American Politics

I hope Colmbia returns the favor and arrest all the Americans living in Colombia with expired or no visas the same way. Treat them like prisoners. Handcuff them and board them on military planes. I am sure you would agree with that treatment. Right?

[QUOTE=TheCane;2978652]The answer is in your very own words. That which is "illegal" is a "crime". Thus "illegals" are "criminals" in violation of the immigration (and maybe other) laws of the United States of America. What part of "illegal" do you not get?[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978725]I hope Colmbia returns the favor and arrest all the Americans living in Colombia with expired or no visas the same way. Treat them like prisoners. Handcuff them and board them on military planes. I am sure you would agree with that treatment. Right?[/QUOTE]In fact, yes I would. Return our illegals and we will return those who belong to other countries.

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2977919]Why did you think I'd be interested in NYT articles when I'm only interested in your twisted mind.

And seriously man quit pasting whole damn things. Post a quote to illustrate what you are thinking. That's damn lazy what you're doing, seriously. [/QUOTE]

YES, you're quite right!

Not only is it very annoying, but also very lazy. Perhaps it all just goes to the thought, [b]that with lazy posting, comes lazy thinking?[/b]

Can you image what a dreadful and terrible thread this would be, if EVERYONE just started posting/reprinting REAMS and REAMS of unauthorized COPYRIGHT material, just so someone else could read it for themselves, instead of using the link/URL and linking to the article to read it for themselves?

Not too mention what a legal nightmare it would be for ISG Admin?

And while it might be an interesting social-media experiment, to turn this thread in a total propaganda wasteland, I would hate to have to, wade through post after post of such unwarranted vile MAGA/ right-wing propaganda, just to find a post where I can actually read an ISGers [u]own words and thoughts.[/u]

[u]Food for thought:[/u]

At one point, I did ponder the thought, and wondered if there was a method to the madness, of when MDS1, annoyingly posts entire articles, as he does all the time?

I stumbled upon the notion, that when this happens, there had been perhaps, several earlier posts, refuting his MAGA propaganda, and that this was his attempt to suppress and push those posts, past "PAGE #1", since many ISGers don't typically read/look past the first screen when viewing recent thread information? FWIW, it was just a thought, but that's my guess to the madness!


[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2978022]The whole country has turned against the radical extremism of the left and you call me twisted? That's some pretty serious projecting there. Lololol.

Post a quote? The whole article is my quote, I'm a bridge from NYT to ISGs Politics thread, ok if you don't read the whole article maybe someone else will.[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure, [i][b]you are not ONLY VIOLATING several ISG posting guidelines[/b][/i], but when you post the entire articles, as you do quite often (much to the annoyance of many members), you should know, you are also (I assume unwittingly) violating COPYRIGHT infringement. That is unless, you've somehow manage to obtain legal permission to reprint said articles?

Yes, if an ISGer wishes to read the whole article for themselves, then I'm sure they'll do so of their own feel will, with the aid of a simple link and perhaps a snippet of said article, should your article or accompanying non-lazy explanation, right-wing propaganda or case argument, [u][b]happen to be compelling enough[/b][/u], to warrant an ISGer to want to click on the link of said article.

NO NEED TO CLUTTER THIS THREAD with REAMS and REAMS of COPYRIGHT propaganda, when a snippet and a link will suffice.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2978689]LOL. Oh, that bullshit again? [URL]https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/gigantic-rats-nest-taiabi-hints-fbi-communications-covid-scientist-will-be-exposed[/URL].

There were key people like Peter Daszak from the EcoHealth Alliance, who just didn't answer subpoenas, right? There are documents that we know exist that we're going to get now with FBI communications between the bureau and a lot of these scientists dating back ten years. And it's going to tell a crazy story, a really interesting story. There's a reason why Fauci's pardon is backdated to 2014, because that's the time period they are going to have to start looking, which is, when did we start defying the ban on gain of function research. We clearly did. That's pretty established at this point.

And 2014 is when Dems started up all their bullshit in Ukraine. That is the same year as when Hunter was pardoned from. Maybe that is why Putin really invaded Ukraine, all those supposedly nonexistant biolabs. 2014 is the year the deep state really started going nuts.

Leave it to you to not have a clue what happened with Colombia. The first time socialist president Petro tried to make a human rights issue with Colombians who illegally entered the USA. The idiot penned a letter calling Trump a slave owner and wanting the destruction of humanity, and was literally goading Trump into war and saying Colombia would win. That is something very appealing to a Democratic douche like yourself. Aren't you totally in lock step with what this moronic president wrote Loony Tooms? Don't you think Colombia could win a war with Trump as Commander in Chief?

So Trump hit Colombia with 25% tariffs and banned the travel visas of those in government and was going to freeze the bank accounts of Colombians in power and their family members. And you know what happened Tooms? This guy Petro sent his OWN fucking jet to pick up the Colombians saving us the expense of flying them back.

So yeah, there was a trade war with Colombia, and it was over in 10 hours. He mouthed off against Trump, and Trump kicked Petro's fucking teeth in. Trump had the orders drawn up and any time he feels like he can sign them. That is how you govern. That is how you handle idiots.[/QUOTE]No matter how much "hinting" idiot Matt Taibbi does into fellow idiot Tucker Carlson's ear, no documents will show it was Fauci who defunded and removed the Pandemic Prevention team leaders from those Chinese labs in 2019 contrary to all expert warnings not to do something so dangerous and stupid.

Trump did that.

Nor will all the "hinting" in the world change the video and documented evidence we all saw and know exists of Trump spending critical year 2020 lying about it in sync with Xi, who he now wants to again take control of worldwide monitoring and communications about potential Pandemic conditions BTW, lying that "we have this under control, it is disappearing, it will go away without a vaccine", mocking the known mitigation measures, exacerbating his initial blunder, or was it intentional, marching forward to Mass Murder as many Americans as possible, destroying worldwide economies. That was not Fauci on the world stage doing that.

Trump did that.

[B]ICE makes close to 1,200 arrests in one day.
Nearly half of those detained dont have criminal records, according to a senior Trump administration official.[/B]

[URL]https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/ice-trump-deportations-numbers-rcna188937[/URL]

Nearly half of the immigrants Trump is using military aircraft to transport at 4-5 times the cost to the American tax-payer vs commercial air craft and where sometimes less than 100 immigrant passengers are on a flight, adding even more immense unnecessary cost to the American tax-payer, don't even have a criminal record.

And that is a real assessment reported by a Trump source, see link, not some idiot "hinting" about it on another idiot's TV show.

Colombia and China won this round. Trump was punked, lost and ultimately made himsrlf look like a cry-baby, American tax-payer money-burning, comical "Nazi"-tactic fool.

All other world leaders noticed and know it.

Generally speaking, crossing the border without being inspected / admitted (e. G. Swimming across Rio Grande) is a crime (usually misdemeanor), overstaying a work / tourist visa is a civil infraction, not a crime. TMYK.

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978725]I hope Colmbia returns the favor and arrest all the Americans living in Colombia with expired or no visas the same way. Treat them like prisoners. Handcuff them and board them on military planes. I am sure you would agree with that treatment. Right?[/QUOTE]I would have no problem with that. If they aren't following the immigration laws of Colombia, Colombia has the right to deport them.

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978724]I am sure you don't have an issue with treating the estimated 15 K Americans living in Colombia illegally as prisoners of severe crimes? Let's handcuff all the Americans with expired or no visas and board them on a military plane back to the USA. Call them 'criminals" and make a public show out of it. I wonder who would do that?[/QUOTE]Actually I don't have a problem with it at all, if they are breaking the law then cuff them. They can start by arresting the loud mouth gringo retirees that are always sitting on the benches by the church being loud and obnoxious.

I've never overstayed my visa or 90 days in Colombia. One time I even made a trip to Peru to get a new 90 days, never once have I ever overstayed.

Basically, if you're not going to respect the laws of the country you're in then you shouldn't be there, plain and simple.

Gabacho.

Do you support illegal immigration?

I did not see one single word where you addressed the fact that the individuals on the plane were in the United States of America without proper permission from immigration authorities. That means they were breaking the law. That for me is the bottom line. Everywhere I go in the world I have to follow the immigration rules. Why are the people of Colombia different?

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2978679]Is there anything bumbling fumbling Trump won't do to strengthen trade relations between our trade allies and China? LOL.

[B]US, Colombia reach deal on deportations; tariff, sanctions put on hold.
Jan. 27, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombias-petro-will-not-allow-us-planes-return-migrants-2025-01-26/[/URL]

Amid all the chest-beating and howling at the moon over the false claim that Trump throwing a sit on the floor cry-baby tantrum to get his way "won" anything for any American tax-payer, I see that part above is never or rarely mentioned by the Repubs' typical breathless supporters in Mainstream Media.

To recap:

Trump gets publicly spanked by Colombia of all places and wins the distinction of them putting the "We are not Nazis" meme for him and America into the World Leader lexicon and buzz.

Colombia, Mexico, Canada and godknowswhoelse turned back Trump's showy and silly military plane stunt, causing Trump to no doubt waste millions of American tax-dollars more on the whipped puppy turnaround and repeat flights. Super punked.

Colombia gets to look and sound like the reasonable adult on the planet compared to cry-baby Trump.

The price of coffee, bananas, flowers, etc will likely STILL go higher for the American Consumer simply due to Trump's now even greater determination to blather on and on with his Trump Tariffs threats even if he NEVER actually imposes a tariff on Colombian goods.

All of our trade partners and allies are now taking a harder look at simply dispensing with this cry-baby tanTrump foolishness and might as well start shifting more of their trade to and with China. No surprise to anyone, of course.

The end result is Trump accomplished exactly zero more than what Biden was already doing in transporting illegal immigrant criminals back to their country by commercial air except in Trump's case it cost the American tax-payer much more and Biden was never bamboozled by Colombia, Mexico, Canada or anyone else into trotting around Cape Stupid, waving his arms and demanding "Hey, everybody, look at me trotting around Cape Stupid" first.[/QUOTE]

Trump's Pandemic Part 2, dot #5:

[B]CDC ordered to stop working with WHO immediately.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/27/cdc-ordered-to-stop-working-with-who-immediately.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]Experts said the sudden stoppage was a surprise and would [b]set back work on investigating and trying to stop outbreaks of Marburg virus and mpox in Africa, as well as brewing threats from around the world.[/b] It also comes as health authorities around the world are monitoring bird flu outbreaks among U.S. livestock.
..........
His, [b]Trump's[/b], administration also told federal health agencies to stop most communications with the public through at least the end of the month.

Stopping communications and meetings with WHO is a big problem, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a University of Southern California public health expert who [b]collaborates with WHO on work against sexually transmitted infections.[/b]
.............
The CDC order isnt the only global health effect of Trumps executive orders. Last week, he froze spending on another critical program, [b]PEPFAR or the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The anti-HIV program is credited with saving 25 million lives, including those of 5.5 million children[/b], since it was started by Republican President George W. Bush but was included in a freeze on foreign aid spending slated to last at least three months.

[B]PEPFAR provides HIV medication to more than 20 million people and stopping its funding essential stops their HIV treatment. If that happens, people are going to die and HIV will resurge, International AIDS Society President Beatriz Grinsztejn said in a statement.[/b][/QUOTE]I have stated in the past that the elections of Repubs and most especially that of Repub Donald J. Trump poses the greatest threat in the world to International Travel and International Mongering. As such, no other topic is as critically important to the purpose of this entire website than the topics discussed and, sometimes unfortunately, relegated to just this one forum. It was and is really pertinent and important on virtually every forum, far more important than any one FR for any one bar hop.

Trump's 1st term proved my point spectacularly and tragically.

Now, his apparent 2nd term goal is so obviously being to lay the groundwork for and facilitate another historic Trump's Pandemic except that this time around he is doing everything in his power to make a significant portion of it about Sexually Transmitted Diseases up to and including new and no doubt more virulent and deadly versions of HIV / AIDS.

Therefore, as a concerned member of this International Sex Guide website, to the MAGAs here and anyone else who could have but did not vote for Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, as well as straight Democrat up and down your ballot in 2016 and 2024, we do most sardonically "Thank You For Your Vote. ".

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978721]Shouldn't Colombia then send back US "illegals" living in Colombia back to the USA? It is estimated that there are over 15 K living in Colombia with either expired visas or no visas at all.[/QUOTE]Why wouldn't they? My visitor status has been checked by the authorities a couple of times while out and about in Colombia. Do you think they would have given me a penthouse suite and free massages had I not been in compliance?

Even one of Trump's favorite Repub "Tops" could not deny it:

[B]Donald Trump Just 'Technically' Violated the Law; Lindsey Graham.[/B]

[URL]https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-lindsey-graham-inspectors-general-firing-2020984[/URL]

[QUOTE]Inspectors general are independent officials within federal agencies who investigate claims of waste, fraud and abuse of power. They conduct audits, evaluations, and special reviews, among other responsibilities.

According to Reuters, 17 inspectors general at various agenciesincluding the State, Defense and Transportation departmentsreceived emails from the White House on Friday informing them that their posts had been terminated immediately.[/QUOTE]My my my. It is almost as if Trump is planning an orgy of good old fashioned Classic Repub Waste, Fraud and Abuse in his 2nd term to exceed that in his 1st term, which is really, really, really saying a lot!

BTW, what has been happening lately to the price of gas, eggs, groceries, damn I'm glad Trump invented that word, rent, mortgage loan rates, prescription drugs, shipped items in Walmart, Target, etc, etc, etc?

[QUOTE=FlawlessZeal;2978745]Generally speaking, crossing the border without being inspected / admitted (e. G. Swimming across Rio Grande) is a crime (usually misdemeanor), overstaying a work / tourist visa is a civil infraction, not a crime. TMYK.[/QUOTE]That's true. So much of it depends on how you entered in the first place. If you entered illegally then you committed a crime and you're a criminal. If you entered lawfully with a visa and overstay then that's a civil offense. But what if you overstay and are ordered to be removed but don't voluntarily leave (as many people don't)? Instead you try to hide and keep working, etc? Now you can be considered a fugitive of the law and arrested and forcibly removed (deported) versus being allowed to voluntarily leave. So yes, it's true that you're not necessarily a criminal just because you're unlawfully present. So many different circumstances come into play that need to be considered. But the bottom line is that whether it's a civil or criminal violation, the person doesn't belong here and needs to leave (voluntarily or forcibly through deportation) unless granted legal status: [URL]https://youtu.be/mUuCAUkl3vc?si=KI_brOV0e1BddHZ2[/URL].

The depravity of the J6 insurrectionists and it's supporters, is a disgusting reflection on just how bad MAGA has become.

So when Michael Fanone, a now retired Capital Policeman, that was attacked and injured by J6 insurrectionists, and now tells us how J6 insurrection supporters, [i][b]have been throwing shit/feces at his mother, while she'd been raking leaves in her front yard,[/b][/i] really reveals the depths of depravity and moral bankruptcy of MAGA nation.

Speaking of depravity and moral bankruptcy, America's Hitler, has just pardoned, yet another dirtbag in Ross Ulbricht, the prison lifer and uber criminal and creator of a dark web drug den and killers for hire marketplace, known as Silk Road. A place where buyers and sellers could coalesce in illegal and criminal transactions, anonymously. Dubbed a [i][b]"Kingpin of a worldwide digital underground drug trafficking enterprise"[/b][/i]

So much for rooting out violent crimes and keeping killers, death dealers, narcotics, fentanyl, drugs and drug dealers out of society and "off the streets and borders of America" (be they digital or otherwise).

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2951527] So how many young Americans do you think Ulbricht, that scumbag Libertarians love so much killed selling drugs? [/QUOTE]
Well MDS1, how the hell do you square yet another lowlife pardon from Trump? Or perhaps you can't square such a heinous pardon, from your sellout, paid and bought for hire, 'two-faced' president?

But wait for it, MDS1...queue the Ross Ulbricht sympathizers, telling us what a "righteous" and "just" pardon this was for the dirtbag Libertarian "Kingpin digital drug/death dealer"!

Yes, no respect from Trump for police who protected Capitol versus Trump savages. I think to remember one policeman even died on this sad day for USA democracy. Seem many in USA want to resist to Trump decisions. I m sad for USA women he doesn't respect.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2978812]Speaking of depravity and moral bankruptcy, America's Hitler, has just pardoned, yet another dirtbag in Ross Ulbricht, the prison lifer and uber criminal and creator of a dark web drug den and killers for hire marketplace, known as Silk Road. A place where buyers and sellers could coalesce in illegal and criminal transactions, anonymously. Dubbed a [i][b]"Kingpin of a worldwide digital underground drug trafficking enterprise"[/b][/i]

So much for rooting out violent crimes and keeping killers, death dealers, narcotics, fentanyl, drugs and drug dealers out of society and "off the streets and borders of America" (be they digital or otherwise).


Well MDS1, how the hell do you square yet another lowlife pardon from Trump? Or perhaps you can't square such a heinous pardon, from your sellout, paid and bought for hire, 'two-faced' president?

But wait for it, MDS1...queue the Ross Ulbricht sympathizers, telling us what a "righteous" and "just" pardon this was for the dirtbag Libertarian "Kingpin digital drug/death dealer"![/QUOTE]Because Trump was tried in the same court room. Honestly, the media coverage of this was so bad that I cannot blame your outrage. You have to read alternative sources to get to the truth.

[URL]https://freemansperspective.com/why-ross-ulbricht-must-be-pardoned/[/URL]

First of all, it was politically driven, and openly. (See here and here.) That's not a good thing, especially because it poisoned the jury pool.

Next, the FBI flatly lied about how they found Silk Road's server. See here. What they really did was almost certainly parallel construction, which is simply a way to lie to the court.

A mere two months before Ulbricht's arrest, the lead DHS investigator swore under oath that Mark Karpeles of Mt. Gox (rather than Ross) was the person running the Silk Road site. The jury, however, wasn't allowed to know this.

Around the same time, two federal agents investigating the case pled guilty to corruption related to it. But again the jury wasn't allowed to know.

The government spied on Ulbricht's Internet traffic (along with others who used the same router) without showing probable cause and without a warrant, which again became a non-issue.

Murder-for-hire charges were manufactured by federal agents then massively publicized, which poisoned public opinion, and along with it (again) the jury pool. These flamboyant charges, however, were never tried, never proved, and were quietly dropped as the case proceeded.

The defense very early admitted that Ross had created the Silk Road service, but maintained that he had handed it off to others when it got too big for him to operate himself. (Ross was a physicist, not a programmer.)

That same afternoon, I was blown away by the judge announcing that she had altered the trial transcript over the weekend. This is something that simply cannot be done in an American court, and yet, at the highly prestigious US District Court at 500 Pearl Street in lower Manhattan, I listened to a judge announce that she had done precisely that. The judge sat in her high perch and said this (which is fairly close to verbatim):

Last Thursday when agent Der-Yeghiayan was testifying under cross examination, I thought the prosecutors could have objected more. And so, over the weekend, I edited the trial transcript and removed all the testimony that could have been objected to.

The prosecution's forensic evidence, provided by an FBI agent, was far below any professional level. The tools used were bad choices, and when the metadata (the times and dates you see when you open File Manager) are exactly the same for every file, it's inescapably clear that they've been altered.

The most pathetic moment came when the prosecutors forced one of Ross's old friends to testify that Ross asked his advice when building the Silk Road site. He was testifying only because he'd be thrown in jail if he didn't, making the emotions surrounding the moment a horrifying mix of pity (the man looked like he had been tortured, minus the bruises) and disgust with a man betraying his friend to a horrible fate.

Now I'll get back to the question I asked at the beginning of this article: If you think what Ross did was a punishable offense, what sort of penalty should have been applied?

Whatever your answer, I suspect it doesn't match what the judge handed down: Ross was given as a first time, nonviolent offender who is loved by everyone who knows him two life sentences plus 40 years.

Again you'll make up your own mind, but to me that's not justice, it's a head on a pike being paraded around the castle.

End of link.

So, yeah, this was the same as the Trump case in the same locale. It is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt not guilty if you suspect someone committed a crime. And like with Trump, liars were allowed to testify and people who were telling the truth and would have cast doubt on the guilt of the accused were excluded.

I think what really got me is the federal agents corruption. They pocketed about a $1 million apiece in Bitcoin and were caught. At that point, the entire motivation for LE IMO becomes suspect. Was getting the right guy their motivation or was it lining their pockets? To me, that is huge reasonable doubt, and I am not sure they got the right guy.

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978725]I hope Colmbia returns the favor and arrest all the Americans living in Colombia with expired or no visas the same way. Treat them like prisoners. Handcuff them and board them on military planes. I am sure you would agree with that treatment. Right?[/QUOTE]If American criminals illegally entered into Colombia then there is no issue. Your comparison is apples to oranges.

Not illegally entered but overstayed their visit.

Then subsequently arrested by the Colombian police, placed in a Colombian prison and handcuffed on board a Colombian military aircraft back to the USA.

What a show that would be! Just like Trump putting on a show.

[QUOTE=ElPostino;2978834]If american criminals illegally entered into Colombia then there is no issue. Your comparison is apples to oranges.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Gabacho;2978750]Actually I don't have a problem with it at all, if they are breaking the law then cuff them. They can start by arresting the loud mouth gringo retirees that are always sitting on the benches by the church being loud and obnoxious.[/QUOTE]I am a USA Citizen. Totally agree with arresting USA Citizens overstaying past their visa if over 6 months.

Totally hate those same POS foreigners that sit on the benches making the rest of us look horribly bad.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2978812]The depravity of the J6 insurrectionists and it's supporters, is a disgusting reflection on just how bad MAGA has become.
If there's any silver lining, he's a man of his word (unfortunately in this case), Promises made promises kept!!
The fact that Libertarians love drug dealers that kill Americans speaks volumes, but I already know what they are all about (Chas Koch et al)

So when Michael Fanone, a now retired Capital Policeman, that was attacked and injured by J6 insurrectionists, and now tells us how J6 insurrection supporters, [i][b]have been throwing shit/feces at his mother, while she'd been raking leaves in her front yard,[/b][/i] really reveals the depths of depravity and moral bankruptcy of MAGA nation.

Speaking of depravity and moral bankruptcy, America's Hitler, has just pardoned, yet another dirtbag in Ross Ulbricht, the prison lifer and uber criminal and creator of a dark web drug den and killers for hire marketplace, known as Silk Road. A place where buyers and sellers could coalesce in illegal and criminal transactions, anonymously. Dubbed a [i][b]"Kingpin of a worldwide digital underground drug trafficking enterprise"[/b][/i]
[/QUOTE]He should not have been pardoned, he should of been executed!!

[URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/opinion/trump-immigration-jan6-pardons.html[/URL]

Opinion.

The Conversation.

Trump Explodes Out of the Gate.

Jan. 27,2025.

Donald and Melania Trump, seen from behind, watch a huge display of fireworks lighting up the sky in red and yellow.

Credit. Pool photo by Alex Brandon.

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Gail CollinsBret Stephens.

By Gail Collins and Bret Stephens.

Ms. Collins and Mr. Stephens are Opinion columnists. They converse every week.

Bret Stephens: Gail, Donald Trump has been back in office for a week, though it seems like a decade. Do you feel (a) outraged and ready to do battle, (b) disoriented and listless, (c) eager to read, finally, all 12 volumes of Anthony Powell's "A Dance to the Music of Time"?

Gail Collins: Bret, my normal ritual when I've got a little bit of downtime is to just call up a TV news channel to catch up on what's going on. Since the election, I've had so much trouble dealing with reality, I call up the Game Show Network and listen to ordinary Americans trying to guess the name of the governor of Utah or which breeds of dog have no tail.

Bret: Who is Spencer Cox? And what is the English bulldog?

Gail: Bravo. You've put your finger on the challenge of American citizenship in 2025: Don't let Donald Trump push you into despair.

