It would have been one thing had he invited them but CALLED them out on their stances (citing arguments about how he might have believed these stances were harmful to the California citizenry and US populace,etc). Alas, he just fawned all over them.

IMO, the WORST part was that he bragged that his own 12-year-son was a FAN of Kirk. MAJOR parenting fail right there! Yeah, instead of attempting to have had a discussion with his minor son about why listening to Kirk's . ..stuff wasn't in the son's best interests [to say the least], he actually admitted he had opted to be his son's buddy via cheering his preteen's son's selections instead of behaving as his parent to advise against said selections or better yet enacting consequences for actions if the son continued to indulge in them. Come on twelve is a very volatile and vulnerable age where parents need to be even more clear about the expectations they want from their offspring and NOT the time to mindlessly cheer whatever they like to stay their pal  nor to  greenlight letting minors of that age indulge in counterproductive activities.

Edited March 16 by Blergh

[Soapy Goddess]

  On 3/14/2025 at 10:19 AM, Anela said:

I’m really tired of trump supporters not acknowledging this.

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And I'm tired of hearing Dems talk as if they're victims. They all know what they did by dredging up and prosecuting a case from the year of the flood...which wouldn't have amounted to a damn thing had DJT decided not to run.

We all know exactly what transpired by the Dems to keep Trump out of office, so I won't elaborate any further.

Dems are spiteful. Even Biden refused to bring back the astronauts in space because he didn't want to give EM credit. So stupid IMO.

[Soapy Goddess]

  On 3/14/2025 at 10:34 AM, Dimity said:

Of course dems hope Trump fails @Soapy Goddess most of the world hopes he fails. What he is  doing right now is horrifying. The only thing more horrifying is that republicans aren't stopping him.

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Assuming you're talking about tariffs, have you ever heard the phrase 'it's going to get worse before it gets better'?  If the resistance would stop resisting, they might be in for a shocking surprise. 

I believe most of the world hopes he succeeds, as it would be beneficial for all of us. And if he doesn't, it won't be for lack of trying.

  On 3/14/2025 at 1:40 PM, Kemper said:

Chuck, Nancy, Hakeem and others have created this cowardly. get along to get along strategy.

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It's called bipartisan. And the objective is to do what's best for everyone!

[Soapy Goddess]

  On 3/14/2025 at 1:55 PM, Affogato said:

I think they should let the shut down happen and make a stand against what is happening. Going along, even with good intentions….is enabling. 

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Again, it's called bipartisan...and it's for the good of the country.

  On 3/14/2025 at 3:26 PM, Yeah No said:

Examples include that he promised to "fix" the economy, specifically to lower egg prices on "day one" and address grocery prices. 

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Oh please. "day one" was used as a metaphor. I think a few more important issues take precedent over egg prices, which are slowly coming down as the bird flu subsides.

  On 3/14/2025 at 3:26 PM, Yeah No said:

His tariff scheme is also backfiring and despite his "guns a blazin'" start he's had to backpedal and scale them back

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He's had to do that because other countries were ripping us off. Everyone knows he aims high and settles for less. It's called the 'art of the deal'.

 

[Anela]

  On 3/15/2025 at 6:55 AM, Soapy Goddess said:

And I'm tired of hearing Dems talk as if they're victims. They all know what they did by dredging up and prosecuting a case from the year of the flood...which wouldn't have amounted to a damn thing had DJT decided not to run.

We all know exactly what transpired by the Dems to keep Trump out of office, so I won't elaborate any further.

Dems are spiteful. Even Biden refused to bring back the astronauts in space because he didn't want to give EM credit. So stupid IMO.

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He was taken to court for a rape accusation, and found guilty of sexual assault. He was charged with trying to overthrow the government, but the Supreme Court took care of that for him. How many times was he found guilty of fraud? 

 

[Soapy Goddess]

  On 3/14/2025 at 3:38 PM, Yeah No said:

They couldn't even get Biden on anything illegal so they targeted his SON. How pathetic. Meanwhile Trump has how many felony convictions and that's somehow OK? Unbelievable.