Bret: he isn't. Dirty little secret, Gail: I'm feeling mostly OK, even with Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon and threats of stupid trade wars with our allies. Trump may be a very blunt instrument, but we're a country in need of disruption. The important conversation we should have now is how to disrupt wisely, not how to defend norms for norms' sake in the face of Trump's norm bending.

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Gail: Bret, if we'the elected some virtuous Republican like — oh, I don't know, it's your job to pick one — we would be talking about finding ways to improve education, health care, support for the needy that actually involved making services more efficient. But the folks we're watching here want to slash taxes, creating huge deficits that would, by design, increase pressure to slash services.

Bret: Slash taxes? Slash services? Gail, I think you're describing me. Federal spending was just north of $4 trillion eight years ago, when I joined The Times. Now it's over $7 trillion. That's a 75 percent increase. Where does all that money go? Is all of it being well spent? Do agencies that expect their budgets to grow year in, year out, no matter how they perform have any incentive to manage costs or improve performance? Do any people with government jobs ever get laid off, as they do in the private sector, simply because a department has grown too bloated? Have people's needs really increased by that much in a few years — especially if the Biden economy was as terrific as Joe Biden claimed it was? Or is this just out-of-control spending and an establishment that refuses to apply the reins?

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Gail: Ah, Bret, we're back to our oldest argument. The budget hikes are partly the effect of the Covid pandemic, and we can hope that'll fall off — if the economy continues to recover the way it did under Biden. People's needs are rising because the population is aging. A responsible administration would be obsessed with finding ways to pay for the inevitable increasing need for services.

Bret: I was in California over the weekend, where residents pay the highest state income taxes in the country and get mediocre services, at best. Americans would rally to a serious Democrat — think of Gavin Newsom and then conjure the exact opposite — who acknowledges that incompetent government and exorbitant taxes are serious problems while insisting there's a better way to tackle it than the blow-it-all-up approach that Trump seems to want to adopt.

Speaking of which, any thoughts on Trump's orders ending the. E. I. Programming in the federal government?

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Gail: The idea that government agencies should try to stress diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring decisions was heir to the historic fight for desegregation in civil service. Reformers argued that Americans of all races tended to do well if they came from middle-class families with ties to their communities and that the next step should be programs to open up educational and employment opportunities for everybody else.

Seems very appropriate that the administration pushing back is one that tends to regard political loyalty as the most important criterion for almost any job.

Bret: The central problem with the. E. I. Is neither diversity nor inclusion. It's the word "equity," which in theory ought to mean simple fairness but in practice meant pervasive racial and gender gerrymandering based almost exclusively — and unconstitutionally — on considerations of group identity rather than individual qualifications. It also led to the creation of the. E. I. Bureaucracies in thousands of institutions, from universities to corporations, whose employees too often acted as Soviet-style political commissars, enforcing all kinds of intrusive orthodoxies that tried to dictate not only how other employees or students were supposed to act but also how they were supposed to think and speak.

Anyone who has sat through a the. E. I. Training seminar — by turns saccharine and scolding, treacly and tendentious — knows what I mean. It just turned people off, including a lot of well-meaning people who are all for inclusivity as a value. Trump getting rid of it is the best thing he's done in office so far, as far as I'm concerned. What would you say is the worst?

Gail: So many options. But for something whose awfulness transcends regular partisan politics, I'the have to go for pardoning the Jan. 6 rioters, some of whom assaulted police officers and brought guns into the Capitol. You?

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Bret: You're right, the list is so long. The Jan. 6 pardons were awful. So was the pardon of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of an online drug market. Withdrawing Secret Service protections for Mike Pompeo and John Bolton and other former members of his administration is disgraceful and will haunt him if Iran makes good on its efforts to kill them. The sale of Trump crypto tokens is tawdry and unethical, at best, though very much on brand for the purveyor of Trump Steaks.

Gail: Love that one.

Bret: The effort to revoke birthright citizenship and overturn 160 years of jurisprudence on the 14th Amendment is abominable, though I was glad to see a Reagan-appointed federal judge immediately denounce the move as "blatantly unconstitutional" and temporarily block it. Looking forward to the Supreme Court following the judge's lead, 9 to 0.

Gail: Yes! Yes!

Bret: We should not have Hegseth as defense secretary; in fact, we should never have a defense secretary who can't get a single member of the opposing party to vote for him. And the idea that Elon Musk has an office in the White House when he has billions of dollars of business before the federal government is appalling.

I'm probably forgetting something, but yeah, there's a lot not to like. And yet ——.

Gail: Oh, no, don't "and yet" me.

Bret: Two things about that "and yet":

First, I don't think everything Trump has done is terrible, by any stretch. As I said, I'm happy to see the. E. I. Done for in government. I'm glad he'll do more to support domestic energy production. (Among other good effects, it hurts Vladimir Putin.) I think Marco Rubio is going to be an effective secretary of state. I'll cheer if the Trump administration sanctions the kangaroo court known as the I. See. See. If the Department of Government Efficiency gets rid of failing government agencies, so much the better. And if Trump can ensure American dominance of the artificial intelligence industry — and the energy we need to supply it — great. I want to be open to the possibility of good things.

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Gail: We're going to be fighting about the energy thing forever, but I continue to be sure that future generations, trapped in an overheated, air-polluted, water-short world, will look back with horror on the time an American president said he didn't believe in global warming and ginned up oil drilling.

I suspect you have a second.

Bret: Second, I just don't think all the po-faced disapproval of Trump achieves anything. Like it or not, you and I and the rest of America are locked into this movie theater for the next four years. Pass the popcorn.

Gail: We may be stuck with him, but we've got to keep fighting the good fight. Have to admit I've started just going off to movies on my own, in the middle of the afternoon, to avoid Trump-think. Watching the Bob Dylan biopic was a great distraction from the cabinet nominees.

Seen anything good lately? Yes, I'm trying to change the subject.

Bret: On the flight to California I made myself watch "Reagan," a biopic starring Dennis Quaid as the 40th president. The film was so cringingly conceived, so badly acted, so imbecilically scripted and so moronically executed that it briefly turned me, a Reagan fan, into a communist. But I am keen to see the Dylan biopic, along with "The Brutalist," which I hear is terrific.

And speaking of terrific, Gail, be sure to read Andy Webster's obituary for Jules Feiffer, the great Village Voice cartoonist who died this month at 95. I can't say I was always in tune with Feiffer's politics, but I always loved his honesty, originality, artfulness and playfulness. He captured my kind of people: smart, neurotic, concerned, confused, unmistakably Jewish New Yorkers. And he never quit. When he was asked last year after the publication of a graphic novel for middle-schoolers whether he had a new project, he replied: "What a foolish question. Of course. ".

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Gail: Oh, Bret, I have to tell you — when I was named the Opinion editor back in the day, Feiffer sent me a drawing of a very happy Feifferesque ballerina with the title "A Dance to Gail. " Not sure we had ever even met in person, but that picture has been on my wall ever since.

Thanks so much for letting me finish with a tribute to Jules.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2978778]Do you support illegal immigration?

I did not see one single word where you addressed the fact that the individuals on the plane were in the United States of America without proper permission from immigration authorities. That means they were breaking the law. That for me is the bottom line. Everywhere I go in the world I have to follow the immigration rules. Why are the people of Colombia different?[/QUOTE]Not only is it legal for undocumented immigrants claiming to seek asylum to be here, it is not automatically a crime to be an undocumented immigrant anyway:

[B]Is Being an Undocumented Immigrant a Crime?[/B]

[URL]https://www.dharlawllp.com/is-being-an-undocumented-immigrant-a-crime/[/URL]

[QUOTE]Are you an undocumented immigrant? Have you been accused of a crime? Please remember that you still have constitutional rights, including the right to counsel if accused of a crime. When people are accused of a crime they are often unaware that they even have these legal rights. [B]Also being undocumented is not a crime.[/b][/QUOTE]However, I do sincerely wish and pray that every American who passes by a farm and suspects there are undocumented migrants working on that farm to please for the love of God report them to the authorities so Trump can round them up, herd them onto the biggest and most expensive military aircraft on the planet, fly them over their home country, be refused landing, fly them back to the USA, harbor them there for a few days, fly them back over their home country, rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat, all while Trump is hopping up and down Yosimite Sam mad at whatever failed Trump golf resort he happens to be at that day, droning on in his hilarious "menacing" monotone about imposing 25%-200% Trump Tariffs on the American Consumer.

The same with all the suspected restaurant workers, hotel workers, janitorial and trash collection workers, construction workers, auto mechanics, child care service workers, maids, everyone and everything, everywhere all at once.

In fact, I am damned pissed that Trump did not get 'er done on Day One like he promised for the past 4 years. By now, one full unproductive golf-filled week into it, there ought to be NO undocumented immigrants performing any jobs anywhere in the USA!

I want the American people to get absolutely everything Trump promised them and for which they either voted or permitted to come about by not voting for Kamala Harris and every other Dem up and down their ballot.

They should get exactly that ASAP because they oh so richly deserve it.

[QUOTE]John Choon Yoo, a law professor at University of California at Berkeley, told Newsweek in an email on Saturday: "President Trump is well within his power to remove members of the executive branch at will. In Seila Law v. CFPB (2020), the Supreme Court held that Congress could not protect officers of the United States from removal by the President...In Seila Law, the Court said that the only officers that Congress might be able to protect are those that are members of multi-body commissions, like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or the (SEC) Securities and Exchange Commission."
He added: "[b]The Inspectors General do not have that status[/b]; they are simple members of the executive branch agencies. Even if Congress attempts to place conditions on their removal, those conditions are unconstitutional. Any Inspector General that attempts to challenge their removal in courtthey would still have to leave office and just sue for back paywill be wasting their money in lawyers fees."[/QUOTE]What do you make of the above? I am not an attorney. Technicalities are a wonderful thing. But can you make the case in court given the precedent of the Supreme Court ruling [B]Seila Law v CFPB (2020)[/B]?

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2978795][B]Donald Trump Just 'Technically' Violated the Law; Lindsey Graham.[/B]

[URL]https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-lindsey-graham-inspectors-general-firing-2020984[/URL][/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978840]Not illegally entered but overstayed their visit.
Then subsequently arrested by the Colombian police, placed in a Colombian prison and handcuffed on board a Colombian military aircraft back to the USA.
What a show that would be! Just like Trump putting on a show.[/QUOTE]I echo you. The verbal violence of some posters against those illegal immigrants treated as dangerous criminals really speaks by itself and says a lot.

Incidentally, the word "criminal" was used not by myself first. I wish the one who wrote it first would have attempted a definition. It is worth mentioning that the hobby practiced by me and (I assume) all members of this ISG forum is against the Law in the USA. Therefore, the US Army veteran who started this discussion is doing illegal things. Technically speaking, a "criminal"? Subject to a similar treatment?

[QUOTE=BlackPage;2978877]I echo you. The verbal violence of some posters against those illegal immigrants treated as dangerous criminals really speaks by itself and says a lot.

Incidentally, the word "criminal" was used not by myself first. I wish the one who wrote it first would have attempted a definition. It is worth mentioning that the hobby practiced by me and (I assume) all members of this ISG forum is against the Law in the USA. Therefore, the US Army veteran who started this discussion is doing illegal things. Technically speaking, a "criminal"? Subject to a similar treatment?[/QUOTE]There's a big difference. You're not talking apples to apples and oranges to oranges. We're not going to a foreign country and breaking their laws. Prostitution is legal in Colombia. It might be considered criminal activity in the States, but we're not doing it in the States. At least I'm not! Not the same difference bro.

Entire page spent on immigration policy and politics. Lets back on track to talking about girls and info about mongering related issues!

[QUOTE=TheCane;2978881]There's a big difference. You're not talking apples to apples and oranges to oranges. We're not going to a foreign country and breaking their laws. Prostitution is legal in Colombia. It might be considered criminal activity in the States, but we're not doing it in the States. At least I'm not! Not the same difference bro.[/QUOTE]I get your point, but US Moral often makes apples and oranges to look as bananas (I mean that).

Basically, someone travels abroad to be free to engage in what is a crime at home country, and therefore does not consider himself a "criminal", but at the same time is very strict in pointing the finger to those who do something illegal where he lives. Fine with many, maybe.

[QUOTE=Gabacho;2978670]The literal definition of "criminal" is someone who does something "illegal".
Trump is doing exactly what we wanted him to do and that is why we voted for him.[/QUOTE]In fact, Trump has never done anything illegal in his life.

(This whole thread will not last long. Everything will be erased soon or moved to "Stupid Shit in MDE". Let's enjoy crap till it lasts.).

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978725]I hope Colmbia returns the favor and arrest all the Americans living in Colombia with expired or no visas the same way. Treat them like prisoners. Handcuff them and board them on military planes. I am sure you would agree with that treatment. Right?[/QUOTE]Why wouldn't they? Thats exactly what I would expect if the people wanted that done. Its their country and they have every right to expel whoever they please. Regardless of whether you have a visa or not to be frank. It might seem unfair to you, but that's the way it is. You come to my house, if I decide I don't want you there, you need to leave. The major difference between Colombians in the USA, and US citizens in Colombia is that US citizens bring all their money into Colombia and spend it there. Airbnbs, hotels, restaurants. Contributing to the economy. Colombians in the USA arrive and get free housing, free food, get jobs and send all their money back to Colombia. Extracting money from the US economy.

When I go to another country, I respect their rules and their culture. I don't expect to get asked to leave, but if I am asked to leave, then I would leave.

[QUOTE=Kazeu;2978906]Why wouldn't they? Thats exactly what I would expect if the people wanted that done. Its their country and they have every right to expel whoever they please. Regardless of whether you have a visa or not to be frank. It might seem unfair to you, but that's the way it is. You come to my house, if I decide I don't want you there, you need to leave. The major difference between Colombians in the USA, and US citizens in Colombia is that US citizens bring all their money into Colombia and spend it there. Airbnbs, hotels, restaurants. Contributing to the economy. Colombians in the USA arrive and get free housing, free food, get jobs and send all their money back to Colombia. Extracting money from the US economy.

When I go to another country, I respect their rules and their culture. I don't expect to get asked to leave, but if I am asked to leave, then I would leave.[/QUOTE]That's likely why they allow it. Might as well have foreigners injecting currency into the country.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2978795]Even one of Trump's favorite Repub "Tops" could not deny it:

[B]Donald Trump Just 'Technically' Violated the Law; Lindsey Graham.[/B]

[URL]https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-lindsey-graham-inspectors-general-firing-2020984[/URL]

My my my. It is almost as if Trump is planning an orgy of good old fashioned Classic Repub Waste, Fraud and Abuse in his 2nd term to exceed that in his 1st term, which is really, really, really saying a lot!

BTW, what has been happening lately to the price of gas, eggs, groceries, damn I'm glad Trump invented that word, rent, mortgage loan rates, prescription drugs, shipped items in Walmart, Target, etc, etc, etc?[/QUOTE]Maybe its time we rein in pardon powers, I couldn't agree more, much of this bullshit started with Scumbag Bubba selling one to Marc Rich (they both should of been sent to prison for that alone!

[URL]https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/biden-grants-clemency-man-convicted-1999-killing-mother-son-bridgeport/3480717/[/URL]

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2978864]Not only is it legal for undocumented immigrants claiming to seek asylum to be here, it is not automatically a crime to be an undocumented immigrant anyway:

[B]Is Being an Undocumented Immigrant a Crime?[/B]

[URL]https://www.dharlawllp.com/is-being-an-undocumented-immigrant-a-crime/[/URL]

However, I do sincerely wish and pray that every American who passes by a farm and suspects there are undocumented migrants working on that farm to please for the love of God report them to the authorities so Trump can round them up, herd them onto the biggest and most expensive military aircraft on the planet, fly them over their home country, be refused landing, fly them back to the USA, harbor them there for a few days, fly them back over their home country, rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat, all while Trump is hopping up and down Yosimite Sam mad at whatever failed Trump golf resort he happens to be at that day, droning on in his hilarious "menacing" monotone about imposing 25%-200% Trump Tariffs on the American Consumer.

The same with all the suspected restaurant workers, hotel workers, janitorial and trash collection workers, construction workers, auto mechanics, child care service workers, maids, everyone and everything, everywhere all at once.

In fact, I am damned pissed that Trump did not get 'er done on Day One like he promised for the past 4 years. By now, one full unproductive golf-filled week into it, there ought to be NO undocumented immigrants performing any jobs anywhere in the USA!

I want the American people to get absolutely everything Trump promised them and for which they either voted or permitted to come about by not voting for Kamala Harris and every other Dem up and down their ballot.

They should get exactly that ASAP because they oh so richly deserve it.[/QUOTE]I called in between 2017-2021 and I have them on speed dial again as should everyone else!

[URL]https://www.ice.gov/contact[/URL]

There are plenty of Americans living in Colombia illegally. Mostly in the Medellin area. They are living off the low cost of living. Many of which never had a job paying more than minimum wage..

IF they were deported and treated like prisoners, it will be all over the news media in the USA as the "unjust" treatment of Americans.

[QUOTE=Kazeu;2978906]Why wouldn't they? Thats exactly what I would expect if the people wanted that done. Its their country and they have every right to expel whoever they please. Regardless of whether you have a visa or not to be frank. It might seem unfair to you, but that's the way it is. You come to my house, if I decide I don't want you there, you need to leave. The major difference between Colombians in the USA, and US citizens in Colombia is that US citizens bring all their money into Colombia and spend it there. Airbnbs, hotels, restaurants. Contributing to the economy. Colombians in the USA arrive and get free housing, free food, get jobs and send all their money back to Colombia. Extracting money from the US economy.

When I go to another country, I respect their rules and their culture. I don't expect to get asked to leave, but if I am asked to leave, then I would leave.[/QUOTE]

Where did I write " foreigners doing illegal stuff " ?? I wrote about Americans overstaying their stay and taking advantage of the system.

You sure you are not smoking or snorting something ?

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2978860]It seems you are the one smoking by saying that foreigners doing illegal stuff where it concerns the USA should not face the consequences that await them. Then you come here and assume people would not have a problem with Americans doing illegal stuff in Colombia, but nobody has leaned that way. (How could you even think that anyone would?) Everyone here has said that people doing illegal shit no matter where it is should face consequences. This is not about nationality. This is about mfs breaking laws regardless of where they are from.

If you are a guest in someone's house then you be on your best behavior. If someone does not allow you into their house, then you can not sneak in and expect there to not be consequences. And the consequences at this time are only being sent back home. The man put earlier that they could have actually faced 6 months in jail and a $2000 fine. It seems they got off light, but for some reason mfs do not mind looking a gift horse in the mouth.[/QUOTE]

Here is a PDF on immigration law written by a former Immigration Judge in the United States of America:

[URL]https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/pages/attachments/2016/03/03/fundamentals_of_immigration_law_-_feb_2016.pdf[/URL]

[I]You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.[/I] ― [B]Daniel Patrick Moynihan[/B].

[QUOTE=BlackPage;2978899]In fact, Trump has never done anything illegal in his life.

(This whole thread will not last long. Everything will be erased soon or moved to "Stupid Shit in MDE". Let's enjoy crap till it lasts.).[/QUOTE]Trump was only convicted because the Biden administration weaponized the justice department and made up ficticious charges and ran a witch hunt, telling the jury to convict.

As far as I am concerned trump didn't do anything wrong and it was in fact Biden who was using the court system against a political opponent in hopes to win reelection but it backfired because the people were tilted of his failed policies and all the illegals being let into the country comminiting crimes and getting free hand outs.

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978921]There are plenty of Americans living in Colombia illegally. Mostly in the Medellin area. They are living off the low cost of living. Many of which never had a job paying more than minimum wage..

IF they were deported and treated like prisoners, it will be all over the news media in the USA as the "unjust" treatment of Americans.[/QUOTE]No it wouldn't. Nobody would care because only America and the left leaning western European 'democracies" have lost their friggin' minds. And BTW the ILLEGALS sent back to Colombia broke American immigration law for starters and commited felonies while in the USA so they were properly sent back to their HOME country. They got off lucky because if any American or any foreigner were arrested for violating the immigration laws of Colombia, they would spend a lot of time rotting in a Colombian prison and their arrest would not even be noticed in the either countries media.

Meanwhile I hear there is a deal in the works between the US and El Salvador where El Salvador will take and house (imprison) Venezuelan (nationals) illegal alien criminals if the dictator in Venezuela won't take back his own citizens. Good! Removing the 14,000,000 illegal aliens who came into the USA illegally during the Biden years and closing the border is one of the main reasons Trump won the election and flipped the Senate Republican. The American people are tired of this BS!

P.S. The stay in Mexico policy is back on too and Trump is more popular than any time in his political career. Now why don't we get back to posting about girls?

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978925]Where did I write " foreigners doing illegal stuff " ?? I wrote about Americans overstaying their stay and taking advantage of the system.

You sure you are not smoking or snorting something ?[/QUOTE]Okay. Now everyone sees that you are trolling. Americans overstaying their visas is literally foreigners doing illegal stuff. Americans are actually foreigners and it is illegal to overstay. You have done it twice now. Next you will be saying where did I write human beings exercising? I wrote about people working out.

[QUOTE=BlackPage;2978877]It is worth mentioning that the hobby practiced by me and (I assume) all members of this ISG forum is against the Law in the USA. Therefore, the US Army veteran who started this discussion is doing illegal things. Technically speaking, a "criminal"? Subject to a similar treatment?[/QUOTE]So you are saying that if the speed limit is 55 in the USA, but I go to Germany on the Autobahn where there is no speed limit and drive 75, then I am breaking the law? So you are saying that where I am from in Georgia that gambling is illegal, so if I go to Las Vegas and start gambling then I am breaking the law? So you are saying that fishing in a river without a license in the USA is against the law. So if I go to Brazil and fish in the Amazon River where there is no license needed then I am breaking the law?

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978921]There are plenty of Americans living in Colombia illegally. Mostly in the Medellin area. They are living off the low cost of living. Many of which never had a job paying more than minimum wage..

IF they were deported and treated like prisoners, it will be all over the news media in the USA as the "unjust" treatment of Americans.[/QUOTE]I doubt it. I think most Estado Unidenses would agree that they should be deported.

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978921]There are plenty of Americans living in Colombia illegally. Mostly in the Medellin area. They are living off the low cost of living. Many of which never had a job paying more than minimum wage.. IF they were deported and treated like prisoners, it will be all over the news media in the USA as the "unjust" treatment of Americans.[/QUOTE]How do you know whether an American is there legally or not? Hint: you don't. So maybe just shut the fuck up.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2978827]Because Trump was tried in the same court room. Honestly, the media coverage of this was so bad that I cannot blame your outrage. You have to read alternative sources to get to the truth.

[URL]https://freemansperspective.com/why-ross-ulbricht-must-be-pardoned/[/URL]

First of all, it was politically driven, and openly. (See here and here.) That's not a good thing, especially because it poisoned the jury pool.

Next, the FBI flatly lied about how they found Silk Road's server. See here. What they really did was almost certainly parallel construction, which is simply a way to lie to the court.

A mere two months before Ulbricht's arrest, the lead DHS investigator swore under oath that Mark Karpeles of Mt. Gox (rather than Ross) was the person running the Silk Road site. The jury, however, wasn't allowed to know this.

Around the same time, two federal agents investigating the case pled guilty to corruption related to it. But again the jury wasn't allowed to know.

The government spied on Ulbricht's Internet traffic (along with others who used the same router) without showing probable cause and without a warrant, which again became a non-issue.

Murder-for-hire charges were manufactured by federal agents then massively publicized, which poisoned public opinion, and along with it (again) the jury pool. These flamboyant charges, however, were never tried, never proved, and were quietly dropped as the case proceeded.

The defense very early admitted that Ross had created the Silk Road service, but maintained that he had handed it off to others when it got too big for him to operate himself. (Ross was a physicist, not a programmer.)

That same afternoon, I was blown away by the judge announcing that she had altered the trial transcript over the weekend. This is something that simply cannot be done in an American court, and yet, at the highly prestigious US District Court at 500 Pearl Street in lower Manhattan, I listened to a judge announce that she had done precisely that. The judge sat in her high perch and said this (which is fairly close to verbatim):

Last Thursday when agent Der-Yeghiayan was testifying under cross examination, I thought the prosecutors could have objected more. And so, over the weekend, I edited the trial transcript and removed all the testimony that could have been objected to.

The prosecution's forensic evidence, provided by an FBI agent, was far below any professional level. The tools used were bad choices, and when the metadata (the times and dates you see when you open File Manager) are exactly the same for every file, it's inescapably clear that they've been altered.

The most pathetic moment came when the prosecutors forced one of Ross's old friends to testify that Ross asked his advice when building the Silk Road site. He was testifying only because he'd be thrown in jail if he didn't, making the emotions surrounding the moment a horrifying mix of pity (the man looked like he had been tortured, minus the bruises) and disgust with a man betraying his friend to a horrible fate.

Now I'll get back to the question I asked at the beginning of this article: If you think what Ross did was a punishable offense, what sort of penalty should have been applied?

Whatever your answer, I suspect it doesn't match what the judge handed down: Ross was given as a first time, nonviolent offender who is loved by everyone who knows him two life sentences plus 40 years.

Again you'll make up your own mind, but to me that's not justice, it's a head on a pike being paraded around the castle.

End of link.

So, yeah, this was the same as the Trump case in the same locale. It is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt not guilty if you suspect someone committed a crime. And like with Trump, liars were allowed to testify and people who were telling the truth and would have cast doubt on the guilt of the accused were excluded.

I think what really got me is the federal agents corruption. They pocketed about a $1 million apiece in Bitcoin and were caught. At that point, the entire motivation for LE IMO becomes suspect. Was getting the right guy their motivation or was it lining their pockets? To me, that is huge reasonable doubt, and I am not sure they got the right guy.[/QUOTE][URL]https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/29/trump-agenda47-crime-policy-proposal/74517501007/[/URL]

I saw a picture of this scumbag being released from his cage that he should of died in, with a huge shit eating grin.

Like he WON.

I really hope someone kills him before the week is over!

I'm no fan of dirty cops and courts, but this scumbag isn't innocent.

Why not just a new trial?

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2978864]Not only is it legal for undocumented immigrants claiming to seek asylum to be here, it is not automatically a crime to be an undocumented immigrant anyway:

[B]Is Being an Undocumented Immigrant a Crime?[/B]

[URL]https://www.dharlawllp.com/is-being-an-undocumented-immigrant-a-crime/[/URL]

However, I do sincerely wish and pray that every American who passes by a farm and suspects there are undocumented migrants working on that farm to please for the love of God report them to the authorities so Trump can round them up, herd them onto the biggest and most expensive military aircraft on the planet, fly them over their home country, be refused landing, fly them back to the USA, harbor them there for a few days, fly them back over their home country, rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat, all while Trump is hopping up and down Yosimite Sam mad at whatever failed Trump golf resort he happens to be at that day, droning on in his hilarious "menacing" monotone about imposing 25%-200% Trump Tariffs on the American Consumer.

The same with all the suspected restaurant workers, hotel workers, janitorial and trash collection workers, construction workers, auto mechanics, child care service workers, maids, everyone and everything, everywhere all at once.

In fact, I am damned pissed that Trump did not get 'er done on Day One like he promised for the past 4 years. By now, one full unproductive golf-filled week into it, there ought to be NO undocumented immigrants performing any jobs anywhere in the USA!

I want the American people to get absolutely everything Trump promised them and for which they either voted or permitted to come about by not voting for Kamala Harris and every other Dem up and down their ballot.

They should get exactly that ASAP because they oh so richly deserve it.[/QUOTE]And let's not forget the Unholy Grail of illegal immigration: the meat-packing facilities.

[QUOTE]The U.S. food system is propped up by low-wage immigrant workers from farm to table. From Californias strawberry fields to Floridas orange orchards, at least [b]70 percent of the agricultural workers[/b] who harvest our crops were born outside the U.S. In our meatpacking plants, nearly [b]half of the people who slaughter, cut and package beef, pork and poultry[/b] were born elsewhere. And over a [b]quarter of the truck drivers[/b] who shuttle cows to slaughterhouses and steaks to supermarkets are foreign-born, too.[/QUOTE][URL]https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/01/23/trump-deportation-plans-food-system-00200013[/URL]

I'm so tired of this blatant hypocrisy that I too LOOK FORWARD to Trump fulfilling his pledge to end illegal immigration.

Of course, you and I and everyone else with an ounce of a brain knows it'll never happen. Illegal workers are too important to the US economy. The noise will subside, and it's going to be back to business as usual aside from broken hopes and broken families that are unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle of Trump's media blitzkrieg.

I think that is a story that would have to be hyped heavily to gain any news cycle traction. There would have to be some sort of juicy angle. Even the pedos who get deported back to the US don't stay in the news more than a day or two.

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2978921]There are plenty of Americans living in Colombia illegally. Mostly in the Medellin area. They are living off the low cost of living. Many of which never had a job paying more than minimum wage..

IF they were deported and treated like prisoners, it will be all over the news media in the USA as the "unjust" treatment of Americans.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2978827]So, yeah, this was the same as the Trump case in the same locale. It is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt not guilty if you suspect someone committed a crime. And like with Trump, liars were allowed to testify and people who were telling the truth and would have cast doubt on the guilt of the accused were excluded. [/QUOTE]

Oddly enough, I think MDS1, may have said it best [i][b](without the diatribe and REAMS of right-wing COPYRIGHT propaganda...)[/b][/i]

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2978848]He should not have been pardoned, [b]he should of been executed!![/b][/QUOTE]

Here we go with the criminal "white-collar" defense:

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2978827]I think what really got me is the federal agents corruption. They pocketed about a $1 million apiece in Bitcoin and were caught. At that point, the entire motivation for LE IMO becomes suspect. Was getting the right guy their motivation or was it lining their pockets? To me, that is huge reasonable doubt, and I am not sure they got the right guy.[/QUOTE]

Forgive me for laughing just a tad, at your response. As it's always gives me a smile and a chuckle, when conservative types and "Republican Libertarians" are pining about some guy going to jail for white-collar crime, that is supposedly "non-violent" and a "victim less" crime.

Not sure why should it come as a shock to you, that federal agents/cops would pocket some of the illicit proceeds of a crime? What, you think cops/police officers, only do it when they arrest some blue-collar street thug drug dealer or high-level street kingpin drug bust? I'm sure there's reasonable doubt in those cases too.

The way I see it, [i][b]your "reasonable doubt" argument,[/b][/i] is simply a case of, "how expensive of a suit is your lawyer wearing and how good are they at litigation, while wearing said suit"?

Note, you often bring up these moot points, as if their rich/expensive lawyers didn't get the opportunity, to defend/argue such evidentiary findings and "reasonable doubts".

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2978871]What do you make of the above? I am not an attorney. Technicalities are a wonderful thing. But can you make the case in court given the precedent of the Supreme Court ruling [B]Seila Law v CFPB (2020)[/B]?[/QUOTE]A president has the power and authority to do it, but can still be violating Federal Law if he does it for, as an example, political reasons or simply to prevent them from busting him and his administration for waste, fraud and abuse.

Consequently, and according to the report I posted:

[QUOTE]Federal law requires presidents to give Congress "substantive rationale, including detailed and case specific reasons" for the dismissals 30 days before the firings, the CIGIE said in a letter to White House personnel director Sergio Gor on Friday, per Reuters.[/QUOTE]Has Trump done that?

I assume his response would be his standard, "We're looking into that. We're looking at everything. The full report on that will be out in Two Weeks. Now, hand me my 9 iron. " weasley dodge.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2977841]Many in Europe feel shame now from jumping monkey Musk behavior. I think Tesla should fall in Europe. Do you compare Hyundai or Kia with Porsche or Audi? When I needed to improve my Audi V8 and engineerd powered with french gas from agriculture, getting more powerful and 0% pollution on technical control, to save our planet, when Tesla batteries and chineses make pollution. When he doesn t bullshit like always, but maybe he will find who killed JFK? Senile old Trump cry like a baby about USA 350 billions debt with Europe: Europe is bad with us, when for sure not buying shit USA foods to get sick and obese, when Coca and McDo make our children obese, nor USA cars which can t compete with European cars. [/QUOTE] Not sure what your overall view or statement being made is, but I would rank or rate many of the Korean and Chinese EVs, as being better or on par with that of Porsche, Audi, Toyota, Honda, Ford or GM.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2977841]Americans dream about Porsche, Audi, MB or BM, or french hands made Bugatti, or Ferrari or Maserati, when only very few Europeans dream about American cars. Rather than crying like a senile baby, he should work to improve USA products quality, when quality is not important in USA, but just money, so, don t ask others to buy your shit, when far below European standards for quality, and he has big work with Boeing.[/QUOTE]

Again, you couldn't be more wrong!

The more that both America and Europe, hang on to their legacy fallacies, that our cars, EVs, computer chips, AI or machine technology, is still better than anything China has to offer, the more devastating the disruption is likely to be, when China delivers that knockout punch and blindsides the U.S. and Europe, due to our Trumpian style arrogance and hubris.

Take the huge disruption, for example, that [b]China's DeepSeek's AI,[/b] currently just delivered to the AI sector and the NVIDIA's of the world. Look at BYD, disrupting and destroying legacy auto, like Toyota, Nissan, Stellantis and VW.

Ultimately, these disruptions will playout to the detriment of the U.S. and Europe, if they cannot step-up and be as competitive, innovative, efficient or as economical in producing these products, as China can.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2978973]Not sure what your overall view or statement being made is, but I would rank or rate many of the Korean and Chinese EVs, as being better or on par with that of Porsche, Audi, Toyota, Honda, Ford or GM.



Again, you couldn't be more wrong!

The more that both America and Europe, hang on to their legacy fallacies, that our cars, EVs, computer chips, AI or machine technology, is still better than anything China has to offer, the more devastating the disruption is likely to be, when China delivers that knockout punch and blindsides the U.S. and Europe, due to our Trumpian style arrogance and hubris.

Take the huge disruption, for example, that [b]China's DeepSeek's AI,[/b] just delivered and currently doing to AI sector and the NVIDIA's of the world and BYD disrupting and destroying legacy auto, like Toyota, Nissan, Stellantis and VW, will ultimately playout to the detriment of the U.S. and Europe, if they cannot step-up and be as competitive, innovative, efficient or as economical in producing these products, as China.[/QUOTE]BYD wouldn't even exist without IP theft from American companies, and investment from Scumbags like Larry Fink and Warren Buffet.

[URL]https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/tesla-trade-secrets-stolen-by-chinese-companys-owners-us-says[/URL]

Our Lord and Savior needs to ban both.

[URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/us/politics/trump-policy-blitz.html[/URL]

Trump's 'Flood the Zone' Strategy Leaves Opponents Gasping in Outrage.

A deliberate effort by the president and his team to roll out an unceasing flow of initiatives has knocked his rivals off balance in the first days of the new administration.

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President Trump onstage at a lectern with his arms out toward the audience.

Some Democrats have suggested that President Trump and his aides may soon run out of steam, exhausting their policy moves and eventually themselves. Credit. Kenny Holston / The New York Times.

Luke Broadwater.

By Luke Broadwater.

Reporting from Washington.

Jan. 28,2025, 6:46 pm ET.

The strategy has existed since at least 2018, when the former Trump administration strategist Stephen K. Bannon boasted of the ability to overwhelm Democrats and any media opposition through a determined effort to "flood the zone" with initiatives.

This time, the flood is bigger, wider and more brutally efficient. As President Trump begins his second term, he has enacted his agenda at breakneck speed as part of an intentional plan to knock his opponents off balance and dilute their response.

Firing inspectors general. Sweeping clemency for Jan. 6 defendants. Investigations of perceived enemies. A federal hiring freeze. Moving to end birthright citizenship. An immigration crackdown. Terminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Revoking security clearances.

On Tuesday, just when Democrats thought they might come up for air, news broke that Mr. Trump had ordered a freeze on trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans, prompting a new round of outrage.

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But the flood has had its intended disorienting effect: How can Democrats fight back when they can't catch their breath?

"It's been overwhelming sensory overload," said Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

"One moment I'm on the phone with someone who does cancer drug clinical medical trials for the government who has been slated for removal because one small part of her job is outreach to the minority community," he said. "The next moment I'm talking to lawyers at the Department of Justice and they've been slated to be involuntarily reassigned. It just doesn't stop. ".

One of the architects of Mr. Trump's rapid-pace strategy is Stephen Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff for policy, who has pushed the flood-the-zone tactic. Mr. Miller believes that those he regards as Mr. Trump's enemies have limited bandwidth for opposition, and he has told people that the goal is to overwhelm them with a blitz of activity.

"The breakneck speed is putting everyone on their heels," said Ryan Walker, the executive vice president of Heritage Action for America, a conservative advocacy group that has developed policies embraced by Mr. Trump. Mr. Walker said he had seen a "sea change from the first administration" in terms of how quickly the new administration was working.

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Some Democrats have suggested that Mr. Trump and his aides may soon run out of steam, exhausting their policy moves and eventually themselves. Mr. Raskin said Democrats needed to fight the feeling of being disoriented, weather the torrent of news and determine which policies they could actually fight in court.

"Everyone needs to maintain as much mental clarity and emotional composure as possible," he said. "We need to figure out where the administration has clearly violated the Constitution, such as with birthright citizenship, and where the courts will still work for us. In other cases, we're going to have to be creative and nimble. ".

Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, called a meeting on Wednesday to open a "comprehensive three-pronged counteroffensive" against Mr. Trump's blitz. Democrats believe the Trump administration erred badly by freezing grants relied on by many Americans, and will discuss contesting that move through legislation and a communications strategy.

"It's a little bit like drinking from a fire hose," Representative Gerald E. Connolly of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said of the pace of Mr. Trump's moves. But he said that speed is likely to cause sloppiness and mistakes.

"They're going to stumble," Mr. Connolly said. "They're going to screw up, and we're going to pounce when they do. In their haste to remake the federal government, they're going to make big, big mistakes. ".

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There was a similar feeling from advocacy groups trying to keep up with Mr. Trump's sweeping immigration changes. Within hours of taking office, Mr. Trump sought to bar asylum for people arriving at the southern border, suspend the Refugee Admissions Program and declare migrant crossings at the USA -Mexico border a national emergency. The administration welcomed news crews to ride along with federal agents as they pursued undocumented immigrants.

"The Trump administration is issuing multiple overlapping orders in an effort to have us play Whac-a-Mole. But we are prepared to do that," said Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who represented the group in many of the highest-profile cases during the first Trump administration, including a challenge to the family separation policy.

Image.

Stephen Miller on a huge screen hanging from the ceiling of a large arena.

Stephen Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff for policy, has advocated the "flood the zone" strategy. Credit. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times.

During the first Trump administration, many on the right were still learning how to use the levers of government to achieve their goals. Now they have entered office ready for a full-scale blitz.

"They were not this prepared," Mr. Walker said. "They had not done this much homework before getting into office. And importantly, they've been able to find acting folks in all of these agencies to get this stuff across the finish line, and that is a feat of personnel management that we just didn't see in the first administration. ".

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Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia and the chairwoman of new House subcommittee aiming to scale back government by working with Elon Musk's government efficiency effort, said Democrats should get used to late-night policy moves that were unknown during the Biden administration.

Mr. Trump's agenda was endorsed by the voters, Ms. Greene said, and he is working "as fast as humanly possible" to enact it.

"That requires staying up late at night," she said.

On Mr. Bannon's "War Room" podcast this weekend, his voice was filled with pride as he praised the pace of the new administration.

"If you look at the scale, the depth and the urgency, that comes from years of people working on this," he said. "This didn't happen overnight. ".

He singled out Mr. Miller for praise, before encouraging the administration to push forward relentlessly.

"All pedal, no brake. Drive it. Drive it. Drive it," he said, adding: "When you've got this kind of momentum, you do not stop, you do not think. You go, you go, you go. ".

Trump's Pandemic Part 2, dot #6.

Yes, a judge has blocked this for the moment. But it is glaringly obvious that Trump is pulling all the stops to leave Americans most likely exposed to it bare ass naked against prevention and treatment for what might very well be an emerging animal-to-human transmission and mutation of the H5 virus, among many other issues:

[B]Medicaid payment portals down after Trumps federal funding freeze.
Lawmakers and state officials say portals inaccessible for one of largest health insurance programs in US.[/B]

[URL]https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/28/trump-federal-funding-freeze-medicaid[/URL]

Trump's Administration now appears to be trying to float the idea that they had no idea what "shutting down the government" meant. Considering their astonishing ignorance about the most basic aspects of ordinary life, they might actually manage to convince a few people to accept that excuse.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2978920]I called in between 2017-2021 and I have them on speed dial again as should everyone else!

[URL]https://www.ice.gov/contact[/URL][/QUOTE]Oh, I would be calling in and reporting this very day, too!

However, it would have been stupid and counterproductive to the Great Biden / Dem Recovery of 2021-2024 from the Great Trump / Repub Economic Disaster that Biden inherited to have called in those reports from about Election Day 2020 to Election Day 2024.

During those years Biden brilliantly exploited increased immigration to stimulate the economy / recovery, knowing full well that it was helping to create more jobs, expand the economy, prevent Trump's Pandemic Inflation from getting out of control and all without increasing the crime rate by so much as a tiny tick. In fact, it coincided with Biden greatly reducing the crime rate that skyrocketed under Trump.

But now that 49.7% of the electorate wants to further elevate and enrich Trump, President Musk and their billionaire buddies at all cost and make the other 99% of Americans pay for it, it's time to really deliver the Trump Campaign promises ASAP!

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2978955]And let's not forget the Unholy Grail of illegal immigration: the meat-packing facilities.

[URL]https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/01/23/trump-deportation-plans-food-system-00200013[/URL]

I'm so tired of this blatant hypocrisy that I too LOOK FORWARD to Trump fulfilling his pledge to end illegal immigration.

Of course, you and I and everyone else with an ounce of a brain knows it'll never happen. Illegal workers are too important to the US economy. The noise will subside, and it's going to be back to business as usual aside from broken hopes and broken families that are unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle of Trump's media blitzkrieg.[/QUOTE]They are obviously picking and choosing their targets. He'll, I think many of the Trump "sweeps" are of immigrants already in holding pens waiting for a ruling on their visa. LOL.

It would be so easy to round up thousands of undocumented workers in a nanosecond if they targeted meat packing plants, Gulf of America vacation destinations, garment factories, Trump Golf Resorts, Trump Hotels, Trump Tower Office Building janitorial departments, every loading dock receiving Amazon order shipment and deliveries and so on.

Why haven't they done it?

[QUOTE=Spidy;2978973]Not sure what your overall view or statement being made is, but I would rank or rate many of the Korean and Chinese EVs, as being better or on par with that of Porsche, Audi, Toyota, Honda, Ford or GM..[/QUOTE]If you think Chinese cars and products are quality, then I can't do anything for you. They only sell just because they are cheap, but not for quality. Most USA products and foods are also low quality. I avoid to buy Chinese products, because shit quality for my standards, but also not to support shameful Chinese government, land of lies and no human rights. When USA are so scared of China, Trump had to follow justice and keep on forbidding full of bullshits tok tok, but Trump like so much bullshits he is so used to play. Also easy, do like me, don t buy Chinese shits. Then, You are not scared of them, just worrying about human rights there.

Hmm, maybe because I know of Americans that over stay there stay??

Same to you A- hole!!

[QUOTE=Huacho;2978942]How do you know whether an American is there legally or not? Hint: you don't. So maybe just shut the fuck up.[/QUOTE]

Not true, many Americans overstay their stay because they have low paying jobs back in the states and with what they have in savings they can live much better in Medellin

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2978937]Okay. Now everyone sees that you are trolling. Americans overstaying their visas is literally foreigners doing illegal stuff. Americans are actually foreigners and it is illegal to overstay. You have done it twice now. Next you will be saying where did I write human beings exercising? I wrote about people working out.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2979065]Not true, many Americans overstay their stay because they have low paying jobs back in the states and with what they have in savings they can live much better in Medellin[/QUOTE]Okay so I guess you just taught the world something new. The reason as to why a person performs an act has bearing on whether such act is considered a crime or not. Incredible.

Your post is full of inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims. Like your 14 million illegals entering the USA under Biden. According to the House Budget Committee the number is more like 1. 7 million. The rest of your post is just pure ranting and garbage. But, thank you for your contribution.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2978936]No it wouldn't. Nobody would care because only America and the left leaning western European 'democracies" have lost their friggin' minds. And BTW the ILLEGALS sent back to Colombia broke American immigration law for starters and commited felonies while in the USA so they were properly sent back to their HOME country. They got off lucky because if any American or any foreigner were arrested for violating the immigration laws of Colombia, they would spend a lot of time rotting in a Colombian prison and their arrest would not even be noticed in the either countries media.

Meanwhile I hear there is a deal in the works between the US and El Salvador where El Salvador will take and house (imprison) Venezuelan (nationals) illegal alien criminals if the dictator in Venezuela won't take back his own citizens. Good! Removing the 14,000,000 illegal aliens who came into the USA illegally during the Biden years and closing the border is one of the main reasons Trump won the election and flipped the Senate Republican. The American people are tired of this BS!

P.S. The stay in Mexico policy is back on too and Trump is more popular than any time in his political career. Now why don't we get back to posting about girls?[/QUOTE].

[QUOTE]The Constitution gives Congress the power to impeach federal officials. An official can be impeached for treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors.
The House of Representatives brings articles (charges) of impeachment against an official. Learn more about the Houses role in impeachment.
If the House adopts the articles by a simple majority vote, the official has been impeached.
The Senate holds an impeachment trial. In the case of a president, the U.S. Supreme Court chief justice presides. Learn more about the Senates role in the impeachment process.
If found guilty, the official is removed from office. They may never be able to hold elected office again.
If they are not found guilty, they may continue to serve in office.[/QUOTE]If [B]Trump[/B] committed a crime while in office. Then someone better step up and prove it. Otherwise it is just bunch of sore losers up in here beating on their keyboards.

[B]It this what the thread has to look forward for another four years?[/B]?

[B]Reality is actually quite different![/B]

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2979006]They are obviously picking and choosing their targets. He'll, I think many of the Trump "sweeps" are of immigrants already in holding pens waiting for a ruling on their visa. LOL.

It would be so easy to round up thousands of undocumented workers in a nanosecond if they targeted meat packing plants, Gulf of America vacation destinations, garment factories, Trump Golf Resorts, Trump Hotels, Trump Tower Office Building janitorial departments, every loading dock receiving Amazon order shipment and deliveries and so on.

[b]Why haven't they done it?[/b][/QUOTE][B]Is this a rhetorical question[/B]? Even if it is I am going to answer it anyway.

Because Democrats own share in those businesses. Because Democrats have constitutes that own those business. Because I think people of the United States of America are on average the most obese population on the planet. That means they like to eat.

[B]The Defense Rests![/B]

[QUOTE=Spidy;2978965]Note, you often bring up these moot points, as if their rich/expensive lawyers didn't get the opportunity, to defend/argue such evidentiary findings and "reasonable doubts".[/QUOTE]If you think there is a 99% chance someone is guilty, as a juror, you are supposed to find him not guilty.

So as a prosecutor, when you are at that level, you offer up a plea bargain with the understanding if you do not win the sentence is going to be much worse if you lose in court. That is how it is supposed to work.