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Oh, but it's okay to pretend that Biden was cognizant all the while Pelosi and Schumer were running the country? (see below)

Any convictions were forced under Obama & Biden to keep Trump from becoming president (the first time) and from being elected (second time). I referenced one of them above.

Here is "proof" about Biden's capability (or lack thereof). 

  On 3/14/2025 at 3:46 PM, Yeah No said:

And BTW there is zero evidence that Biden has dementia and the memory issues are not considered evidence of that.

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I just posted the cover of a book written by Jake Tapper. Google it before it disappears.

Edited March 15 by Soapy Goddess

[Soapy Goddess]

  On 3/14/2025 at 4:23 PM, Lugal said:

Anyone who appears on his radar, he has has enough personal info to use against them.

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I can appreciate what you're saying, but I'm still curious as to what he would do with said personal information. Unless he's at odds with every American and looking to do nefarious things that WILL land him in jail, I don't see it happening.

 

  On 3/14/2025 at 4:23 PM, Lugal said:

You're not wrong.  The Dems have lacked vision for years and have done basically whatever their donors have told them to.  But so have the Republicans.  Both parties still act like it's still 1992 and neither can acknowledge America's decline.  Trump does seem to have some realists in his admin that will make that acknowledgement, but only to blame scapegoats and retrench their own power base.  America is a rich country, but the solutions required would not be profitable to the donor class, so they don't happen.

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Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I completely agree! Neither party is perfect. I just remain hopeful that all these growing pains will elicit a reward for our country and all Americans.

  On 3/14/2025 at 4:23 PM, Lugal said:

Oh and the Dems will return to power because the Repubs will eventually overstep and this a two party system. We just trade out one for the other no matter how awful either of them are

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Once again, I completely agree! Hopefully, in the interim, we can all find some common ground. Maybe it's beginning to happen with Schumer?? (ultimate optimism)

[Soapy Goddess]

  On 3/14/2025 at 5:19 PM, Dimity said:

Trump and the MAGA spent 4 years convincing Americans that the economy under Biden was a shambles.  This wasn't true.  It was never true.  But, if just for arguments sake it was, how in any way, shape or form is what is going on now an improvement?  And yet the cult will trudge up the hill to the poor house singing his praises every inch of the way.

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The spending for ridiculous programs such as Iraqi Sesame Street, for one. But more importantly was opening up the borders in order to bring new Dem voters into our country. If that's not true, then why not curtail the influx?

The improvement is that MAGA doesn't want or need more voters, so our borders are now closed until and unless proper channels are followed and adhered to.

[Soapy Goddess]

  On 3/14/2025 at 11:50 PM, Dimity said:

So Musk's mother came to his defense with regard to the attacks aimed at Tesla.  She used twitter to call out 'r****ds'.  Lovely, just lovely.  Apple truly did not fall far from the tree in that family.

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So she's a bad person for sticking up for her son?!  What would you have done?

[Soapy Goddess]

  On 3/15/2025 at 7:37 AM, Anela said:

He was taken to court for a rape accusation, and found guilty of sexual assault. He was charged with trying to overthrow the government, but the Supreme Court took care of that for him. How many times was he found guilty of fraud? 

 

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The Dems and previous DOJ leader had to go back decades to find someone to testify against DJT. If the accusations were so bad, maybe a few decades sooner would have been the way to go. And putting his cost(s) in the wrong column had more to do with his personal life than his political life. Again, political weaponization of justice.

Edited March 15 by Soapy Goddess

[tres bien]

Senator Mark Kelly(D AZ) is getting rid of his Tesla for a Chevy Tahoe  saying “I don’t want to be driving a car built and designed by an asshole”

This comes just days after Musk called the decorated veteran and astronaut a traitor for supporting Ukraine 

 

[Dimity]

  On 3/15/2025 at 10:35 AM, tres bien said:

Senator Mark Kelly(D AZ) is getting rid of his Tesla for a Chevy Tahoe  saying “I don’t want to be driving a car built and designed by an asshole”

This comes just days after Musk called the decorated veteran and astronaut a traitor for supporting Ukraine 

 

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US citizens are not traitors for supporting Ukraine. Musk, move to Russia, please!