MDS said he did not like a crap judge and court. OTOH, and just like with the Trump case, you thought the legal system worked perfectly.

In this case, there was a media onslaught that Ross ordered a hit. The witness most likely to help Ross was not allowed to testify. The dirty cops were not exposed for what they did. The judge ordered the record altered. The sentence was way beyond the guidelines Federal judges are supposed to follow.

If MDS hates drug dealers more than a crooked justice system, that is his right. At least he acknowledged the injustice, but you did not.

What I will never get is the arrogant monger like yourself pretending he is a law abiding citizen cheering on dirty cops, a bad prosecutor, and a biased and overly punitive judge.

Pardons are supposed to be for when the justice system went off its rails, and I think that certainly happened here. They are not for saying the convicted are innocent. Trump was right to pardon Ross.

Ross got a sentence reserved for serial killers.

While you think you are invulnerable, I took a quiz on human trafficking and got a 100% grade, The reason I got that grade is I knew the government's agenda: any sexual act can be construed as trafficking. Can it be trafficking if the woman gives consent? Oh sure it can. Can a woman be trafficked if just in one location? Of course. Can a woman be trafficked and not know she is being trafficked? You betcha.

That is something you might want to think about next time you cheer on injustice.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2979046]I avoid to buy Chinese products[/QUOTE]I buy the products that work for me. Just bought a Haier 65" OLED Smart TV. I like it so much I am going to buy the 75" next.

[QUOTE]The majority of golf clubs are produced in countries like China. Manufacturers such as PING, TaylorMade, and Callaway, for example, have facilities in China where they produce a significant portion of their clubs. Additionally, some clubs are still made in the United States, but the industry has seen a shift towards offshoring due to lower labor costs and manufacturing expenses in countries like China.[/QUOTE]Since you don't buy Chinese or American you must not play golf. But if you want to pay some real money for your clubs then you can buy these:

[QUOTE]Japanese golf clubs are similar to German cars. They have the claim of highest quality and they can call high prices which are nevertheless gladly paid. Maybe not from every golfer in the world, because golf is still not a cheap hobby and many people like to save on their equipment. But especially connoisseurs and enthusiastic players are willing to pay a little more money for Japanese golf clubs.[/QUOTE]Trust me, whatever you don't buy I am probably buying. I downloaded [U]DeepSeek[/U] and I use [U]TikTok[/U]. [B]NO FEAR![/B].

[B]ROTFLMAO![/B]

Faster than a speeding Colombian President! Lolol.

Trump sure got his snivling weak ass spanked and Super Flipped after that typically chaotic, numbskull Know Nothing, Do Nothing Repub scheme he tried to pull was met by Dem resistance and a stern talking to about the importance of this government of, by and for the American people despite Repubs' many decades of trashing it.

Damn! Got his ass flipped around faster than the President of Colombia turned Trump's USA Military aircraft around before demonstrating to Trump how a real World Leader treats human beings with decency.

But I wouldn't expect the lesson to stick for very long. Repubs love to shut down things the American people don't want to be shut down. Same as Trump shutting down businesses and schools during Trump's Pandemic Part 1, Repubs Defunding the Police and so on.

[B]White House rescinds federal funds freeze memo.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/29/white-house-rescinds-federal-funds-freeze-memo.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]The White House formally rescinded a controversial memo that had ordered a freeze on federal grants and loans.

The freeze, which had been set to take effect late Tuesday afternoon, was paused Tuesday by a federal judge to give her time to consider arguments challenging its legality.

The memo ordering the freeze had been issued by the Office of Management and Budget.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2978864]Not only is it legal for undocumented immigrants claiming to seek asylum to be here, it is not automatically a crime to be an undocumented immigrant anyway[/QUOTE]Thanks for letting us know that only 55% of illegals who entered the country illegally are criminals. That is so brilliant of you to do this PSA letting criminals know they will have legal representation at taxpayer expense if charged with a crime.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2978864]I sincerely wish and pray that every American who passes by a farm and suspects there are undocumented migrants working on that farm to please for the love of God report them to the authorities so Trump can round them up[/QUOTE][URL]https://budget.house.gov/press-release/dont-california-my-america-the-cost-of-california-policymaking[/URL]#text=Benefits%20 and%20 services%20 provided%20 to, per%20 capita%20 cost%20 of%20%247%2 C074.

Benefits and services provided to illegal aliens in California in 2022 amounted to $22,821,903,942.

Yes, thank you, illegals for only costing us $23 billion.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2978864]During those years Biden brilliantly exploited increased immigration to stimulate the economy / recovery[/QUOTE]An yes, the Newsome / Biden plan. So the plan of spending all that money on illegals and so little on water was brilliant?

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2977921]That you do not know why tells me you do not own an EV, and you have not looked into the issue, and I do not feel like educating someone like yourself who refuses to learn. Your $1. 2 trillion in tax credits tells me people are only buying EVs because they are being bribed by government. [/QUOTE]

[i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Contrary to MAGA indoctrination, talking bullshit and spreading dis/misinformation to someone, is not education. It's just BULLSHIT and lies!

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2977921]So you have stumbled onto half of the story. It is not Chinese EVs but regular cars. Cars are the second biggest asset most people own, and if you let Chinese cars in without tariffs, you will see lower inflation and consequently lower interest rates. That is a huge boon to the economy. The downside is if you let Chinese cars in you could blow up the American auto industry and risk that all the people working at GM and Ford may no longer have jobs. And if they go under, do we really want to be so dependent on China for auto transportation? [/QUOTE]

[i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Thank you for making my argument, w/r to keeping President Biden's successful IRA EV tax credit program with 1.2 trillion in tax credit incentives, that helped and benefited American consumers and legacy auto manufacturers build and drive more affordable EVs to compete with the inevitable arrival of Chinese EVs and battery technology.

Why the hell do you think, President Joe Biden's bipartisan IRA & Chips bills (that your America's Hitler now want's to scuttle), has been one America's greatest successes, in the past decade?

I know you gullible MAGA numbskulls have not been listening much, to the GREAT successes in the Biden Administration era, over the past four (4) years, but President Biden's IRA, had made America competitive again. The Biden IRA, has been so successful, even now [u]Europe is looking to create an IRA program, of their own to compete with China.[/u]

But America's Hitler and the clown show that is the Repub/MAGA admin, will ONLY doom and squander the gains made in EV & battery tech, needed to catch up with Chinese EVs, garnered by the Biden's IRA, with nonsensical "blanket" tariffs, that only serve to paint a pretty bleak picture, that America is too scared and fearful, to compete with Chinese EVs.

Just take a look at the recent news with DeepSeek's open source AI (if true), and how America's efforts to block China from buying advanced AI Chips, meant to keep their China's advancements in AI Chips & tech, at bay and behind that of the U.S. (or Europe).

But since [i][b]"necessity is the mother of invention"[/b][/i] (something the U.S., under the new regime has forgotten), has clearly driven China to get remarkably creative, innovative and in the end, build a more efficient AI, with a lot less chips/energy and wayyyyyyyy less capital. China has done it with EVs, battery tech and now AI tech. [i][b]Meanwhile, the U.S. is doing "drill baby drill"???[/b][/i]

It would behoove America, take a page outta that very same Chinese innovation-playbook and compete, innovate and produce with less, like America has always done with the help of gov't assisted programs like President Joe Biden's IRA. But I doubt that'll happen under America's Hitler!

[QUOTE=Spidy;2978710]Hacky and crappy quotes, from TV fictional characters a side, I didn't peg you for one to bury your head in the sand on clean energy solutions like the hugely successful, Energy Efficient Home Improvement tax credits for American Homeowners?

But your wrong headed position, related to EV tax credits, is very much in line with many misconceptions sounding EVs, as if legacy ICE manufacturers and fossil fuel industry have never had gov't subsides and taxes of their own, is as laughable as your Billy Bob, crappy fossil fuel industry TV-show propaganda, pining about bygone days of oil.

Meanwhile, as China smiles and laughs at the idiot in the WH, who continually condemns America to a "drill baby drill" ONLY energy policy, while they surge ahead with terawatt installations of cheaper renewables every month, that replace coal, oil, gas and even outpace nuclear.

[URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwsAf0do-yo[/URL][/QUOTE]You keep tripping on facts. You need 800 wind turbines to produce the same amount of electricity as an average nuclear plant. Wind turbines only work when the wind is blowing and require higher maintenance costs and 360 times as much land. You need 8. 5 million solar panels to provide that much energy, and that only works well if the sun is brightly shining.

I thought with you douches that getting carbon down was the big deal. If that is the case, you would want electricity from natural gas, that is assuming you know what the hell you want, and drill baby drill would be part of the solution.

And while your cheerleading China, may I point out to you the huge carbon footprints of your idiotic Democrat douche pols namely blowing up Nordstream and allowing California to burn.

Then you had the effect of the Ukraine War pushing Germany back to coal for electricity: [URL]https://www.channel4.com/news/why-is-germany-turning-back-to-coal-for-energy[/URL].

And you are wrong about China and gas, they just built a huge pipeline from Siberia to Shanghai, and they are looking to do more. The Democratic douche tag line should be make China green while making Europe black.

When Biden said, that man cannot stay in power. If he meant Germany's leader versus Putin, he would have been correct. While Russian GDP has been growing in the 3 to 4% range, Germany's has been growing around 0. 5%. Maybe Loony Tooms can say how great the Biden economic plan was. Three years later, you have Democratic douche Xpartan still claiming the Russian economy is weak.

I still do not get why you Democratic douches are not thankful that Putin ended the pandemic.

As for the masturbation fantasy about EVs, there is not enough lithium on the planet to make EV adoption widespread, the grid even in the USA could not take it if everyone had electric, and the power retained by batteries fades over time and in the cold. An EV is fine for running around town but spending hours charging your car for long hauls versus a 5 minute gas fill up is not something I would want to do.

So I was thinking that BYD is toast until getting that they have cars that use both gas and electricity to run. The gasoline is used to generate electricity and I found that interesting. So these hybrid EVs that can use gasoline can be rolled out now in mass. But yeah, that means drill baby drill is still in play.

Thing is BYD's cars are too expensive. $30,000 in Mexico and $25,000 in Chile for a car that goes for $17,000 in China? You are not making a dent in inflation with those prices.

OTOH, Chery is selling cars in Chile that are half the price of the cheapest ones in the USA. That is a game changer.

The problem with you dumb Democratic douches is you do not think. I ask Loony Tooms for his opinion on tariffs on Chinese cars, and he says nothing. He cheers immigrant contributions while not recognizing that spending money on them over abundant water was a disaster.

And you are cheerleading green policies from China while your leaders blew up Nordstream. How the hell you people can talk green after that is beyond me. And spare me the story about the drunk Ukrainians blowing up that pipeline. Yeah, I am sure you believe that.

Real economic decisions are not easy, and I think they short circuit the brains of partisan hacks like you and Tooms.

I talked to a friend of mine the other night. He is a big car guy but he also owns some rental properties. When I told him about the cheap Chinese cars and letting them in, he defended the car companies. I then told him if inflation comes down and interest rates go down, the townhomes he was looking to sell would probably sell for 20% more as with lower interest rates, he would have many more potential buyers with lower rates. Now he is having to think. It is not black-white.

So yeah, Spidy, your brain probably requires less electricity than mine. You just do a MSNBC mind meld or go to the default whatever Trump wants, I want the opposite setting. The real world is not black and white or red and blue. And if you actually read what I wrote, I criticize you all more for that than anything.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2979185] Contrary to MAGA indoctrination, talking bullshit and spreading dis/misinformation to someone, is not education. It's just BULLSHIT and lies![/QUOTE]I know you gullible MAGA numbskulls have not been listening much, to the GREAT successes in the Biden Administration era, over the past four (4) years, but President Biden's IRA, had made America competitive again. Why the hell do you think, President Joe Biden's bipartisan IRA & Chips bills (that your America's Hitler now want's to scuttle), has been one America's greatest successes.

Just take a look at the recent news with DeepSeek's open source AI (if true), and how America's efforts to block China from buying advanced AI Chips, meant to keep their China's advancements in AI Chips & tech, at bay and behind that of the USA (or Europe).

But since necessity, is the mother of invention (something the USA, under the new regime has forgotten), has clearly driven China to get remarkably creative, innovative and in the end, build a more efficient AI, with a lot less chips / energy and wayyyyyyyy less capital.

So to recap, Biden spends a shit ton of money on something, tries to prevent China from doing it, and China does that same something for much cheaper and somehow you think that makes you dumb douches smart and having produced an economic success. And MAGA folks are the ones who are "gullible numbskulls".

You cannot make this shit up.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2979046]If you think Chinese cars and products are quality, then I can't do anything for you. They only sell just because they are cheap, but not for quality. [/QUOTE]

Just love that old smug hubris!

That's the same hubris, that has Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, VW, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, GM and Stellantis, closing down factories, losing money and losing upwards of 18% market share in the world's biggest car markets, to Chinese EVs and hybrids with so called "crappy", "cheap" products and tech.

So, if China can somehow continue to take market share away from legacy auto, with today's "crappy", "cheap" EVs and hybrids...image what will happen to legacy auto, when China really decides to "ramp-up the quality and tech" and produce "top-level premium spec" EVs?

FWIW, if you haven't figured it out already, those Chinese "top-level premium spec" EVs are already here and they're certainly not at any rate, cheap-cheap! [i][b](....kkkk!)[/b][/i]

[QUOTE=IamLookin;2979088]Your post is full of inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims. Like your 14 million illegals entering the USA under Biden. According to the House Budget Committee the number is more like 1. 7 million. The rest of your post is just pure ranting and garbage. But, thank you for your contribution.

.[/QUOTE]Enough of the political BS plzzzzz. Geezus, what a bore.

Move it to the WGAF forum. 🙄

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2978795]Even one of Trump's favorite Repub "Tops" could not deny it:

[B]Donald Trump Just 'Technically' Violated the Law; Lindsey Graham.[/B]

[URL]https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-lindsey-graham-inspectors-general-firing-2020984[/URL]

My my my. It is almost as if Trump is planning an orgy of good old fashioned Classic Repub Waste, Fraud and Abuse in his 2nd term to exceed that in his 1st term, which is really, really, really saying a lot!

BTW, what has been happening lately to the price of gas, eggs, groceries, damn I'm glad Trump invented that word, rent, mortgage loan rates, prescription drugs, shipped items in Walmart, Target, etc, etc, etc?[/QUOTE]Ill bet you 50 k cash, that those fraudulent kangaroo court charges are crushed on appeal!!

[URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/nyregion/trump-criminal-conviction-appeal.html[/URL]

As Establishment Warms to Trump, Elite Law Firm Takes On His Appeal.

The involvement of Sullivan & Cromwell in the appeal of President Trump's criminal conviction underscored how New York's legal power players have moved toward Mr. Trump.

Listen to this article · 4:57 min Learn more.

Share full article.

Donald Trump behind a barrier in a courthouse hall.

President Trump is the first felon to occupy the Oval Office. He is trying to clear his name. Credit. Dave Sanders for The New York Times.

Jonah E. Bromwich.

By Jonah E. Bromwich.

Jan. 29,2025.

Updated 5:56 pm ET.

A team from one of Manhattan's most prominent law firms will handle the appeal of President Trump's criminal conviction, according to court papers filed on Wednesday that formally announced the appeal.

The team, headed by Robert Giuffra Jr. , a co-chair of Sullivan & Cromwell and one of New York's better-known appellate lawyers, adds muscle to Mr. Trump's long-anticipated attempt to overturn his conviction. He was found guilty last year on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a case brought by the Manhattan district attorney's office.

The firm's involvement underscores how New York's legal power players have warmed to the president. Mr. Trump was spurned by lawyers from major firms when he left office four years ago, but his second victory has brought about a sea change. Many large corporations and business leaders have lined up to support the second Trump administration.

"President Donald J. Trump's appeal is important for the rule of law, New York's reputation as a global business, financial and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials," Mr. Giuffra said in a statement. "The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan the. A. To target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent. ".

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A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, declined to comment.

In a seven-week trial last spring, the district attorney's office persuaded a jury that the president had approved the falsification of records to disguise a scheme to hide three potentially damaging stories from the public during his first White House run in 2016.

To conceal the last of those stories, prosecutors argued, Mr. Trump dispatched his fixer at the time, Michael the. Cohen, to pay hush money to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who told the jury her story of sex with Mr. Trump.

Mr. Cohen was then reimbursed in 2017, leaving a paper trail of 34 documents that prosecutors said were false business records.

Mr. Trump's defense lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, fought the conviction, but the president has named both men to high positions in the USA Justice Department. Now, Mr. Giuffra will face off against the district attorney's head of appeals, Steven Wu, as the case is heard by a midlevel appeals court in Manhattan.

The case presents various issues for the court. Falsifying business records is a felony only if the records were faked to conceal a second crime. In Mr. Trump's case, prosecutors argued that second crime was a violation of state election law that prohibits a conspiracy to promote a candidacy "by unlawful means. ".

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That complex legal theory was approved by the trial judge, Juan M. Merchan, and a federal judge who evaluated the case, Alvin K. Hellerstein, took no issue with it. But it may be vulnerable to the scrutiny of appellate judges.

Trump Administration: Live Updates.

Updated.

Jan. 29,2025, 9:12 pm ET2 hours ago.

A Silicon Valley deal maker is expected to join the Trump administration.

Far from Colombia, Trump's measures caused chaos at airports.

Trump says the USA Will hold migrants at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.

Mr. Trump's lawyers have also argued that the Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity last summer — a decision that fatally delayed a federal criminal case in which Mr. Trump was accused of working to overturn the 2020 election — invalidates some of the trial evidence.

Another vulnerability may spring from Ms. Daniels's testimony. After her first morning on the stand, Mr. Trump's lawyers moved for a mistrial, arguing that her graphic testimony about sex with their client had prejudiced the jury. Justice Merchan said that while he agreed that Ms. Daniels had said things "that would probably have been better left unsaid," a mistrial was not warranted.

This month, Justice Merchan sentenced Mr. Trump, but gave him what is known as an unconditional discharge. The sentence carries no penalty, but formalized the president's status as a felon. That status will stand until the appeal is decided.

Mr. Giuffra, and the other four Sullivan & Cromwell lawyers handling the appeal — Matthew Schwartz, James McDonald, Jeffrey Wall and Morgan Ratner — all clerked at the Supreme Court and are partners at the firm. Mr. Wall is the former acting USA Solicitor general and Ms. Ratner worked in the solicitor general's office, where she argued multiple Supreme Court cases.

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The group's decision to take on the appeal is the latest link between Sullivan & Cromwell and the president. Mr. Trump named Jay Clayton, a former partner who is currently of counsel at the firm, as his pick to lead the USA Attorney's office in Manhattan.

The posture of the firm echoes that taken by high-profile business leaders across the country. But it is not wholly without risk: Some clients might look askance at any affiliation with a polarizing president.

Mr. Giuffra, who donated to Mr. Trump's campaign and other Republican causes, was under consideration to represent Mr. Trump during his first term, but ultimately did not join his legal team.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2979185][i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Contrary to MAGA indoctrination, talking bullshit and spreading dis/misinformation to someone, is not education. It's just BULLSHIT and lies!



[i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Thank you for making my argument, w/r to keeping President Biden's successful IRA EV tax credit program with 1.2 trillion in tax credit incentives, that helped and benefited American consumers and legacy auto manufacturers build and drive more affordable EVs to compete with the inevitable arrival of Chinese EVs and battery technology.

Why the hell do you think, President Joe Biden's bipartisan IRA & Chips bills (that your America's Hitler now want's to scuttle), has been one America's greatest successes, in the past decade?

I know you gullible MAGA numbskulls have not been listening much, to the GREAT successes in the Biden Administration era, over the past four (4) years, but President Biden's IRA, had made America competitive again. The Biden IRA, has been so successful, even now [u]Europe is looking to create an IRA program, of their own to compete with China.[/u]

But America's Hitler and the clown show that is the Repub/MAGA admin, will ONLY doom and squander the gains made in EV & battery tech, needed to catch up with Chinese EVs, garnered by the Biden's IRA, with nonsensical "blanket" tariffs, that only serve to paint a pretty bleak picture, that America is too scared and fearful, to compete with Chinese EVs.

Just take a look at the recent news with DeepSeek's open source AI (if true), and how America's efforts to block China from buying advanced AI Chips, meant to keep their China's advancements in AI Chips & tech, at bay and behind that of the U.S. (or Europe).

But since [i][b]"necessity is the mother of invention"[/b][/i] (something the U.S., under the new regime has forgotten), has clearly driven China to get remarkably creative, innovative and in the end, build a more efficient AI, with a lot less chips/energy and wayyyyyyyy less capital. China has done it with EVs, battery tech and now AI tech. [i][b]Meanwhile, the U.S. is doing "drill baby drill"???[/b][/i]

It would behoove America, take a page outta that very same Chinese innovation-playbook and compete, innovate and produce with less, like America has always done with the help of gov't assisted programs like President Joe Biden's IRA. But I doubt that'll happen under America's Hitler![/QUOTE]You sound so like the typical American HATING Democrat, I'm guessing you're probably not hetero, probably not Christian maybe not European heritage?

Hey are you also ET in this thread?

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979240]Ill bet you 50 k cash, that those fraudulent kangaroo court charges are crushed on appeal!!

[URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/nyregion/trump-criminal-conviction-appeal.html[/URL]

As Establishment Warms to Trump, Elite Law Firm Takes On His Appeal.

The involvement of Sullivan & Cromwell in the appeal of President Trump's criminal conviction underscored how New York's legal power players have moved toward Mr. Trump.

Listen to this article 4:57 min Learn more.

Share full article.

Donald Trump behind a barrier in a courthouse hall.

President Trump is the first felon to occupy the Oval Office. He is trying to clear his name. Credit. Dave Sanders for The New York Times.

Jonah E. Bromwich.

By Jonah E. Bromwich.

Jan. 29,2025.

Updated 5:56 pm ET.

A team from one of Manhattan's most prominent law firms will handle the appeal of President Trump's criminal conviction, according to court papers filed on Wednesday that formally announced the appeal.

The team, headed by Robert Giuffra Jr. , a co-chair of Sullivan & Cromwell and one of New York's better-known appellate lawyers, adds muscle to Mr. Trump's long-anticipated attempt to overturn his conviction. He was found guilty last year on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a case brought by the Manhattan district attorney's office.

The firm's involvement underscores how New York's legal power players have warmed to the president. Mr. Trump was spurned by lawyers from major firms when he left office four years ago, but his second victory has brought about a sea change. Many large corporations and business leaders have lined up to support the second Trump administration.

"President Donald J. Trump's appeal is important for the rule of law, New York's reputation as a global business, financial and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials," Mr. Giuffra said in a statement. "The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan the. A. To target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent. ".

Advertisement.

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT.

A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, declined to comment.

In a seven-week trial last spring, the district attorney's office persuaded a jury that the president had approved the falsification of records to disguise a scheme to hide three potentially damaging stories from the public during his first White House run in 2016.

To conceal the last of those stories, prosecutors argued, Mr. Trump dispatched his fixer at the time, Michael the. Cohen, to pay hush money to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who told the jury her story of sex with Mr. Trump.

Mr. Cohen was then reimbursed in 2017, leaving a paper trail of 34 documents that prosecutors said were false business records.

Mr. Trump's defense lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, fought the conviction, but the president has named both men to high positions in the USA Justice Department. Now, Mr. Giuffra will face off against the district attorney's head of appeals, Steven Wu, as the case is heard by a midlevel appeals court in Manhattan.

The case presents various issues for the court. Falsifying business records is a felony only if the records were faked to conceal a second crime. In Mr. Trump's case, prosecutors argued that second crime was a violation of state election law that prohibits a conspiracy to promote a candidacy "by unlawful means. ".

Editors' Picks.

Flu Season Is in Full Swing. When Do You Need Tamiflu?

A Black History of the Color Blue.

Why Every Best Actress Nominee Has a Solid Shot at the Oscar.

Advertisement.

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT.

That complex legal theory was approved by the trial judge, Juan M. Merchan, and a federal judge who evaluated the case, Alvin K. Hellerstein, took no issue with it. But it may be vulnerable to the scrutiny of appellate judges.

Trump Administration: Live Updates.

Updated.

Jan. 29,2025, 9:12 pm ET2 hours ago.

A Silicon Valley deal maker is expected to join the Trump administration.

Far from Colombia, Trump's measures caused chaos at airports.

Trump says the USA Will hold migrants at Guantnamo Bay in Cuba.

Mr. Trump's lawyers have also argued that the Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity last summer a decision that fatally delayed a federal criminal case in which Mr. Trump was accused of working to overturn the 2020 election invalidates some of the trial evidence.

Another vulnerability may spring from Ms. Daniels's testimony. After her first morning on the stand, Mr. Trump's lawyers moved for a mistrial, arguing that her graphic testimony about sex with their client had prejudiced the jury. Justice Merchan said that while he agreed that Ms. Daniels had said things "that would probably have been better left unsaid," a mistrial was not warranted.

This month, Justice Merchan sentenced Mr. Trump, but gave him what is known as an unconditional discharge. The sentence carries no penalty, but formalized the president's status as a felon. That status will stand until the appeal is decided.

Mr. Giuffra, and the other four Sullivan & Cromwell lawyers handling the appeal Matthew Schwartz, James McDonald, Jeffrey Wall and Morgan Ratner all clerked at the Supreme Court and are partners at the firm. Mr. Wall is the former acting USA Solicitor general and Ms. Ratner worked in the solicitor general's office, where she argued multiple Supreme Court cases.

Advertisement.

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT.

The group's decision to take on the appeal is the latest link between Sullivan & Cromwell and the president. Mr. Trump named Jay Clayton, a former partner who is currently of counsel at the firm, as his pick to lead the USA Attorney's office in Manhattan.

The posture of the firm echoes that taken by high-profile business leaders across the country. But it is not wholly without risk: Some clients might look askance at any affiliation with a polarizing president.

Mr. Giuffra, who donated to Mr. Trump's campaign and other Republican causes, was under consideration to represent Mr. Trump during his first term, but ultimately did not join his legal team.[/QUOTE]Even with 34 State Felony convictions at stake, Repub King Trump could simply order every possible judge, jury member and witness to be killed, essentially nullifying any possibility of his OJ Simpson-like "Dream Team's" challenge being dismissed. Then, ultimately the MAGA Repub 6 on the SCOTUS would rule in his or any other Repub's favor for having "won" a State criminal case that way.

So?

LOL. Got to love MAGA-think assuming Trump's unprecedented presidential Lawfare attacks on his political, personal and business opponents somehow miraculously stopped or would be lessened in his 2nd Trump's Pandemic term.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2979193]Just love that old smug hubris!

That's the same hubris, that has Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, VW, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, GM and Stellantis, closing down factories, losing money and losing upwards of 18% market share in the world's biggest car markets, to Chinese EVs and hybrids with so called "crappy", "cheap" products and tech.

So, if China can somehow continue to take market share away from legacy auto, with today's "crappy", "cheap" EVs and hybrids...image what will happen to legacy auto, when China really decides to "ramp-up the quality and tech" and produce "top-level premium spec" EVs?

FWIW, if you haven't figured it out already, those Chinese "top-level premium spec" EVs are already here and they're certainly not at any rate, cheap-cheap! [i][b](....kkkk!)[/b][/i][/QUOTE]But China is not able to produce quality on my Western European standard. Their growing business is just because cheap and more and more people, in Europe and USA, with less and less money. And tok tok propaganda also help a lot Chinese business, even senile Trump is not able to understand. He lost versus China, when not following justice decision on his arrival and despite talking so much, but still war in Ukraine and big problems in Gaza, when he failed to play David Copperfield. Only looking like white rabbit.

Faster than a speeding Colombian President! Lolol.

Trump sure got his snivling weak ass spanked and Super Flipped after that typically chaotic, numbskull Know Nothing, Do Nothing Repub scheme he tried to pull was met by Dem resistance and a stern talking to about the importance of this government of, by and for the American people despite Repubs' many decades of trashing it.

Damn! Got his ass flipped around faster than the President of Colombia turned Trump's USA Military aircraft around before demonstrating to Trump how a real World Leader treats human beings with decency.

But I wouldn't expect the lesson to stick for very long. Repubs love to shut down things the American people don't want to be shut down. Same as Trump shutting down businesses and schools during Trump's Pandemic Part 1, Repubs Defunding the Police and so on.

[be]White House rescinds federal funds freeze memo.

No Way not more lies from Bangkok Bob.

[URL]https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/2025/01/28/colombias-president-refutes-rumors-he-wrote-anti-trump-rant-while-he-was-drunk/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/26/colombias-petro-goes-on-unhinged-rant-at-trump-threatens-tariffs-if-you-know-anyone-stubborn-thats-me/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/26/colombias-petro-backs-down-sending-personal-plane-to-pick-up-migrants-after-trump-announced-sanctions/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.breitbart.com/news/colombians-deported-from-us-after-trump-spat-arrive-in-bogota/[/URL]

[URL][URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/29/white-house-rescinds-federal-funds-freeze-memo.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL][/QUOTE][/URL]

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979324]Faster than a speeding Colombian President!
[/QUOTE]So the president of Colombia showed Trump how Real World Leaders do it for a fraction of the cost.

Gee, I sure hope it doesn't turn out that Blackhawk Helicopter flight wasn't compromised by short staffing caused by Trump's Emergency Military Aircraft transport of 3 nail salon workers back to their family home in Tijuana.

BTfuckingW, please learn how to post quotes and links on this site. It took so many attempts to simply reply to your chaotic mess of a post without it being blocked for one glitch after another I had to just wipe out all of it except your name and my first line.

President Musk's assistant Donald J. Trump has officially declared that he fixed everything with the FAA and Air Traffic Controllers back in 2017 but then President Joe Biden destroyed everything he fixed in 2021 and that those horrific conditions still exist because all the fixes for the FAA and Air Traffic Controllers he put back in 3 days ago have obviously not been put in yet!

So, for the love of God spread the word to everyone, everywhere all around the world NOT to fly into the USA, out of the USA or anywhere inside the USA now or in the near future because it can not possibly be safe to do so based on what Assistant Donald J. Trump has just declared!

According to Assistant Trump, the people running the FAA and performing Air Traffic Control on ALL flights simply do not have the "brain power" to keep aircraft at different "heights" and they all WILL, not might, WILL crash into each other all over the country until further notice!

That includes all commercial passenger and cargo plane flights. Everything. Everywhere. Immediately. NO shipments of any goods or flights should be taken by any passengers anywhere until a full investigation of everything everywhere has been made and all conclusions and findings are final.

It is UNKNOWN how long this might take. So, until further notice, cancel all flights and don't even think about buying a plane ticket, entering an airport or ordering anything that might be shipped by Air.

Leadership.

All the best people.

All the best words.

Brain-power.

Elections have consequences.

Thank you for your vote.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2979068]Okay so I guess you just taught the world something new. The reason as to why a person performs an act has bearing on whether such act is considered a crime or not. Incredible.[/QUOTE][URL]https://insider.si.edu/2012/03/ice-age-mariners-from-europe-were-the-first-people-to-reach-north-america/[/URL]

We already know Trump's Tariff Talk Talk Talk over the past couple of months has produced highter mortgage loan rates, making it more expensive for the American Working Men and Women to achieve the American Dream of owning a home.

Now we see that growing problem producing its predictable result:

[B]Pending home sales drop sharply in December as mortgage rates surge above 7%.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/30/december-pending-home-sales-drop-as-mortgage-rates-surge.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]Pending home sales dropped sharply in December as mortgage rates climbed.

[B]The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage went from a low of 6.68% on Dec. 6 to a high of 7.14% on Dec. 19.[/b]

Pending sales fell in all regions, with the West and Northeast seeing the biggest monthly drops at decreases of 8.1% and 10.3%, respectively.
..........
[B]Homes are also selling at the slowest rate in five years[/b], according to a new report from Redfin. As of the four weeks ending Jan. 26, the typical home listing that went under contract sat on the market for 54 days before the seller accepted an offer, the longest span [b]since March 2020[/b] and a week longer than this time last year.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2979381]We already know Trump's Tariff Talk Talk Talk over the past couple of months has produced highter mortgage loan rates, making it more expensive for the American Working Men and Women to achieve the American Dream of owning a home.[/QUOTE]Owning a home is NOT a dream. It is a nightmare. Personal ownership of a home is not an asset it is a liability. This most basic lack of understanding is the cause for why the wage earner is finding it harder to make ends meet.

But those who are schooled in the world of digital assets are finding that they have access to all of the techniques that rich have been using for years at whatever level of investment is available to them. President Trump is going to make the United States of America great for crypto!

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2979006]They are obviously picking and choosing their targets. He'll, I think many of the Trump "sweeps" are of immigrants already in holding pens waiting for a ruling on their visa. LOL.

It would be so easy to round up thousands of undocumented workers in a nanosecond if they targeted meat packing plants, Gulf of America vacation destinations, garment factories, Trump Golf Resorts, Trump Hotels, Trump Tower Office Building janitorial departments, every loading dock receiving Amazon order shipment and deliveries and so on.

Why haven't they done it?[/QUOTE]Or better yet, how about prosecuting business owners who hire illegals, which is -- and that's really funny -- AGAINST THE LAW? Has anyone ever heard about any criminal prosecutions against individuals who by law are required to verify the immigration status of their employees? I wonder where said prosecutors could start. May I suggest the door leading to the Oval Office, LOL?

Seriously, if they prosecuted just a dozen of meat packing or golf resort owners, the chilling effects of these arrests would reverberate across the nation and cause mass exodus of the undocumented aliens. It would furthermore SEVERELY lower the number of illegals who'd want to cross the borders. The wall will become completely unnecessary. Of course, ALL RETAIL PRICES in this country would shut up almost immediately, and Uncle Donny would have to look for new scapegoats to feed to his dumb, illiterate followers.

If the undocumented had any idea of the grip they have on the US economy, they would mass up on the border and demand collective bargaining contracts. They would further demand limos, copters and luxury boats to take them across the borders. Along with some hoes to keep them company.

Tell me again how MAGA crowd is not a bunch of foolish, nave, brainwashed losers. Maybe they could replace those bad hombres for all the highly desirable jobs they're stealing from American workers, like meat packing and picking fruit.

[B]What mass deportation would mean for the workforce[/B]

[URL]https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-shift/2024/08/19/what-mass-deportation-would-mean-for-the-workforce-00174543[/URL]

Fucking disgusting hypocrites!

Now, see, Assistant Trump appointees Goetz, Hegseth, RFK Jr and so on are the perfect examples for what Assistant Trump meant when he said appointments and hires for important life or death jobs must not be DEI hires but instead must come from a genetic pool of "brilliant" "geniuses" with the "brain power" to never make a mistake:

[B]RFK Jr. Stumbles over Medicare, Medicaid basics during Senate hearings.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/30/rfk-jr-struggles-with-medicare-medicaid-basics-in-senate-hearings.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trumps pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, appeared to be unfamiliar with basic elements of the Medicare and Medicaid programs during his second Senate confirmation hearing.

If confirmed, Kennedy will lead a $1.7 trillion agency that oversees a slew of federal health agencies, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Kennedy struggled to identify and explain the fundamental aspects of Medicare, which provides coverage to older and disabled Americans.[/QUOTE]On top of which, it is now abundantly clear how important factors like a lucid, vigorous and healthy visual presentation as well as a clear, firm and confidence-building vocal delivery are to these jobs. None more perfectly exemplified than in the RFK Jr nomination confirmation hearings. Trump's RFK Jr nomination should be the template. And Kash Patel's. We can't have old men looking old and occasionally stuttering in these jobs.

Never, never, never again should DEI hires and presidencies lead to some of the worst American disasters over the past 150 plus years. Not while that big Northern California and Canadian water faucet was right there to be turned to the "on" position by a genetically appropriate leader while some silly genetically inappropriate leader did not even know that big water faucet exists!

After all, nobody should ever forget the DEI hires and presidencies responsible for historic disasters such as:

The Chicago Fire of 1871.

The San Francisco Fire of 1906.

The Sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

The Crash of 1929 and The Great Depression.

The Attack on 9/11.

The Financial Crash of 2008.

Trump's Pandemic of 2020.

'Nuff said.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2979381]We already know Trump's Tariff Talk Talk Talk over the past couple of months has produced highter mortgage loan rates, making it more expensive for the American Working Men and Women to achieve the American Dream of owning a home.

Now we see that growing problem producing its predictable result:

[B]Pending home sales drop sharply in December as mortgage rates surge above 7%.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/30/december-pending-home-sales-drop-as-mortgage-rates-surge.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL][/QUOTE]Typical Bagdad Bob BS! Who was president in December 2024? No, I mean I know Biden was listed as president, but who was actually running things?

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2979112]If you think there is a 99% chance someone is guilty, as a juror, you are supposed to find him not guilty.

So as a prosecutor, when you are at that level, you offer up a plea bargain with the understanding if you do not win the sentence is going to be much worse if you lose in court. That is how it is supposed to work.

MDS said he did not like a crap judge and court. OTOH, and just like with the Trump case, you thought the legal system worked perfectly.

In this case, there was a media onslaught that Ross ordered a hit. The witness most likely to help Ross was not allowed to testify. The dirty cops were not exposed for what they did. The judge ordered the record altered. The sentence was way beyond the guidelines Federal judges are supposed to follow.

If MDS hates drug dealers more than a crooked justice system, that is his right. At least he acknowledged the injustice, but you did not.

What I will never get is the arrogant monger like yourself pretending he is a law abiding citizen cheering on dirty cops, a bad prosecutor, and a biased and overly punitive judge.

Pardons are supposed to be for when the justice system went off its rails, and I think that certainly happened here. They are not for saying the convicted are innocent. Trump was right to pardon Ross.

Ross got a sentence reserved for serial killers.

While you think you are invulnerable, I took a quiz on human trafficking and got a 100% grade, The reason I got that grade is I knew the government's agenda: any sexual act can be construed as trafficking. Can it be trafficking if the woman gives consent? Oh sure it can. Can a woman be trafficked if just in one location? Of course. Can a woman be trafficked and not know she is being trafficked? You betcha.

That is something you might want to think about next time you cheer on injustice.[/QUOTE]They will do real FBI work and no more reverse stings to arrest mongers on their lunch break in major cities all over the country.

When Democrats are in the White House.

[URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cxr4lfWMa0[/URL]

I can t understand how so many millions, even Black and Latinos, could believe all Trump bullshits and his fool. From abroad, people who are democrats seem more brained than Trump followers. Bullshiting and lying is not so productive and women rights should even return back in middle age. Pity.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2979467]Typical Bagdad Bob BS! Who was president in December 2024? No, I mean I know Biden was listed as president, but who was actually running things?[/QUOTE]I have posted links for reports and reports have been coming in right along for how President-Elect Musk's Assistant Donald Trump's constant talk and threats to impose across-the-board Tariff Taxes on the American Consumer were already raising prices on goods and, yes, on Bank Mortgage Loan rates in mere anticipation of him taking office and possibly keeping his promises:

Post #16845.

[URL]http://www.internationalsexguide.nl/forum/showthread.php?2467-American-Politics&p=2973876[/URL]#post2973876.

Post #16627.

[URL]http://www.internationalsexguide.nl/forum/showthread.php?2467-American-Politics&p=2967800[/URL]#post2967800.

Post #16252.

[URL]http://www.internationalsexguide.nl/forum/showthread.php?2467-American-Politics&p=2960978[/URL]#post2960978.

Here is a repost of a particular Favorite of Mine:

Hey, congratulations, MAGAs, admitted Repubs, pretend Bothsider / Neithersiders, pretend Independents and any other suckers who didn't vote all Dem straight down your ballot this year!

There is now no doubt about it; the assistant to the assistant to the assistant Presidents-elect, Donald J. Trump, has definitely increased the cost of cargo containers and shipments, which will be added to the price of all those goods and products to be paid for by the American Consumer and no one else AND the cost of the "American Dream" of owning a home, an added cost that typically extends throughout the decades of most borrowers' mortgage loan.

And he has done that just by flappin' his yappy pie-hole over and over again about keeping his economically disastrous campaign promises, even before he takes his Lie of Office and even if he realizes he hasn't got the slightest clue how to do anything nor the slightest bit of energy to do it and decides to just play lots and lots and lots of golf for the next for years and nothing else:

[B]The Fed cut interest rates but mortgage costs jumped. Here's why[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/20/why-mortgage-rates-jumped-despite-fed-interest-rate-cut.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut interest rates for the third time in 2024. Despite the move, mortgage rates increased.

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage spiked to 6.72% for the week ending Dec. 19, a day after the Fed meeting, according to Freddie Mac data via the Fed. That is up from 6.60% from a week prior.
.........
To understand that disconnect, it is important to remember that mortgage rates closely follow the Treasury yields and are only slightly affected by the federal funds rate. [B]Mortgage rates climbed in November as the bond market reacted to Donald Trumps election win.
..........
"That, in conjunction with Trumps desired policies on tariffs, immigration and tax cuts which are all inflationary spooked the bond market"[/b], Cohn said.[/QUOTE]It could very well turn out that adding at least 20% to the cost of everything is the only campaign promise Donald J. Trump keeps.

Oh well.

And more, going back to within days of Trump squeaking out that razor-thin win thanks solely to a relative handful of angry Muslims across 3 swing states. Oh, and amid growing evidence of historic Dem ballot destruction by Repubs:

[B]Trumps economic agenda for his second term is clouding the outlook for mortgage rates.
November 13, 2024[/B]

[URL]https://apnews.com/article/trump-mortgage-rates-housing-real-estate-inflation-yields-5b425a1608e3a9bbd9859b8a1690ece6[/URL]

[QUOTE]Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including moves in the yield for U.S. 10-year Treasury bonds, which lenders use as a guide to price home loans. Treasury yields rose in recent weeks even after the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate, which influences rates on all types of loans including mortgages. Investors appeared to question how far the Fed should cut rates given the strength of the economy.

Then yields surged further immediately after Trumps victory, sending the average rate on a 30-year mortgage up to 6.79%, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac.

"Given what were seeing in bond markets, investors are expecting higher rates under a Trump administration and are starting to position in that direction already, said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. So, if overall rates are higher, that would tend to also mean that mortgage rates would move higher, too.

Trump says he wants to impose tariffs on foreign goods, lower tax rates and lighten regulations, policies that could rev up the economy, but also fuel inflation and increase U.S. government debt and, say some economists, lead to higher interest rates and in turn higher mortgage rates.

[B]"Trumps fiscal policies can be expected to lead to rising and more unpredictable mortgage rates through the end of this year and into 2025,[/b] said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist with Bright MLS, who no longer forecasts the average rate on a 30-year home loan to dip below 6% next year.[/QUOTE]Yep. That definitely means BEFORE he took his Lie of Office.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2979467]Typical Bagdad Bob BS! Who was president in December 2024? No, I mean I know Biden was listed as president, but who was actually running things?[/QUOTE]Who?

You always know everything, why don't you enlighten us?

Someone is always sitting in the White House when planes crash. You sure you want to play this game?

Tell you what. Since I'm not a MAGA moron, I won't blame your boy for this disaster because of what his executive orders did. I also won't blame that purebred asshole for being the shittiest human being alive after Putin. That's pointless, like blaming Trump for being Trump.

I WILL, however, blame him for all the future air disasters his executive orders will cause. And yes, there will be disasters, just give it some time.

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2979424]Or better yet, how about prosecuting business owners who hire illegals, which is -- and that's really funny -- AGAINST THE LAW? Has anyone ever heard about any criminal prosecutions against individuals who by law are required to verify the immigration status of their employees? I wonder where said prosecutors could start. May I suggest the door leading to the Oval Office, LOL?

Seriously, if they prosecuted just a dozen of meat packing or golf resort owners, the chilling effects of these arrests would reverberate across the nation and cause mass exodus of the undocumented aliens. It would furthermore SEVERELY lower the number of illegals who'd want to cross the borders. The wall will become completely unnecessary. Of course, ALL RETAIL PRICES in this country would shut up almost immediately, and Uncle Donny would have to look for new scapegoats to feed to his dumb, illiterate followers.

If the undocumented had any idea of the grip they have on the US economy, they would mass up on the border and demand collective bargaining contracts. They would further demand limos, copters and luxury boats to take them across the borders. Along with some hoes to keep them company.

Tell me again how MAGA crowd is not a bunch of foolish, nave, brainwashed losers. Maybe they could replace those bad hombres for all the highly desirable jobs they're stealing from American workers, like meat packing and picking fruit.

[B]What mass deportation would mean for the workforce[/B]

[URL]https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-shift/2024/08/19/what-mass-deportation-would-mean-for-the-workforce-00174543[/URL]

Fucking disgusting hypocrites![/QUOTE][B]Why do normal people, "libs" according to MAGAs, think Trump supporters are stupid:[/B]

[URL]https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ApqRXhuLQ/[/URL]

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2979424]Or better yet, how about prosecuting business owners who hire illegals, which is -- and that's really funny -- AGAINST THE LAW? Has anyone ever heard about any criminal prosecutions against individuals who by law are required to verify the immigration status of their employees? I wonder where said prosecutors could start. May I suggest the door leading to the Oval Office, LOL?

Seriously, if they prosecuted just a dozen of meat packing or golf resort owners, the chilling effects of these arrests would reverberate across the nation and cause mass exodus of the undocumented aliens. It would furthermore SEVERELY lower the number of illegals who'd want to cross the borders. The wall will become completely unnecessary. Of course, ALL RETAIL PRICES in this country would shut up almost immediately, and Uncle Donny would have to look for new scapegoats to feed to his dumb, illiterate followers.

If the undocumented had any idea of the grip they have on the US economy, they would mass up on the border and demand collective bargaining contracts. They would further demand limos, copters and luxury boats to take them across the borders. Along with some hoes to keep them company.

Tell me again how MAGA crowd is not a bunch of foolish, nave, brainwashed losers. Maybe they could replace those bad hombres for all the highly desirable jobs they're stealing from American workers, like meat packing and picking fruit.[/QUOTE]Liars and Hypocrites?

I hate both parties, I am 100% moderate centrist, but to call the GOP liars and hypocrites coming from your side is a bit much don't you think.

I will say the GOP isn't perfect but they generally have more character, especially with things like telling the truth.

Sure some of them lie here and there in DC ala when in Rome.

But the Democrats are the least honest motherfuckers on the PLANET they lie about everything 24/7 365!!

You know it I know it as does anyone on the planet with an IQ over 60,ie just look at a few posts from Spidy or ET any day of the week.

Spewing their keyboard diarrhea 24/7 on ISG.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2979518]I have posted links for reports and reports have been coming in right along for how President-Elect Musk's Assistant Donald Trump's constant talk and threats to impose across-the-board Tariff Taxes on the American Consumer were already raising prices on goods and, yes, on Bank Mortgage Loan rates in mere anticipation of him taking office and possibly keeping his promises:[/QUOTE]Ah, let's see what were mortgage rates in 2021? Hmmm.

[URL]https://themortgagereports.com/61853/30-year-mortgage-rates-chart[/URL]#historical.

Ah 2. 96%.

And today?

6. 95%.

And what does Loony Tooms say?

It is all Trump's fault.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2979518]I have posted links for reports and reports have been coming in right along for how President-Elect Musk's Assistant Donald Trump's constant talk and threats to impose across-the-board Tariff Taxes on the American Consumer were already raising prices on goods and, yes, on Bank Mortgage Loan rates in mere anticipation of him taking office and possibly keeping his promises:

Post #16845.