[tres bien]

  On 3/14/2025 at 2:14 PM, Ohiopirate02 said:

I'm going to Europe in the fall and am now trying to figure out what to wear to signal to the Europeans that I am not one of those Americans while still staying true to my style. I am not someone who wants to be a walking billboard for anything other than my chosen sports teams on appropriate days. Maybe I should have gotten that Harris-Walz camo cap back in the fall.

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We were in Europe right after the election and in South America leading up to the inauguration till February 1st and on both trips spoke to people from the UK and Australia and those people had nothing but sympathy for America and Americans 

In May we’ll be in Eastern Europe and if we have that same experience it’ll be with the same kind of people because in our nearly 40 yrs of traveling to Europe we never encountered anyone wanting to talk politics till the Trump era started in earnest in 2016

We were in Portugal that spring and talking to UKers and they asked you’re not going to make him president? They already had their own woes with Boris Johnson and Brexit

  On 3/15/2025 at 11:50 AM, Dimity said:

US citizens are not traitors for supporting Ukraine. Musk, move to Russia, please!

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Personally I’m very angry that this person with no ties to America is telling us who we are are and what we should do

Edited March 15 by tres bien

[Spartan Girl]

  On 3/15/2025 at 11:50 AM, Dimity said:

US citizens are not traitors for supporting Ukraine. Musk, move to Russia, please!

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And take your mommy with you.

[Dimity]

My grandkids have lived through a pandemic and now a trade war started by a mad man. They are coping though. I was in the grocery store with my 7 yr old grandson last night and he checked every item and even put back a few favourite treats. I admit I was proud of him.

[Kemper]

  On 3/15/2025 at 7:02 AM, Soapy Goddess said:

 

It's called bipartisan. And the objective is to do what's best for everyone!

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It is only bipartison if both parties participate. That is why I am so upset that the Dems always cave "for the better of the Country".  How's that worked for them?  So, no.

[krankydoodle]

  On 3/15/2025 at 7:02 AM, Soapy Goddess said:

Assuming you're talking about tariffs, have you ever heard the phrase 'it's going to get worse before it gets better'?  If the resistance would stop resisting, they might be in for a shocking surprise. 

I believe most of the world hopes he succeeds, as it would be beneficial for all of us. And if he doesn't, it won't be for lack of trying.

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Have you looked at any non-US news sources lately--I mean any that aren't part of Rupert Murdoch's media empire? Just a cursory look at sites like the BBC, CBC, or Germany's DW would show you how many of our traditional allies have turned against us.

And I truly don't know what to say about the claim that the failure of Trump's tariffs would be everyone else's fault but his.

[Affogato]

  On 3/15/2025 at 7:27 AM, Soapy Goddess said:

Again, it's called bipartisan...and it's for the good of the country.

Oh please. "day one" was used as a metaphor. I think a few more important issues take precedent over egg prices, which are slowly coming down as the bird flu subsides.

He's had to do that because other countries were ripping us off. Everyone knows he aims high and settles for less. It's called the 'art of the deal'.

 

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Trump can’t run a hotel or casino. There is evidence. There is absolutely no evidence that he understands the tariffs and while some people can explain them with a positive slant he just repeats the idea. It is like he is remembering something from a bad tv show. 

Speaking of which.

Art of the deal? Ugh. Trump sucks as a business man and got a big knee up at the beginning. He is a bully. He bullies people into deals.  He doesn’t pay, hasn’t paid contractors.
 

First if it works it isn’t ripping us off. This isn’t a big deal to me or to anyone who is not self centered and transactional. We wnt a better country and a better world and if that means an immigrant or the Ukraine gets a helping hand, that isn’t bad. It is even ‘Christian’. (i’m not, but it isn’t a bad value) “Thus, as you do to the least of ny brethren, so also do you do onto me.” 
 

also, yeah, the shutdown would have hurt. Not shutting down may hurt more long term. 

Edited March 15 by Affogato

[Dimity]

  On 3/15/2025 at 1:38 PM, Bliss said:

I didn't have any huge expectations for my retirement... and it started during a pandemic, which was crappy - and I made the best of it. Now I'm dealing with this orange felon's threats to steal my country.