[URL]http://www.internationalsexguide.nl/forum/showthread.php?2467-American-Politics&p=2973876[/URL]#post2973876.

Post #16627.

[URL]http://www.internationalsexguide.nl/forum/showthread.php?2467-American-Politics&p=2967800[/URL]#post2967800.

Post #16252.

[URL]http://www.internationalsexguide.nl/forum/showthread.php?2467-American-Politics&p=2960978[/URL]#post2960978.

Here is a repost of a particular Favorite of Mine:

Hey, congratulations, MAGAs, admitted Repubs, pretend Bothsider / Neithersiders, pretend Independents and any other suckers who didn't vote all Dem straight down your ballot this year!

There is now no doubt about it; the assistant to the assistant to the assistant Presidents-elect, Donald J. Trump, has definitely increased the cost of cargo containers and shipments, which will be added to the price of all those goods and products to be paid for by the American Consumer and no one else AND the cost of the "American Dream" of owning a home, an added cost that typically extends throughout the decades of most borrowers' mortgage loan.

And he has done that just by flappin' his yappy pie-hole over and over again about keeping his economically disastrous campaign promises, even before he takes his Lie of Office and even if he realizes he hasn't got the slightest clue how to do anything nor the slightest bit of energy to do it and decides to just play lots and lots and lots of golf for the next for years and nothing else:

[B]The Fed cut interest rates but mortgage costs jumped. Here's why[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/20/why-mortgage-rates-jumped-despite-fed-interest-rate-cut.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

It could very well turn out that adding at least 20% to the cost of everything is the only campaign promise Donald J. Trump keeps.

Oh well.

And more, going back to within days of Trump squeaking out that razor-thin win thanks solely to a relative handful of angry Muslims across 3 swing states. Oh, and amid growing evidence of historic Dem ballot destruction by Repubs:

[B]Trumps economic agenda for his second term is clouding the outlook for mortgage rates.
November 13, 2024[/B]

[URL]https://apnews.com/article/trump-mortgage-rates-housing-real-estate-inflation-yields-5b425a1608e3a9bbd9859b8a1690ece6[/URL]

Yep. That definitely means BEFORE he took his Lie of Office.[/QUOTE]Allahu Akbar except for Lb lovers in Siam.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979636]Liars and Hypocrites?

I hate both parties, I am 100% moderate centrist [/QUOTE]Whaaat? LOL.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979636]but to call the GOP liars and hypocrites coming from your side is a bit much don't you think.[/QUOTE]You're right. I forgot to add morons to liars and hypocrites. LOLOL.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979636]I will say the GOP isn't perfect but they generally have more character, especially with things like telling the truth.[/QUOTE]They have what now? LOLOLOL.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979636]Sure some of them lie here and there in DC ala when in Rome.[/QUOTE]Some? LOLOLOLOL.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979636]But the Democrats are the least honest motherfuckers on the PLANET they lie about everything 24/7 365!![/QUOTE]24/7/365/? That sounds like a hard work. You sure you're not talking about your LAS and his "character"? LOLOLOLOLOL.

[B]Fact check: Trump litters Oval Office interview with false claims[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/22/politics/fact-check-trump-litters-oval-office-interview-with-false-claims/index.html[/URL]

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979636]You know it I know it as does anyone on the planet with an IQ over 60[/QUOTE]People with an IQ over 60 wouldn't touch MAGA with a 10-feet pole. LOLOLOLOLOLOL.

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2979424]... Seriously, if they prosecuted just a dozen of meat packing or golf resort owners, the chilling effects of these arrests would reverberate across the nation and cause mass exodus of the undocumented aliens. It would furthermore SEVERELY lower the number of illegals who'd want to cross the borders. The wall will become completely unnecessary. Of course, ALL RETAIL PRICES in this country would shut up almost immediately, and Uncle Donny would have to look for new scapegoats to feed to his dumb, illiterate followers.
...

Fucking disgusting hypocrites![/QUOTE]

But that's the point of a, [i][b]"know nothing, do Nothing and no nothing"[/b][/i] Trump/MAGA administration, right! It has always blamed someone else or anyone else, rather than looking at the problem, staring at themselves in the mirror.

The "blame game", is a prevalent staple of negative rhetoric politics, right out of the Trump/MAGA/Repub playbook.

It's all too evident, when you look at the current false hyped-up charges (mostly), levied against Canada and Mexico, under the guise of not securing their borders enough, all while blaming them, for America's high-demand lust for drugs and [i][b]decades long addition problem with narcotics.[/b][/i]

The "blame game" is one of Trump's schticks AND has always been a distraction tactic, w/r to where the real problems exist, should MAGA dare to look in the mirror!

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2979528][B]Why do normal people, "libs" according to MAGAs, think Trump supporters are stupid:[/B]

[URL]https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ApqRXhuLQ/[/URL][/QUOTE]YOU HAVE TO BE BRAIN DEAD TO VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRATS.

[URL]https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/31/nolte-democrat-partys-popularity-hits-record-lows/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily&utm_campaign=20250131[/URL]

Nolte: Democrat Party's Popularity Hits Record Lows.

129.

TOPSHOT - (COMBO) This combination of pictures created on November 09,2016 shows supporteGetty, file.

John Nolte31 Jan 2025412.

7:36.

The political party that is pro-open borders, pro-child mutilation, and pro-destroying women's sports has hit an all-time low in popularity, and the far-left Washington Post is all kinds of confused over this.

"It has been evident for some time that the Democratic Party isn't in a great place," writes the Post. "It's somewhat normal for that to be the case for a party after a disappointing election. But the scale of Democrats' problems is beginning to come into focus. And it's both stark and sobering for the blue team. ".

This "analysis" piece goes on to cite the bad news.

A Quinnipiac poll (one of the most left-wing pollsters on the planet) has the Pro-Child Mutilation Party upside-down by 26 points, 57 percent unfavorable to 31 percent favorable.

RELATED: Cope! Kamala Gives Democrats a Pep Talk After Devastating 2024 Loss.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Child Mutilation Party (Republicans) are only upside-down by two points, 45 percent unfavorable to 43 percent favorable. Oh, and that 43 percent favorable is the highest the GOP has ever hit in this particular poll.

A poll from CNN (the most leftist pollster not named "Quinnipiac") shows the Pro-Let Violent Illegals Take Over Apartment Complexes Party hitting a record low of 33 percent favorable. "That's four points lower than in any CNN poll since 2006," reports the Post. "And if you expand the dataset to earlier CNN, USA Today and Gallup polls, it's the party's worst since at least 1992.

Per the CNN poll, "Nearly 6 in 10 Democratic-leaning voters say the party needs either 'major changes' or 'to be completely reformed. '.

Now we get to my favorite part in this inane analysis:

Two things are compounding problems for Democrats. One is that they seem to have considerably less fight in them or leadership than they did after the 2016 election. The second is that the Republican Party, having made significant gains with groups like Hispanic voters in 2024, is suddenly looking like a more viable option for voters.

Yeah, Democrats don't have enough fight in them. That's the problem. Obviously, they need to call Trump a Nazi more often and block every popular program President Trump ran on, even though Democrats ran on many of those exact same programs pre-Obama.

Side note: If this were an "analysis" piece about record-low ratings for the Republican Party, the far-left Post would argue that the GOP must compromise more with Democrats, not fight more.

The second one about Republicans making "significant gains with groups like Hispanic voters" is especially stupid because that's not a "problem. " Rather, that's a symptom of a "problem," but the Post is scared to reveal. You see, the Post is beholden to its left-wing subscriber base, which means it can't tell certain truths without facing a subscriber backlash, which is why this "analysis" sucks.

RELATED: Lame! KJP Blames Pandemic for 2024 Election Loss for Democrats.

A professional piece of "analysis" would explain why-Why-WHY Democrats are losing "groups like Hispanic voters. " But when you are a discredited former newspaper losing $100 million per year, no humiliation is too small to hold on to your rabid, left-wing subscribers.

Democrats are losing black men because Democrats hate men almost as much as they hate masculinity.

Democrats are losing Hispanics because Hispanic voters — voters — are citizens no different than any other citizen and disgusted with the open borders the stupid Democrat Party was sure they would embrace.

People are people, why'all. And whether you are black, white, brown, Asian, Eskimo, gay, crippled, or Cherokee, and anything close to a Normal Person, you want safe streets, good schools, what's best for your children, the ability to make a decent living, and hope for the future. What that means is that you don't want what Democrats are selling, which is the following.

Getting priced out of the American Dream (a house) due to insane environmental regulations and floods of illegals that make housing too expensive.

Mentally ill men stealing scholarships, awards, and sports trophies from your daughter.

Your child queered behind your back into a neurotic, suicidal, easily exploited sissy.

Permanently mutilating and sterilizing kids to appease their trans gods.

Exposing kids to sicko drag queens who want to be exposed to kids.

Millions of unvetted third-world illegals flooding the country.

Illegals awarded free healthcare, hotel rooms, and welfare.

Violent criminals and the mentally ill loose on our streets.

Mentally ill men in your daughter's locker room.

The CIA and FBI rigging presidential elections.

Legal, taxpayer-funded abortion until birth.

Everyone judged and divided by identity.

High taxes and empty fire hydrants.

Merit excluded in favor of identity.

A world run by humorless scolds.

Gay porn in elementary schools.

Eating insects rather than beef.

Divison over e pluribus unum.

Everything regulated but sin.

Record-high inflation.

Big-tech censorship.

Shit-hole cities.

Shitty schools.

Forever wars.

Jew-hating.

Fake news.

Kamala.

Normal People want nothing to do with any of this. Nevertheless, in an effort to build a coalition based on identity politics, the Democrat Party embraced that list of madness while its regime media propagandized that madness as "democracy" and Hollywood tried to rewire human nature into buying that madness as normal.

The problem with identity politics is that you must build a majority coalition out of people's "differences" — our shallow differences like skin color — when Americans have so much in common. It works like this. If you try to please the sexual fetishists, you lose Hispanic Catholics. If you try to please the open border loons, you lose those most impacted by the flood of unvetted humanity. If you try to please the antisemites, you lose the Jews. If you please the teachers union by closing the schools, you lose the moms. If you release the criminals, you lose urban and suburban voters. If you oppose school choice, you lose black voters.

The Democrat coalition is a Jenga Tower. Remove two or three pieces and the whole thing comes down.

It is not only the Democrat Party. The legacy media and Hollywood are also in trouble for the same reasons: they allowed the far-left to infest and dominate their institutions. The results turned off Normal People, and the only way to bring Normal People back is to become normal again. But if Democrats or the media or Hollywood do that, they will lose the only customers they have: and that's the far-left.

Thanks primarily to President Trump out-smarting and out-thinking them, Democrats and their media / Hollywood allies have painted themselves into an unpopular corner. And it is glorious.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2979185][i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Contrary to MAGA indoctrination, talking bullshit and spreading dis/misinformation to someone, is not education. It's just BULLSHIT and lies!



[i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Thank you for making my argument, w/r to keeping President Biden's successful IRA EV tax credit program with 1.2 trillion in tax credit incentives, that helped and benefited American consumers and legacy auto manufacturers build and drive more affordable EVs to compete with the inevitable arrival of Chinese EVs and battery technology.

Why the hell do you think, President Joe Biden's bipartisan IRA & Chips bills (that your America's Hitler now want's to scuttle), has been one America's greatest successes, in the past decade?

I know you gullible MAGA numbskulls have not been listening much, to the GREAT successes in the Biden Administration era, over the past four (4) years, but President Biden's IRA, had made America competitive again. The Biden IRA, has been so successful, even now [u]Europe is looking to create an IRA program, of their own to compete with China.[/u]

But America's Hitler and the clown show that is the Repub/MAGA admin, will ONLY doom and squander the gains made in EV & battery tech, needed to catch up with Chinese EVs, garnered by the Biden's IRA, with nonsensical "blanket" tariffs, that only serve to paint a pretty bleak picture, that America is too scared and fearful, to compete with Chinese EVs.

Just take a look at the recent news with DeepSeek's open source AI (if true), and how America's efforts to block China from buying advanced AI Chips, meant to keep their China's advancements in AI Chips & tech, at bay and behind that of the U.S. (or Europe).

But since [i][b]"necessity is the mother of invention"[/b][/i] (something the U.S., under the new regime has forgotten), has clearly driven China to get remarkably creative, innovative and in the end, build a more efficient AI, with a lot less chips/energy and wayyyyyyyy less capital. China has done it with EVs, battery tech and now AI tech. [i][b]Meanwhile, the U.S. is doing "drill baby drill"???[/b][/i]

It would behoove America, take a page outta that very same Chinese innovation-playbook and compete, innovate and produce with less, like America has always done with the help of gov't assisted programs like President Joe Biden's IRA. But I doubt that'll happen under America's Hitler![/QUOTE][URL]https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2025/01/31/brazil-unearths-more-evidence-of-china-exporting-slavery-through-byd/[/URL]

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2979294]But China is not able to produce quality on my Western European standard. Their growing business is just because cheap and more and more people, in Europe and USA, with less and less money. [/QUOTE]Again, not true! You would be incorrect!

Many of those ICE or EVs by Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Volvo, VW and Tesla cars being sold in Europe (and to a lesser degree in the USA) were made in China. You don't get to be this good and take market share from legacy auto, by just being cheap!

China has learnt from the best (in Europe and the USA), NOT on just how to manufacture quality vehicles, but also how to make a wider range price of vehicles and still maintain a level of fit and quality, benefiting consumers of every price point on the scale of car buyers. From all types of EV/Hybrids of PREMIUM QUALITY to the VERY CHEAP, China just does it better or just as good as legacy auto. Their vehicles are appealing to consumers in every income bracket.

Today, when it comes to making EVs, China along with Tesla, are seen as being, the better all around manufacturers of EVs, because of their seamless integration of car mechanics, computer electronic integration and smart infotainment systems.

Given today's "smart buyers", who want and desire more "software defined" and "e-mobility" type vehicles, especially in the world's biggest car market, is why China/Tesla are TOPs when it comes to selling EVs and gaining market share year over year.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2979514]I can t understand how so many millions, even Black and Latinos, could believe all Trump bullshits and his fool. From abroad, people who are democrats seem more brained than Trump followers. Bullshiting and lying is not so productive and women rights should even return back in middle age. Pity.[/QUOTE][URL]https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/the-darkening-skies-over-europes-economy-76e51f90[/URL]

Not unlike Canada Mexico and Asia.

Brace yourself young man Our Lord and Savior is going to assfuck the EUROs value.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2979638]Ah, let's see what were mortgage rates in 2021? Hmmm.

[URL]https://themortgagereports.com/61853/30-year-mortgage-rates-chart[/URL]#historical.

Ah 2. 96%.

And today?

6. 95%.

And what does Loony Tooms say?

It is all Trump's fault.[/QUOTE]Now you're getting it! Everything got more expensive after Trump defunded and removed the Pandemic Prevention team leaders from those Chinese labs in 2019 contrary to all dire expert warnings for him not to do something so dangerous and stupid, thereby creating Trump's Pandemic. And that was one of the stupid things he was told might happen.

But he did it anyway. Presumably because he has that famous "common sense" he always relies on to bankrupt companies, nations and turn everything he touches into shit before it dies.

But Bidenomics came to the rescue by, among other things, recovering the millions of jobs Trump wiped out, creating historic millions more, increasing incomes and steadily reducing the rate of Trump's Inflation.

Now we see Trump's Tariff Tax on the American Consumer blather over the past 2-3 months has jacked up Mortgage Loan Rates again along with prices of many other items even before his Tariffs even take effect. Which, if you read the links I provided, is quite common when Pending Tariff Tax blather is in the mix.

Thank you for your vote.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2979191]So to recap, Biden spends a shit ton of money on something, tries to prevent China from doing it, and China does that same something for much cheaper and somehow you think that makes you dumb douches smart and having produced an economic success. And MAGA folks are the ones who are "gullible numbskulls".

You cannot make this shit up.[/QUOTE]

[i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Leave it up to YOU, to get things twisted.

Yes, without question, Biden's IRA and Chips programs, are indeed a tremendous net benefit and have been a remarkable boost/spar to the AI industry. As incredible as Biden's IRA and Chips bills are, gov't can only do, ...but so much!

The MAGA gullible, should intuitively realize, it's then left up to, [i][b]"our esteem U.S. AI tech companies",[/b][/i] to take the lead, keep the lead and continue to innovate and remain dominant, in the AI sector and market place. Instead of becoming FAT, BLOATED and LAZY, w/r to continued innovation and producing efficient and cost effective AI solutions.

Our esteem U.S. AI tech and legacy auto companies, need to sit-up, take notice and take a page out of China's playbook and continue to innovate effectively and efficiently with less. Something America use to do, very well!

Again to my point, Biden's IRA and Chips programs, have been so successful that even Europe and your "know nothing, do nothing" [i][b]MAGA American Fuhrer, are copying Biden.[/b][/i] Trump, with his version, dubbed the "3-Tech Bros $500 Billion dollar AI investment."

However, it will be very interesting indeed, to see if the "3-Tech Bros", still get their half-trillion dollar gov't cheese investment? Or whether Trump insists, they compete with the Chinese and say do it for $50 million, considering now that it's been proven, you can do AI modelling/systems at a fraction of the cost.

Just a wild coincidence, probably:

[B]FAA Administrator Quit on Jan. 20 After Elon Musk Told Him to Resign.[/B]

[URL]https://www.yahoo.com/news/faa-administrator-quit-jan-20-045322293.html[/URL]

[B]Trump fires heads of TSA, Coast Guard and guts key aviation safety advisory committee.
Jan. 22, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://apnews.com/article/coast-guard-homeland-security-priorities-committees-trump-tsa-d3e4398c8871ada8d0590859442e092c[/URL]

[B]Trump names acting FAA administrator after fatal collision.[/B]

[URL]https://www.aol.com/news/trump-names-acting-faa-administrator-163904899.html[/URL]

Hmm. "after fatal collision".

Uh.

Ok.

That's nice.

I hear Trump started to "tweet" or "x" or "lie social" or whatever he does while his fat ass is glued to the gold toilet seat dumb Repub hillbilly suckers bought for him that, "This never would have happened on my watch"! But somebody reminded him this time the elative handful of angry Muslim voters across three swing states and unprecedented level of Dem vote supression and ballot destruction worked for him.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2979676][i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Leave it up to YOU, to get things twisted.

Yes, without question, Biden's IRA and Chips programs, are indeed a tremendous net benefit and have been a remarkable boost/spar to the AI industry. As incredible as Biden's IRA and Chips bills are, gov't can only do, ...but so much!

The MAGA gullible, should intuitively realize, it's then left up to, [i][b]"our esteem U.S. AI tech companies",[/b][/i] to take the lead, keep the lead and continue to innovate and remain dominant, in the AI sector and market place. Instead of becoming FAT, BLOATED and LAZY, w/r to continued innovation and producing efficient and cost effective AI solutions.

Our esteem U.S. AI tech" and legacy auto companies, need to sit-up, take notice and take a page out of China's playbook and innovate efficiently with less. Something America use to do very well!

Again to my point, Biden's IRA and Chips programs, have been so successful that even Europe and your "know nothing, do nothing" [i][b]MAGA American Fuhrer, are copying Biden.[/b][/i] Trump, with his version, dubbed the "3-Tech Bros $500 Billion dollar AI investment."

However, it will be very interesting indeed, to see if the "3-Tech Bros", still get their half-trillion dollar gov't cheese investment? Or whether Trump insists, they compete with the Chinese and say do it for $50 million, considering now that it's been proven, you can do AI modelling/systems at a fraction of the cost.[/QUOTE][URL]https://www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/article-14335361/amp/China-AI-deepseek-Shark-Tank-KEVIN-OLEARY.html?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID[/URL]#amp_tf=From%20%251%24's&aoh=17382143891100&csi=0&referrer=https%3 A%2 F%2 F [URL]www.google.com[/URL]&ampshare=https%3 A%2 F%2 F[URL]www.dailymail.co.uk[/URL]%2 Fyourmoney%2 Farticle-14335361%2 FChina-AI-deepseek-Shark-Tank-KEVIN-OLEARY. Html.

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2979424]Or better yet, how about prosecuting business owners who hire illegals, which is -- and that's really funny -- AGAINST THE LAW? Has anyone ever heard about any criminal prosecutions against individuals who by law are required to verify the immigration status of their employees? I wonder where said prosecutors could start. May I suggest the door leading to the Oval Office, LOL?

Seriously, if they prosecuted just a dozen of meat packing or golf resort owners, the chilling effects of these arrests would reverberate across the nation and cause mass exodus of the undocumented aliens. It would furthermore SEVERELY lower the number of illegals who'd want to cross the borders. The wall will become completely unnecessary. Of course, ALL RETAIL PRICES in this country would shut up almost immediately, and Uncle Donny would have to look for new scapegoats to feed to his dumb, illiterate followers.

If the undocumented had any idea of the grip they have on the US economy, they would mass up on the border and demand collective bargaining contracts. They would further demand limos, copters and luxury boats to take them across the borders. Along with some hoes to keep them company.

Tell me again how MAGA crowd is not a bunch of foolish, nave, brainwashed losers. Maybe they could replace those bad hombres for all the highly desirable jobs they're stealing from American workers, like meat packing and picking fruit.

[B]What mass deportation would mean for the workforce[/B]

[URL]https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-shift/2024/08/19/what-mass-deportation-would-mean-for-the-workforce-00174543[/URL]

Fucking disgusting hypocrites![/QUOTE]Are you sure you're hetero? Because "disgusting" is a word so favored by the LGBT community to express their outrage online LMFAO.

Rotten to the core? Yes the Democrats are without a doubt rotten to the core for sure.

[URL]https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/31/nolte-democrat-partys-popularity-hits-record-lows/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily&utm_campaign=20250131[/URL]

By all expert accounts, this is illegal and will cost American tax-payers Billions in law suit defeats. However, on the brighter side, the law suits will trot into light many aspects of Trump's Bloody, Cop-Attacking, Maiming and Killing War Against America on American Soil that Trump wanted to keep secret.

[B]Trump's Justice Department starts sweeping cuts targeting Jan. 6 prosecutors, FBI agents.
Jan. 31, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/01/31/trumps-doj-purge-prosecutors-fbi-agents/78103620007/[/URL]

BTW, how are the costs of eggs, groceries, I'm so glad Trump invented that word, gas, rent, Mortgage Loans, etc, etc, etc doing lately?

Yikes! The USA Stock Market as measured by the Wall Street go-to S&P 500 Index has only gained a paltry 4. 45% since Trump squeezed out that razor-thin and increasingly questionable "win" election, almost three full months later and what might rank as one of if not THE worst post-election relief rally results in history.

Oh well.

Thank you for your vote.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2979676]Leave it up to YOU, to get things twisted..[/QUOTE]I think I am going to have to put on my Spidy translator.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2979676]Yes, without question, Biden's IRA and Chips programs, are indeed a tremendous net benefit and have been a remarkable boost/spar to the AI industry.[/QUOTE]Translation: Biden good. Me: Any proof Biden good, or are you just blabbing as usual.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2979676]As incredible as Biden's IRA and Chips bills are, gov't can only do, ...but so much![/QUOTE]Me: Okay, so no proof.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2979676]The MAGA gullible, should intuitively realize, it's then left up to, [i][b]"our esteem U.S. AI tech companies",[/b][/i] to take the lead, keep the lead and continue to innovate and remain dominant, in the AI sector and market place. Instead of becoming FAT, BLOATED and LAZY, w/r to continued innovation and producing efficient and cost effective AI solutions.[/QUOTE]Me: MAGA bad, tech companies bad, Dems / Biden good. Same crap, different day. Translator off.

What really happened is that Biden had this brain dead idea that if he funded a few of his favored AI companies, he could control them and all of AI. I did not say that. Marc Andreessen did on Joe Rogan. The one thing that AI companies do not need is government capital. Wall Street has been shoveling it to them in droves.

Thing is Andreessen flipped on the Dems and went Trump once he saw a Soviet style approach to AI. Now that China has produced a good product for far less than what American AI companies did, it looks like the AI companies did very little if any good work and just pocketed the money Biden was throwing at them.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2979676]Our esteem U.S. AI tech and legacy auto companies, need to sit-up, take notice and take a page out of China's playbook and continue to innovate effectively and efficiently with less. Something America use to do, very well![/QUOTE]Despite what the European snob said, Chinese cars are higher quality than European and American ones. They did not used to be. So kudos on getting that one right.

As for American car companies competing, you can only compete when there is a level or near level playing ground. Chinese cars are 50% cheaper to produce, and they can innovate for 10% of the cost of American companies and innovate more quickly.

No one can compete with those conditions.

Individuals need to stop making half arguments. Jury is not out on the number of NVIDA Chips Deep Stealers have. If you want real competition, stop the crony capitalism. Like the Biden Administration killing the US Steel Deal.

If you are going to talk competition, if NVIDA has not made a significant leap in the field of Chip tech, then why the export controls? Let NVIDA sell to all comers and let the [I]chips fall as they may[/I]!

Full disclosure: I own NVDA and Elvis knows it. LOL!

[QUOTE=Spidy;2979667]Again, not true! You would be incorrect!

Many of those ICE or EVs by Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Volvo, VW and Tesla cars being sold in Europe (and to a lesser degree in the USA) were made in China. You don't get to be this good and take market share from legacy auto, by just being cheap!

China has learnt from the best (in Europe and the USA), NOT on just how to manufacture quality vehicles, but also how to make a wider range price of vehicles and still maintain a level of fit and quality, benefiting consumers of every price point on the scale of car buyers. From all types of EV/Hybrids of PREMIUM QUALITY to the VERY CHEAP, China just does it better or just as good as legacy auto. Their vehicles are appealing to consumers in every income bracket.

Today, when it comes to making EVs, China along with Tesla, are seen as being, the better all around manufacturers of EVs, because of their seamless integration of car mechanics, computer electronic integration and smart infotainment systems.

Given today's "smart buyers", who want and desire more "software defined" and "e-mobility" type vehicles, especially in the world's biggest car market, is why China/Tesla are TOPs when it comes to selling EVs and gaining market share year over year.[/QUOTE]I know China sell more and more and not only cars, in EU and USA, but not meaning because of quality. In Germany, when administration support fell for electric cars, Germans then buy much less electric cars, showing they only buy when not expensive, otherwise they prefer thermic cars. When You love cars, You don t drive electric cars, but at least 6 cylinders engine. When batteries pollute a lot and not lasting long, don t forget our earth turn and what happen in China and USA is above our heads daily, also polluting our air abroad. On the other hand, when You buy a quality thermic car, use your brain to power with from agriculture gas, like french E85 , keeping your car for at least 10 years and 300000 kms, then You have a real car, not just a slow bus and You pollute less than electric cars production and which won t last long. I much prefer my V8 Audi built in Ingolstadt. De I powered with french E85 , more powerful and 0% pollution on technical control, than being fucked by shameful Musk or China. In USA, I would buy only a V8 Dodge charger. China use to sell us not expensive low quality products and people buy because they have less and less money, but I don t buy shits when I feel wasting my money, like I won t buy many USA products which are also low quality, like foods making us obese sick and Coca even have pollution in drinks problems in EU. When I drive to Germany, about 1200 kms to go and back, if I don t find a girl on my standard, I prefer to return home with full balls than wasting my money for low quality, when my brain always decide and I hate to be fucked.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979686]Are you sure you're hetero? Because "disgusting" is a word so favored by the LGBT community to express their outrage online LMFAO.

Rotten to the core? Yes the Democrats are without a doubt rotten to the core for sure.

[URL]https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/31/nolte-democrat-partys-popularity-hits-record-lows/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily&utm_campaign=20250131[/URL][/QUOTE][B]Trump is the only president never to have exceeded a positive approval rating of 50 per cent.
Donald Trump has record low net approval rating for new president.
Overall level of support in post-inauguration poll is worst since records began in 1953.
Jan. 31, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://www.thetimes.com/us/american-politics/article/donald-trump-has-record-low-net-approval-rating-for-new-president-vd8wz6n8q[/URL]

[QUOTE]President Trump has the lowest net approval rating at the start of a presidential term since modern polling began with Dwight Eisenhower in 1953.

His net rating of minus 1 per cent in a longstanding Gallup poll of new American leaders is worse than the record low of 0 per cent he set at the outset of his first term in 2017.[/QUOTE]Welp. He did break a record. He broke his own record for the lowest approval rating he set himself the last time.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2979697]I think I am going to have to put on my Spidy translator.

Translation: Biden good. Me: Any proof Biden good, or are you just blabbing as usual.

Me: Okay, so no proof.

Me: MAGA bad, tech companies bad, Dems / Biden good. Same crap, different day. Translator off.

What really happened is that Biden had this brain dead idea that if he funded a few of his favored AI companies, he could control them and all of AI. I did not say that. Marc Andreessen did on Joe Rogan. The one thing that AI companies do not need is government capital. Wall Street has been shoveling it to them in droves.

Thing is Andreessen flipped on the Dems and went Trump once he saw a Soviet style approach to AI. Now that China has produced a good product for far less than what American AI companies did, it looks like the AI companies did very little if any good work and just pocketed the money Biden was throwing at them.

Despite what the European snob said, Chinese cars are higher quality than European and American ones. They did not used to be. So kudos on getting that one right.

As for American car companies competing, you can only compete when there is a level or near level playing ground. Chinese cars are 50% cheaper to produce, and they can innovate for 10% of the cost of American companies and innovate more quickly.

No one can compete with those conditions.[/QUOTE]You can't be another CCP asslicker?

[URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnmuGikjRoI[/URL] $6,000,000,000,000 every 10 yrs that's $6 trillion USD.

[URL]https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xj9jp57r2o[/URL]

[URL]https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2025/01/31/brazil-unearths-more-evidence-of-china-exporting-slavery-through-byd/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gmwizard_report-chinese-ev-maker-byd-using-imported-activity-7279620415264604161-YRlN[/URL]

[URL]https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/26/business/byd-brazil-chinese-workers-conditions-intl/index.html[/URL]

[URL]https://apnews.com/article/brazil-byd-chinese-workers-trafficking-48df18be2cd85ff1b96e972fc4c8cbbf[/URL]

BYD uses slave labor, stolen American IP, and American investors and you want to sing about them?

Did you buy stock? WTF are all far right wingers anti American like not so Tiny Tina?

Are all foreign born people in America anti American? Is that how it works?

If you're not loyal to us who are you loyal to? No one? Only your novia in Sudamerica?

[URL]https://www.autonews.com/china/did-byd-steal-designs-rivals/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/mobility/2019/03/23/tesla-apple-charge-chinese-billionaire-trade-secret-theft/39244863/[/URL]

[URL]https://movieweb.com/anthony-mackie-captain-america-red-hulk-donald-trump-comparison/[/URL]

Don't TREAD ON MAGA.

How many high end chips is Deepthink using that they rec'd around the sanctions from the west?

This is what you want to invest in and defend? You better be careful Our Lord and Savior might lock your ass up with Tiny Tina for Treason!!

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2979806]Trump is the only president never to have exceeded a positive approval rating of 50 per cent..[/QUOTE]That is great for you dumb Dems for the 2028 election then. Oh wait, Trump cannot run in 2028.

So who gives a fuck?

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2979842]That is great for you dumb Dems for the 2028 election then. Oh wait, Trump cannot run in 2028.

So who gives a fuck?[/QUOTE]LOL. Nobody in the history of USA politics gives a fuck MORE about ratings of every possible kind than thin-skinned, constantly melting snowflake, totally justifiable inferiority complex Donald J. Trump.

He never had a "mandate" and sure as shit no "landslide" by any normal measure to do anything he has ever done.

Starting out with the lowest rating of any new administration, TWICE, even before his actual campaign promises are kept, places him in the unique position to be more likely to be run out of office by his own blood-thirsty MAGA Cult Members and hung upside-down by his feet in the town square so everyone can piss on his corpse vs being lauded as a hero after keeping his campaign promises to jack up the prices of everything and create huge low cost labor shortages around the country.

Promises made.

Promises kept.

Ok, two weeks late. But still GREAT!

[B]'Tariffs are not the answer': Industry and corporate leaders react to Trump duties on Mexico, Canada and China.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/01/tariffs-are-not-the-answer-industry-and-corporate-leaders-react-to-trump-tariffs-on-mexico-canada-and-china.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

Titans of Industry from home building, groceries, damn I'm glad Trump invented that word, alcoholic beverages, home furnishings, the steel industry, the automotive industry, retailers of every stripe are squealing like stuck pigs now over the fact that Trump has finally stumbled upon a campaign promise over two terms he can keep.

But don't worry too much about the crocodile tears being shed by those Titans. Just as they have always done regarding Tariffs, they will simply use them as an excuse to jack up costs all up and down the American marketplace, as we've learned, sometimes using them as an excuse to jack up prices even BEFORE Trump imposed them so even more enthusiastically so AFTER he has imposed them.

You can be damn certain that if they are racing out with the press releases for how terrible, terrible, terrible it is going to be for the poor put-upon American Working Men and Women Consumer that those dastardly Trump Tariffs will probably increases prices for them, that means they WILL be raising prices on everything they can think of and not by a little bit.

Ah. Glorious. Thank you for your vote.

Do not shrug off or dismiss the historically proven impact on raising prices in response to the mere "talk" about and "expectation" of higher and higher inflation. It is a real phenomenon.

By some studies, Trump and MAGAs constant bullshit about how Biden's brilliant economic recovery legislation was causing bacon to "cost 300% more" was actually more responsible for grocery, damn I'm glad Trump invented that word, stores increasing the cost of bacon than it ever would have been without all the Trump and MAGA bullshit about it. LOL. Which is why inflation hit bullshitters in Red States harder than for truth-tellers in Blue States.

Oh well.

Now the "MAGA New Golden Era" fun REALLY begins! Lololol.

I support Canada and Mexico to answer Trump, also increasing taxes, when Trump thinks he is gambling in casino. Our world have to resist to a guy behaving like him. I can t say I support also China because of shameful lying administration, no human rights respect and they lower our world with tok tok and their cheap shit products, nevertheless I can understand they answer to Trump in same way he is using. Even a island, but whole UK regret now they left EU, they should return, to make EU more powerful, USA have 350 billions debt with Europe.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979833]BYD uses slave labor, stolen American IP, and American investors and you want to sing about them?

Did you buy stock? WTF are all far right wingers anti American like not so Tiny Tina?[/QUOTE]No, I own American cars and have always liked them more. Only car I have ever owned that was not was a Mercedes. It was great, but I will never buy one again because the costs of maintenance and repairs on it were astronomical.

Thing about Chinese cars is I was in them in South America, and they are amazing. I see what is happening in Chile and the prices of Chinese cars there and then I talked to a guy who owns multiple dealerships in the USA. He is the one who told me about the quality and the costs. There was a lighting issue with a dash. BYD management was talking with Ford management. Ford said we could fix that but it would cost a million dollars and take a year. BYD has more and cheaper engineers, and BYD management said that they could get the lighting issue done for $1000 and get it done in a month. That was jaw dropping news to the Ford execs.

He is the one who is telling me the Chinese cars are the most flawless cars ever built. Apparently, this is not an opinion but something that is objectively measured. When I heard this, I was like American car companies and European ones are going to be extinct. How do you compete with that?

I was talking to another guy who loves American cars. He has built a huge garage for all his cars. When I told him about this he was skeptical. And like you and me initially, he wanted to protect the American auto industry. Thing is he has town homes that he has rented out and wants to sell. I told him that if we let Chinese cars in and prices come down, interest rates will go down, and he will have more buyers for his townhomes, and he will probably get more money.

The other part is people including me are hesitant to remove the tariffs on Chinese cars, but I have been using this to give shit to all the people complaining about Trump's tariffs. Were all you people who are bellyaching about Trump's tariffs griping about the tariffs on Chinese cars? Yeah, I thought not. So it really is not tariffs. It is just Trump's tariffs you are griping about you hypocrites.

I am really on the fence with this one though MDS. On the one hand, Caddys and Vettes and Mustangs are not just part of American culture but part of my personal culture. My emotional side desperately does not want that to end but the rational part of my brain knows that it is over. The American car companies cannot compete with the Chinese ones so why drag it out. Why not admit the truth and take the benefits that reality has to offer?

I know that is what is best, but emotionally I am not ready for those tariffs to come down. I want to believe there is a path where they can survive.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979833]You can't be another CCP asslicker?

[URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnmuGikjRoI[/URL] $6,000,000,000,000 every 10 yrs that's $6 trillion USD.

[URL]https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xj9jp57r2o[/URL]

[URL]https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2025/01/31/brazil-unearths-more-evidence-of-china-exporting-slavery-through-byd/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gmwizard_report-chinese-ev-maker-byd-using-imported-activity-7279620415264604161-YRlN[/URL]

[URL]https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/26/business/byd-brazil-chinese-workers-conditions-intl/index.html[/URL]

[URL]https://apnews.com/article/brazil-byd-chinese-workers-trafficking-48df18be2cd85ff1b96e972fc4c8cbbf[/URL]..[/QUOTE]I actually thought BYD was nothing to worry about as they produce mostly electric cars, and there are all kind of issues with electric cars. They do sell a hybrid that uses gasoline to make electricity and that technology is interesting but BYD is kind of greedy. What I mean is they are selling cars that go for $17,000 in China for $30,000 in Mexico and $25,000 in Chile. They are ripping people off IMO. They sound like they are selling a lot of hopium bullshit.

While BYD is greedy, the company selling cars under the brand Chery is selling cars in Chile for much the same price as China. The lowest priced car in the USA is a Nissan going for like $20,000. They have brand new Chery cars going for $9000 in Chile, and they are nice.

It is companies like Chery, and there are few more like them, not BYD that would bring down car prices. BYD is full of themselves.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2979992]I actually thought BYD was nothing to worry about as they produce mostly electric cars, and there are all kind of issues with electric cars. They do sell a hybrid that uses gasoline to make electricity and that technology is interesting but BYD is kind of greedy. What I mean is they are selling cars that go for $17,000 in China for $30,000 in Mexico and $25,000 in Chile. They are ripping people off IMO. They sound like they are selling a lot of hopium bullshit.

While BYD is greedy, the company selling cars under the brand Chery is selling cars in Chile for much the same price as China. The lowest priced car in the USA is a Nissan going for like $20,000. They have brand new Chery cars going for $9000 in Chile, and they are nice.

It is companies like Chery, and there are few more like them, not BYD that would bring down car prices. BYD is full of themselves.[/QUOTE]I have seen a few dealers in Russia, I went in to look around in one in Moscow.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2979987]No, I own American cars and have always liked them more. Only car I have ever owned that was not was a Mercedes. It was great, but I will never buy one again because the costs of maintenance and repairs on it were astronomical.

Thing about Chinese cars is I was in them in South America, and they are amazing. I see what is happening in Chile and the prices of Chinese cars there and then I talked to a guy who owns multiple dealerships in the USA. He is the one who told me about the quality and the costs. There was a lighting issue with a dash. BYD management was talking with Ford management. Ford said we could fix that but it would cost a million dollars and take a year. BYD has more and cheaper engineers, and BYD management said that they could get the lighting issue done for $1000 and get it done in a month. That was jaw dropping news to the Ford execs.

He is the one who is telling me the Chinese cars are the most flawless cars ever built. Apparently, this is not an opinion but something that is objectively measured. When I heard this, I was like American car companies and European ones are going to be extinct. How do you compete with that?

I was talking to another guy who loves American cars. He has built a huge garage for all his cars. When I told him about this he was skeptical. And like you and me initially, he wanted to protect the American auto industry. Thing is he has town homes that he has rented out and wants to sell. I told him that if we let Chinese cars in and prices come down, interest rates will go down, and he will have more buyers for his townhomes, and he will probably get more money.

The other part is people including me are hesitant to remove the tariffs on Chinese cars, but I have been using this to give shit to all the people complaining about Trump's tariffs. Were all you people who are bellyaching about Trump's tariffs griping about the tariffs on Chinese cars? Yeah, I thought not. So it really is not tariffs. It is just Trump's tariffs you are griping about you hypocrites.

I am really on the fence with this one though MDS. On the one hand, Caddys and Vettes and Mustangs are not just part of American culture but part of my personal culture. My emotional side desperately does not want that to end but the rational part of my brain knows that it is over. The American car companies cannot compete with the Chinese ones so why drag it out. Why not admit the truth and take the benefits that reality has to offer?

I know that is what is best, but emotionally I am not ready for those tariffs to come down. I want to believe there is a path where they can survive.[/QUOTE]When you have thermic atmospheric car like my Audi S5 V8 and you know what is a car, you can limit maintenance and gas costs, when almost impossible with hybrid and electric ones. Mercedes should be higher quality than US cars.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2979697]

Despite what the European snob said, Chinese cars are higher quality than European and American ones.[/QUOTE]Oh, that's wonderful. You won't have a problem backing it up, will you?

Sorry, American Working Men and Women. President Musk needs a deeper and more generous tax cut.

You paying an additional 10%-25% in Trump Tariff Taxes on the American Consumer for so many things is nice. But that will not be enough to do it:

[B]To help pay for Trump tax cuts, new taxes on work perks become GOP target.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/02/to-help-pay-for-trump-tax-cuts-new-taxes-on-work-perks-are-gop-target.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

To that determinative but relative handful of angry Muslims, all of the MAGAs and all of the other non Harris voters, thank you for your vote.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2980023]I have seen a few dealers in Russia, I went in to look around in one in Moscow.[/QUOTE]They had a bad rep and they were poorly made in the past but now look at them, [URL]https://chery.cl/[/URL].

So it is like one dollar to 1,000 Chilean pesos so you divide by a thousand to get the actual price. You have to click on modelos to see the price. Thing is they include these huge like laptop screens, crazy cool lighting, and apparently the Chinese have been kicking ass with the AC and heating units, and I can tell you that they ride nice too.

But look at what you get for brand new for $10,000 or even $15,000. Then go to [URL]https://www.hertzcarsales.com/[/URL] and see what you get for that same amount. For the same price, you get something five years old with 50,000 miles on it.

And if Chinese cars depreciate like the other ones do, you will see people buying them used for $5000. Can you imagine how car insurance is going to plummet if cars cost that much?

If you look at this, it is obvious the USA cannot compete whether we like it or not.

"Despite what the European snob said, Chinese cars are higher quality than European and American ones" (hey a broken clock is correct 2 x a day).

Nobody is gullible enough to believe this Elvis, the CCP just churns out slave made garbage, to overfill landfills.

I'm sorry you were gullible to buy stock, but for your lack of loyalty to our country (hasn't it been very good to you) you deserve to lose your ass.

But some of the America haters in this thread will probably agree with you ie, Spidy and ET (which I suspect are actually the same person?

[URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/opinion/trump-panama-greenland-foreign-policy.html[/URL]

Isolationist? Nationalist? No, Trump Is Something Else Entirely.

Feb. 2, 2025.

A black-and-white photo illustration shows a ship navigating the Panama Canal as if were seen through a pair of binoculars.

Credit. Photo Illustration by The New York Times; Source Photograph by Alejandro Cegarra for The New York Times.

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By Jennifer Mittelstadt.

Ms. Mittelstadt, a professor of USA History at Rutgers University, studies the state, the military and political movements.

When President Trump started talking about regaining control of the Panama Canal, colleagues and friends barraged me with questions. Where did this seemingly out-of-the-blue interest in a long-since-yielded area of control come from? How did a fit of pique about tolls and China grow into a threat to force Panama to cede its territory to the United States? Was there some kind of larger rationale that might explain it?

They asked me because for more than seven years, I have been studying conservative activists and their views of 20th-century foreign policy. If anyone should know, they reasoned, I should. But for all the time I've spent in libraries and archives, I was as flummoxed as anyone about the historical roots of Mr. Trump's worldview.

The historical literature doesn't provide much guidance. Historians tend to slot conservatives into three major, sometimes overlapping, groups: anti-communists, defense hawks and neoconservative nation builders. Those proved awkward fits for Mr. Trump in his first term, gesturing toward but not capturing his essence. Yes, he routinely called his enemies communists, but then embraced (and later spurned) the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Yes, he boasted about American military power, but then seemed to defer to Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. He claimed to want American troops out of Afghanistan, but failed to conclusively follow through. With his penchant for personal and transactional politics, and his often purposeful unpredictability, the man was almost impossible to categorize.

Historians instead pulled out a category that has rarely been used to describe anyone on the right for 75 years. Noting Mr. Trump's rhetoric, they dubbed him an isolationist, like some of the conservatives who opposed the United States' entrance into World War II.

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Yet Mr. Trump's recent moves demonstrated the limits of that moniker. Annexing Canada? Taking over Greenland? Demanding possession of the Panama Canal? How could those threats to take foreign territory square with isolationism?

There is, it turns out, a little examined strain of history that provides a fresh way to understand his instincts. Hidden in plain sight in the dusty papers and collections of everyday right-wing Americans lies a whole new way of thinking about Mr. Trump's foreign policy. He is a "sovereigntist. ".

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American sovereigntist politics originated over 100 years ago in the moment of profound crisis and possibility of 1919, when the world undertook a referendum of sorts on the surge in globalization that preceded World War I. Nations, increasingly interconnected, were rocked by the halt in trade and migration that followed the war's conclusion. At the same time, empires collapsed and new nationalist movements emerged or flourished, with the result that some states died and altogether new ones were born.

Amid this dramatic change emerged a proposal for a novel form of supranational government — the League of Nations. As diplomats and lawyers hammered out guidelines, they prompted fierce debate over the purpose of nation states and sovereignty. Advocates of global trade and migration, colonial independence movements, Black internationalists, socialists, communists and liberal Christians cheered the arrival of worldwide governance, in which many found the promise of self-determination, international public law and a subdued nationalism.

But many despised the idea, and here lie the origins of the American sovereigntist movement — and its modern heirs. In 1919, a group of senators known as the "irreconcilables" blocked the United States from joining the League of Nations. They were backed by a grass-roots movement of patriotic organizations, veterans' groups and Protestant fundamentalists who argued that the League aimed to usurp American governance. In their words, it would replace the Constitution with world government, diminish America's unique history and culture, and allow uncivilized, nonwhite and non-Christian states to exert power over its citizens.

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"The welfare of the Nation has been made subordinate to Internationalism," said Louis Coolidge, an ally of the League critic Senator Henry Cabot Lodge. "Our creed," he said, "is to keep alive the fires of Nationality. ".

Their movement aimed to preserve not only America's formal sovereignty in international relations, but also the traditional forms of rule to which its white, native-born leaders were accustomed. Driven by a keen sense of the virtues of Anglo-Saxon self-governance, they understood international cooperation as a threat to their personal sovereignty as well as that of their nation.

Sovereigntist politics persisted and evolved as the features and scope of liberal and left-wing internationalism took new forms. In the 1930's, they helped lead the America First movement, which opposed entrance in World War II on the side of the Allies. Far from isolationism, sovereigntists openly championed the anti-internationalism of the fascists, supported Gen. Francisco Franco's Nationalist rebellion in Spain, and accepted — even cheered — the regimes in Nazi Germany and fascist Italy that thumbed their noses at the collapsing League of Nations. The Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, the minister who married Mr. Trump and his first wife, Ivana, joined the sovereignty movement in this early period.