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This is exactly where I am.  I retired during the pandemic (mainly because the contracts stopped) but my husband worked in a hospital throughout - and if one more person diminishes and belittles the pandemic here I may start screaming and no guarantees I will stop!  But anyway things seemed to settle down and retirement was fun as I had more 'me' time and could see the grandkids again. 

Speaking of which, thank you so much Trump and Trump voters for helping to add yet another level of worry and insecurity to the lives of children everywhere except MAGA land.  Much appreciated that they no sooner got through the pandemic and now have to deal with a trade war and sabre rattling from the madman in the White House.

I hate that man with the heat of a thousand suns for what he is inflicting on decent people all over the world.  But it's also gotten personal.  Very personal.  And if any of his supporters here think it is at all appropriate for the president of the US to threaten to annex a sovereign country, an ally through the years who has stood by them and died along with them than I have no idea what I can say to you at this point.

Elbows Up. Gloves off. Canada True North Strong and Free.
🇨🇦

Edited March 15 by Dimity

[Makai]

  On 3/14/2025 at 2:14 PM, Ohiopirate02 said:

I'm going to Europe in the fall and am now trying to figure out what to wear to signal to the Europeans that I am not one of those Americans while still staying true to my style. I am not someone who wants to be a walking billboard for anything other than my chosen sports teams on appropriate days. Maybe I should have gotten that Harris-Walz camo cap back in the fall.

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If I am ever in that situation I will be looking into “I dissent”/RBG and rainbow merch. I feel like those are the most subtle and obvious indicators someone isn’t MAGA. 

  On 3/15/2025 at 5:01 AM, anony.miss said:

 

The stock market didn't "crater" in early 2021 - per S & P:

"Stocks got off to a strong start to 2021. In fact, the S&P 500’s performance in the first 100 days of President Joe Biden’s administration was the best of any president since Lyndon Johnson in 1963."

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/8-charts-that-tell-the-stock-market-story-of-2021-1031071872?op=1

And the rest of 2021 was equally successful under Biden:

"2021 joined 2014 as the only year since 1928 in which the S&P 500 made new record highs in all 12 months of the year."

Nobody needed to panic in 2021 over investments in the market because Biden wasn't burning down government infrastructure, firing thousands upon thousands of federal workers, threatening to destroy health care for millions, declaring economic war on allies - while kissing the ass of America's longest-standing enemy -  leading to the loss of American prestige and power abroad, and stability at home.

eta: Tell that to the people working on Wall Street, who are very much on edge due to actual economic reasons, not emotional/political ones:

"Even as stocks bounced back Friday — the Dow rose 600 points, or 1.4%, the S&P 500 was 1.9% higher and the Nasdaq was up 2.4% — sentiment on Wall Street has been overwhelmingly negative, and stocks are still poised for losses this week...investors have poured money into traditional safe havens like government bonds and gold."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/wall-street-is-turning-its-back-on-trump-and-flashing-an-economic-warning/ar-AA1AUWYz

 

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Thank you for posting this. The revisionist history during COVID is frustrating. 

Comparing the economic impact from a global pandemic that did not turn into a recession to an impending recession with such a clear cut cause that it is being called the “Trumpcession” is bonkers to me. For MAGA correlation is 1000% causation unless it reflects poorly on Trump. Facts be damned. 

Edited March 15 by Makai

[tearknee]

  On 3/15/2025 at 6:30 AM, Blergh said:

Sorry, I disagree about Representative Rankin!

My late Papa was a WWII vet in the Pacific Theater and he told me quite a few intriguing stories of his time in that part of the world-including interaction with Japanese POWs.

Anyway, had I been a representative in Congress, I likely WOULD have voted for war due to the Imperial Japanese Navy having attacked Pearl Harbor (and Manilla) without any declaration of war to the US AND while having sent representatives to DC to ostensibly negotiate peace with the US.

HOWEVER, war  for any reason virtually guarantees that there will be deaths and debilitating injuries some of the best and brightest of young adults in one's nation and the risk of the same to civilians on the homefront . Hence, it  should NEVER be taken lightly or declared for purely emotional, jingoistic or impulsive MO's. IMO, Representative Rankin was perfectly correct in being the ONLY US Member of Congress to have voted 'NO' which prevented the vote from being a total rubber stamp deal- even with the knowledge of the extreme unpopularity of her stance which would result her being voted out of office by her Montana constituents.

Having studied history of a wide range of times and nations, I can also say that I agree with her quote of 'You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake!'

I'd like to point out that Representative Rankin was most proud of having been elected to the US Congress due to her state having had women's suffrage and she felt truly honored to have been able to have been in a position ( in 1918) to have voted FOR the 19th Amendment giving US women citizens over 21 the right to vote  in all elections from federal, state to local levels- literally the ONLY woman US Representative to have been able to have done so!

OK, to bring this to contemporary issues, I am very dissapointed in Governor Newsome for having invited Charlie Kirk (then later Steve Bannon) on his podcast- and essentially gushing over them. It would have been one thing had he invited them but CALLED them out on their stances (citing arguments about how he might have believed these stances were harmful to the California citizenry and US populace,etc). Alas, he just fawned all over them.

IMO, the WORST part was that he bragged that his own 12-year-son was a FAN of Kirk. MAJOR parenting fail right there! Yeah, instead of attempting to have had a discussion with his minor son about why listening to Kirk's . ..stuff wasn't in the son's best interests [to say the least], he actually admitted he had opted to be his son's buddy via cheering his preteen's son's selections instead of behaving as his parent to advise against said selections or better yet enacting consequences for actions if the son continued to indulge in them. Come on twelve is a very volatile and vulnerable age where parents need to be even more clear about the expectations they want from their offspring and NOT the time to mindlessly cheer whatever they like to stay their pal  nor to  greenlight letting minors of that age indulge in counterproductive activities.

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The alternative to war is leaving people to suffer and rot at the hands of people and forces that have none of the moral qualms of pacifism. Also, ceasefire stop armed conflict but wouldn't save Russians from Putin or Gazans or West Bankers from Hamas and the PLO.

[Ohiopirate02]

  On 3/15/2025 at 3:06 PM, Makai said:

If I am ever in that situation I will be looking into “I dissent”/RBG and rainbow merch. I feel like those are the most subtle and obvious indicators someone isn’t MAGA. 

 

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I'm thinking about getting some buttons made in the 3 languages saying something like "i didn't vote for him" with some flair.

[tres bien]

I hope AOC doesn’t primary Chuck Schumer because if she fails the democrats lose an important voice in the House (like Beto O’Rourke and Katie Porter)

Unfortunately Gillibrand just won her third term so she’s safe till 2030

I hope some faction in the democratic party doesn’t start pushing Fetterman as our savior because they’ll loose me

Edited March 15 by tres bien

[Anela]

Tornado season has officially started.  We haven’t had one, but my dog was crushing me this morning, when I’d barely slept, because we had storms.  After finally getting some sleep, I woke up to find him in the bath, needing help to get back out.  

I hope people are getting the warnings, and that musk hasn’t endangered them. 

As NOAA braces for more cuts, scientists say public safety is at risk

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/as-noaa-braces-for-more-cuts-scientists-say-public-safety-is-at-risk

[PRgal]

Canada's Chapman's Ice Cream will be using international ingredients rather than US-based suppliers due to tariffs.  I typically buy smaller brands, including Calgary's Righteous Gelato as well as more local ones like Belly (they're in Huntsville, ON and are currently closed for the season).  I've also purchased from local scoop shops like Nani's Gelato (they have more international, South Asian-influenced flavours), Good Behaviour (some East/Southeast flavours like Hong Kong milk tea and Vietnamese coffee) and my personal favourite, Death in Venice.  Their "cheese board" flavour isn't as weird as you might think it is.

[Affogato]

  On 3/15/2025 at 3:22 PM, Ohiopirate02 said:

I'm thinking about getting some buttons made in the 3 languages saying something like "i didn't vote for him" with some flair.

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Wearing a US flag patch upside down is simplest.