After World War II, sovereigntists launched a protracted battle against the United Nations. During Mr. Trump's youth in the 1950's, that battle birthed a host of new organizations and leaders who took up anti-internationalist politics, many of which, like the John Birch Society, are familiar to Americans today. They resisted American participation in the International Court, which they dubbed the World Court; the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the forerunner to the World Trade Organization; viewing them all as threats to American governance. In their view, the you. And. 's covenants and agencies undermined the civilizing authority of white, Christian nations by offering membership and influence to communists, Asians and Africans.

Later, many fought international sanctions on the "brave little country" of Rhodesia, as the right-wing lawyer and radio host Clarence Manion called it, likening its fight to preserve white rule to the American fight for independence. Sovereigntists led the mobilization against the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, the law that loosened immigration for the first time in four decades, which, they argued, embodied the ultimate plot of internationalists — eliminating national borders.

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Here the Panama Canal comes into the frame. In the 1950's and 1960's, Panamanians began to invoke you. And. Charters and the International Court's rules on disputed territories to challenge the United States' authority over the canal and gain support of the you. And. To transfer it to Panama. Sovereigntists called this a plot to steal American territory that was, in the words of the Patrick Henry League of New York, "ours, just as much ours as the Capitol dome and the national anthem. ".

From the late 1950's through the 1960's, a coalition of groups such as the Committee on Pan American Policy and the American Coalition of Patriotic Societies chastised Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson for making concessions to Panamanian demands. The critics would lose. In 1973, the Panamanian leader, Omar Torrijos, delivered the coup de grâce when he hosted the you. And. Security Council in Panama for a hearing on the "colony in the heart of my country. " Alongside significant local protests, the event pressured the United States to negotiate a treaty that would grant Panama full control. President Jimmy Carter signed it in 1977, enraging sovereigntists, whose decades-old cause finally caught the interest of influential new conservatives including the presidential candidate Ronald Reagan.

The sovereigntist movement went on in the 1980's to defend South Africa against you. And. Sanctions, and successfully pressured Mr. Reagan, then the president, to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which promoted peace and human rights through culture and education. When the Cold War ended, their crusade became even more relevant. Internationalism was the only game in town — the "New World Order" as President George H. W. Bush and others called it. The United States pursued multilateral trade agreements, forged a new neoliberal consensus and engaged its military in international peacekeeping efforts in Somalia and later the Balkans.

That was exactly what sovereigntists had always feared, and in their resistance they anticipated the wider populist backlash against globalization that helped drive Mr. Trump's popularity. Viewed from the perspective of the recurring battles between those who accept international governance as a tool to project American power and those who fear it as a humiliating surrender of American autonomy, Mr. Trump's threat to retake the Panama Canal shows how sovereignty politics today suffuses the re-energized Right.

In Mr. Trump, this movement has found its most influential champion. Well before Mr. Trump's talk of the USA Taking over the canal, his reanimation of the sovereigntist agenda was clearly visible. In his first term and during his four years out of office, sovereignty politics featured in his attacks on the you. And. , NATO and international agreements on trade and climate. They drove his restrictionist zeal to protect national borders against immigration. And they fueled Mr. Trump's love affairs with other skeptics of international organizations, such as Viktor Orban of Hungary or Georgia Meloni of Italy.

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There is little to be won predicting foreign policy in a second Trump administration. The influence of the sovereigntist movement may recede in the face of a president who is changeable and distracted. And some members of Mr. Trump's coalition do not subscribe to a purely sovereigntist standpoint, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. But sovereigntists will surely double down. "International organizations and agreements that erode our Constitution, rule of law or popular sovereignty should not be reformed," Project 2025 explains. "They should be abandoned. ".

The most vigorous sovereigntists openly say they will seek withdrawal from the you. And. If necessary. They already oppose many proposed pacts and conventions, including the you. And. 's Pact for the Future, which addresses climate change and inequality. The Trump administration has said it intends to withdraw from the World Health Organization and has taken steps toward a near ban on immigration. It's likely to weaken the European Union, enfeeble NATO and oppose multicountry trade agreements like the revamped NAFTA. And it will seek to regain a kind of Monroe Doctrine-era control of the Western Hemisphere, no matter what happens with the canal.

Mr. Trump's embrace of sovereignty politics will only embolden similar regimes around the world. Brexit was a harbinger of other potential E. You. Exits. Nearly every right-wing party across Europe would consider one if they came to power.

Look for other countries, buoyed by Mr. Trump's scorn, to put the brakes on internationalism and instead build new, separate relationships with each other. What we would be left with is an unruly period for international relations, one that is less centralized and less governed by the shared principles and operating modes that lasted from the end of World War II until just a few years ago.

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2980081]Oh, that's wonderful. You won't have a problem backing it up, will you?[/QUOTE]Well, China is by far the biggest producer of cars, [URL]https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/car-production-by-country[/URL].

Asian cars are the highest quality, [URL]https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars-a7824554938/[/URL].

Asia-based automakers continue to lead the industry in reliability, with an overall average score of 57 for the region on a scale of 1 to 100. This year, 8 of the 10 most reliable brands are from Asian brands. European automakers are in second place at 48. Domestic (USA) brands trail both with an average score of 38.

Where the car is built seems to matter though less than who is building it.

[URL]https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/automotive-industry/chinese-made-cars-in-us-market-a3786571662/[/URL]

"From a build quality perspective, I've never noticed anything abnormal or different based on where a vehicle is assembled. I wouldn't be able to tell you without looking it up or checking the sticker," Knizek says.

I do not like this as an objective measure but when you look at consumer complaints, China is even. [URL]https://china.jdpower.com/press-release/2024-IQS[/URL].

Porsche ranks highest in initial quality among premium brands with a score of 192 PP100. Lexus (207 PP100) ranks second and Cadillac (211 PP100) ranks third.

Chery ranks highest in initial quality among Chinese domestic brands with a score of 203 PP100. Geely (204 PP100) ranks second and GAC Trumpchi (206 PP100) ranks third.

And the best scores are in Japanese-Chinese partnerships: GAC Honda ranks highest in initial quality among mass market brands for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 195 PP100. Dongfeng Honda (198 PP100) ranks second and GAC Toyota (200 PP100) ranks third.

When you have these partnerships, the Chinese see all the best knowledge of the world's car companies. They have dirt cheap engineers they can hire, and they have the world's biggest supply chain. They are building more cars than anyone else and IMO the more you do, the better you get.

Still, the guy I know who owns the dealerships was talking about an objective assessment of vehicles and not subjective consumer complaints. He said the Chinese car companies as of now and not a China-Japan partnership and not two years ago were producing the most flawless cars ever made. Feel free to think that is bullshit but IMO that result was inevitable.

With all his taxes, when he can t compete for quality, Trump may make real inflation for Americans. Trump is not king of the world and USA are less than 5% population.

Of course, any Trump move or decision is by definition "dumb". How could it be any other way?

But what the Wall Street Journal has apparently not yet grasped is that Trump is doing this in large part in order to generate more tax revenue from the American Working Men and Women to pay for a deeper and more generous tax cut for President Elon Musk.

And to ultimately shift all that beautiful Global Trade to his beloved China.

[B]The Dumbest Trade War in History.
Trump will impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico for no good reason.
Jan. 31, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://www.wsj.com/opinion/donald-trump-tariffs-25-percent-mexico-canada-trade-economy-84476fb2[/URL]

[QUOTE]President Trump will fire his first tariff salvo on Saturday against those notorious American adversaries . . . Mexico and Canada. Theyll get hit with a 25% border tax, while China, a real adversary, will endure 10%. This reminds us of the old Bernard Lewis joke that its risky to be Americas enemy but it can be fatal to be its friend.

Leaving China aside, Mr. Trumps justification for this economic assault on the neighbors makes no sense. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says theyve enabled illegal drugs to pour into America. But drugs have flowed into the U.S. for decades, and will continue to do so as long as Americans keep using them. Neither country can stop it.
..........
As the Cato Institutes Scott Lincicome puts it, the data show that as imports go up, U.S. production goes up. Thousands of good-paying auto jobs in Texas, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan owe their competitiveness to this ecosystem, relying heavily on suppliers in Mexico and Canada.

Tariffs will also cause mayhem in the cross-border trade in farm goods. In fiscal 2024, Mexican food exports made up about 23% of total U.S. agricultural imports while Canada supplied some 20%. Many top U.S. growers have moved to Mexico because limits on legal immigration have made it hard to find workers in the U.S. Mexico now supplies 90% of avocados sold in the U.S. Is Mr. Trump now an avocado nationalist?
..........
None of this is supposed to happen under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that Mr. Trump negotiated and signed in his first term. The U.S. willingness to ignore its treaty obligations, even with friends, wont make other countries eager to do deals. Maybe Mr. Trump will claim victory and pull back if he wins some token concessions. But if a North American trade war persists, it will qualify as one of the dumbest in history.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2980092]Sorry, American Working Men and Women. President Musk needs a deeper and more generous tax cut. You paying an additional 10%-25% in Trump Tariff Taxes on the American Consumer for so many things is nice. But that will not be enough to do it: [B]To help pay for Trump tax cuts, new taxes on work perks become GOP target.[/B]
[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/02/to-help-pay-for-trump-tax-cuts-new-taxes-on-work-perks-are-gop-target.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]
To that determinative but relative handful of angry Muslims, all of the MAGAs and all of the other non Harris voters, thank you for your vote.[/QUOTE]I do not see a problem with anything you wrote.

1. Everyone who voted knows what they were going to get. Harris was not ready for PRIME TIME. I would prefer Deion Sanders for President over Harris. At least he is PRIME TIME tested.

2. This gives everyone incentive to get off the government / corporate wage slave plantations and learn how to create a flow and build a stack that endures over generations.

Anyone who knows anything about the tax code if the USGOV knows the rich pay very little taxes.

[URL]https://youtu.be/RogUJp69YE4?si=wm0-qSbfzTdWNKxF[/URL]

A half a day of decline in the S&P 500 and the Dow and Trump folded like a cheap lawn chair!

What happened to Mexico "taking advantage of us economically" and "other countries will pay us billions and we can fund everything from my brilliant tariffs"?

How the hell does a bunch of bored Mexican soldiers hanging around getting paid to look the other way while USA citizens smuggle drugs across the border have to do with those trade imbalances Trump was whining about and the billions in free money Mexico was going to pay us with those Trump Tariffs?

[B]Trump pauses Mexico tariffs for one month after agreement on border troops.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/03/trump-tariffs-mexico-canada-china-sheinbaum-responds.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

Meanwhile, his only "win" so far with all this Tariff bullshit is the president of Colombia agreed to let him continue doing what Obama and Biden were already doing in greater numbers and cheaper! Lolol.

And now we have this! Lololol.

"Catch and Release! Catch and Release"!

[B]Some migrants arrested in Trump's immigration crackdown have been released back into the U.S.
Space constraints and court orders have led ICE to release migrants on monitoring programs after they're arrested.
Feb. 3, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/people-caught-trump-immigration-crackdown-released-us-rcna186360[/URL]

Gee, nobody knew a Mass Deportation was hard in the face of Constitutional Mandates and stingy Repub Congressional Budget Restraints. Lolol.

Well. Back to golf, golf and more golf.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2980171]Well, China is by far the biggest producer of cars, [URL]https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/car-production-by-country[/URL].

Asian cars are the highest quality, [URL]https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars-a7824554938/[/URL].

Asia-based automakers continue to lead the industry in reliability, with an overall average score of 57 for the region on a scale of 1 to 100. This year, 8 of the 10 most reliable brands are from Asian brands. European automakers are in second place at 48. Domestic (USA) brands trail both with an average score of 38.

Where the car is built seems to matter though less than who is building it.

[URL]https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/automotive-industry/chinese-made-cars-in-us-market-a3786571662/[/URL]

"From a build quality perspective, I've never noticed anything abnormal or different based on where a vehicle is assembled. I wouldn't be able to tell you without looking it up or checking the sticker," Knizek says.

I do not like this as an objective measure but when you look at consumer complaints, China is even. [URL]https://china.jdpower.com/press-release/2024-IQS[/URL].

Porsche ranks highest in initial quality among premium brands with a score of 192 PP100. Lexus (207 PP100) ranks second and Cadillac (211 PP100) ranks third.

Chery ranks highest in initial quality among Chinese domestic brands with a score of 203 PP100. Geely (204 PP100) ranks second and GAC Trumpchi (206 PP100) ranks third.

And the best scores are in Japanese-Chinese partnerships: GAC Honda ranks highest in initial quality among mass market brands for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 195 PP100. Dongfeng Honda (198 PP100) ranks second and GAC Toyota (200 PP100) ranks third.

When you have these partnerships, the Chinese see all the best knowledge of the world's car companies. They have dirt cheap engineers they can hire, and they have the world's biggest supply chain. They are building more cars than anyone else and IMO the more you do, the better you get.

Still, the guy I know who owns the dealerships was talking about an objective assessment of vehicles and not subjective consumer complaints. He said the Chinese car companies as of now and not a China-Japan partnership and not two years ago were producing the most flawless cars ever made. Feel free to think that is bullshit but IMO that result was inevitable.[/QUOTE]"They are building more cars than anyone else and IMO the more you do, the better you get. ".

But not with the CCP everything they do gets worse over time, I suspect they just squeeze out more and more profit and reduce the cost of inputs.

I bought what I thought was a nice hammer for $40 from Home Depot online after about 2 hours of use the head flew off, MADE IN CCPland stamped on it of course.

Anything Walmart Target Amazon sells is all trash headed straight for the landfill after one use (if you're lucky) sawblades etc.

Their nails bend when you strike them WTF!

Don't even buy anything with electric components in IT lololololol.

I have thrown away so much crap after one use or wash, underwear from Target after one wash the seams were separating.

I bought what I thought was a nice black silverware set from Target online after 1 or 2 cycles in the dishwasher the paint was coming off and the screws were falling out of the handles.

Garbage CCP cars will not be sold in the USA thanks to politicians with a fucking BRAIN.

Only Stoopid 3rd world poor people will buy their crap cars and they will regret it, rest ASSURED!!

You are dead wrong! We have the Gulf of America now. That's real leadership that America can count on. LOL.

[QUOTE=KeviKev68;2980317]You are dead wrong! We have the Gulf of America now. That's real leadership that America can count on. LOL.[/QUOTE]Gulf of America for senile Trump, Gulf of Mexico for whole rest of world.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2980171]Well, China is by far the biggest producer of cars, [URL]https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/car-production-by-country[/URL].

Asian cars are the highest quality, [URL]https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars-a7824554938/[/URL].

Asia-based automakers continue to lead the industry in reliability, with an overall average score of 57 for the region on a scale of 1 to 100. This year, 8 of the 10 most reliable brands are from Asian brands. European automakers are in second place at 48. Domestic (USA) brands trail both with an average score of 38.

Where the car is built seems to matter though less than who is building it.

[URL]https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/automotive-industry/chinese-made-cars-in-us-market-a3786571662/[/URL]

"From a build quality perspective, I've never noticed anything abnormal or different based on where a vehicle is assembled. I wouldn't be able to tell you without looking it up or checking the sticker," Knizek says.

I do not like this as an objective measure but when you look at consumer complaints, China is even. [URL]https://china.jdpower.com/press-release/2024-IQS[/URL].

Porsche ranks highest in initial quality among premium brands with a score of 192 PP100. Lexus (207 PP100) ranks second and Cadillac (211 PP100) ranks third.

Chery ranks highest in initial quality among Chinese domestic brands with a score of 203 PP100. Geely (204 PP100) ranks second and GAC Trumpchi (206 PP100) ranks third.

And the best scores are in Japanese-Chinese partnerships: GAC Honda ranks highest in initial quality among mass market brands for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 195 PP100. Dongfeng Honda (198 PP100) ranks second and GAC Toyota (200 PP100) ranks third.

When you have these partnerships, the Chinese see all the best knowledge of the world's car companies. They have dirt cheap engineers they can hire, and they have the world's biggest supply chain. They are building more cars than anyone else and IMO the more you do, the better you get.

Still, the guy I know who owns the dealerships was talking about an objective assessment of vehicles and not subjective consumer complaints. He said the Chinese car companies as of now and not a China-Japan partnership and not two years ago were producing the most flawless cars ever made. Feel free to think that is bullshit but IMO that result was inevitable.[/QUOTE]China sell a lot of cars, because less expensive. If you compare chinese cars with Porsche or Audi which are very close for engineering, and same to compare Cadillac with these 2 brands, then, just show you know nothing about good cars. Selling a lot don t mean quality, at least for Europeans who think to buy chinese cars because less expensive. On same rate, they will buy a Audi rather than chinese.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2979833]You can't be another CCP asslicker?

[URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnmuGikjRoI[/URL] $6,000,000,000,000 every 10 yrs that's $6 trillion USD.

[URL]https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xj9jp57r2o[/URL]

[URL]https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2025/01/31/brazil-unearths-more-evidence-of-china-exporting-slavery-through-byd/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gmwizard_report-chinese-ev-maker-byd-using-imported-activity-7279620415264604161-YRlN[/URL]

[URL]https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/26/business/byd-brazil-chinese-workers-conditions-intl/index.html[/URL]

[URL]https://apnews.com/article/brazil-byd-chinese-workers-trafficking-48df18be2cd85ff1b96e972fc4c8cbbf[/URL]

BYD uses slave labor, stolen American IP, and American investors and you want to sing about them?

Did you buy stock? WTF are all far right wingers anti American like not so Tiny Tina?

Are all foreign born people in America anti American? Is that how it works?

If you're not loyal to us who are you loyal to? No one? Only your novia in Sudamerica?

[URL]https://www.autonews.com/china/did-byd-steal-designs-rivals/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/mobility/2019/03/23/tesla-apple-charge-chinese-billionaire-trade-secret-theft/39244863/[/URL]

[URL]https://movieweb.com/anthony-mackie-captain-america-red-hulk-donald-trump-comparison/[/URL]

Don't TREAD ON MAGA.

How many high end chips is Deepthink using that they rec'd around the sanctions from the west?

This is what you want to invest in and defend? You better be careful Our Lord and Savior might lock your ass up with Tiny Tina for Treason!![/QUOTE][URL]https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/deepseek-might-not-be-as-disruptive-as-claimed-firm-reportedly-has-50-000-nvidia-gpus-and-spent-usd1-6-billion-on-buildouts[/URL]

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2980171]Well, China is by far the biggest producer of cars, [URL]https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/car-production-by-country[/URL].

Asian cars are the highest quality, [URL]https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars-a7824554938/[/URL].

Asia-based automakers continue to lead the industry in reliability, with an overall average score of 57 for the region on a scale of 1 to 100. This year, 8 of the 10 most reliable brands are from Asian brands. European automakers are in second place at 48. Domestic (USA) brands trail both with an average score of 38.

Where the car is built seems to matter though less than who is building it.

[URL]https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/automotive-industry/chinese-made-cars-in-us-market-a3786571662/[/URL]

"From a build quality perspective, I've never noticed anything abnormal or different based on where a vehicle is assembled. I wouldn't be able to tell you without looking it up or checking the sticker," Knizek says.

I do not like this as an objective measure but when you look at consumer complaints, China is even. [URL]https://china.jdpower.com/press-release/2024-IQS[/URL].

Porsche ranks highest in initial quality among premium brands with a score of 192 PP100. Lexus (207 PP100) ranks second and Cadillac (211 PP100) ranks third.

Chery ranks highest in initial quality among Chinese domestic brands with a score of 203 PP100. Geely (204 PP100) ranks second and GAC Trumpchi (206 PP100) ranks third.

And the best scores are in Japanese-Chinese partnerships: GAC Honda ranks highest in initial quality among mass market brands for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 195 PP100. Dongfeng Honda (198 PP100) ranks second and GAC Toyota (200 PP100) ranks third.

When you have these partnerships, the Chinese see all the best knowledge of the world's car companies. They have dirt cheap engineers they can hire, and they have the world's biggest supply chain. They are building more cars than anyone else and IMO the more you do, the better you get.

Still, the guy I know who owns the dealerships was talking about an objective assessment of vehicles and not subjective consumer complaints. He said the Chinese car companies as of now and not a China-Japan partnership and not two years ago were producing the most flawless cars ever made. Feel free to think that is bullshit but IMO that result was inevitable.[/QUOTE]None of these is backing up your assertion that "Chinese cars are higher quality than European and American ones. ".

Yes, China knows how to make cars. Considering the sheer number of joint ventures it has with Western and Japanese (and probably Korean) brands, it's capable of making some really good ones, no doubt about it.

But you wouldn't be you if you just put it the way it is. You had to exaggerate and stretch it from China can make some really good cars to "Chinese cars are higher quality than European and American ones," which is a ridiculous statement to make because China is nowhere near there.

Sigh.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2980148]"Despite what the European snob said, Chinese cars are higher quality than European and American ones" (hey a broken clock is correct 2 x a day).

Nobody is gullible enough to believe this Elvis, the CCP just churns out slave made garbage, to overfill landfills.[/QUOTE]Do you own landfill stocks? Or are you just talking out of your ass again? 4 out of every 10 cars built in the world today are built in China so you should be raking it in then on your landfill stocks.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2980148]"I'm sorry you were gullible to buy stock, but for your lack of loyalty to our country (hasn't it been very good to you) you deserve to lose your ass.[/QUOTE]Stock in what? The Chinese-American partnerships? Nah, I am not interested in companies the CCCP can take over with a snap of their fingers.

As for loyalty, I would ask loyal to whom? The American car companies who gave away all their production secrets to the Chinese to have a crack at their market?

And by all means, let's keep score on your Democratic douche style virtue signaling. Please assign patriotism scores on buying a Buick built in China, a Chevy built in Korea, and on Hondas and Mercedes built in the USA.

And by all means, how does the poor sucker who bought the Chinese made Buick and thinking he was supporting 'Merica know where his vehicle was actually produced? Admit it. You do not know.

And how about getting up from behind your keyboard and telling the guy that bought the Chinese made Buick that by buying his vehicle, he is buying trash that will fill up a landfill, sucking the dick of the CCCP, and is not loyal / hates his home country? Are you doing that? Yeah, I did not think so.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2980283]A half a day of decline in the S&P 500 and the Dow and Trump folded like a cheap lawn chair!

What happened to Mexico "taking advantage of us economically" and "other countries will pay us billions and we can fund everything from my brilliant tariffs"?

How the hell does a bunch of bored Mexican soldiers hanging around getting paid to look the other way while USA citizens smuggle drugs across the border have to do with those trade imbalances Trump was whining about and the billions in free money Mexico was going to pay us with those Trump Tariffs?

[B]Trump pauses Mexico tariffs for one month after agreement on border troops.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/03/trump-tariffs-mexico-canada-china-sheinbaum-responds.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

Meanwhile, his only "win" so far with all this Tariff bullshit is the president of Colombia agreed to let him continue doing what Obama and Biden were already doing in greater numbers and cheaper! Lolol.

And now we have this! Lololol.

"Catch and Release! Catch and Release"!

[B]Some migrants arrested in Trump's immigration crackdown have been released back into the U.S.
Space constraints and court orders have led ICE to release migrants on monitoring programs after they're arrested.
Feb. 3, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/people-caught-trump-immigration-crackdown-released-us-rcna186360[/URL]

Gee, nobody knew a Mass Deportation was hard in the face of Constitutional Mandates and stingy Repub Congressional Budget Restraints. Lolol.

Well. Back to golf, golf and more golf.[/QUOTE]Mexico and Canada caved as fast as they could drop to their knees and lick Our Lord and Saviors ass clean for some mercy, just like that pussy Petro did in Bogota, none of the 3 could even last 24 hrs lololololol.

Next up is the EU, Xi, Seoul, Panama City et al LMFAO.

Fuck Mt Rushmore.

Start carving Our Lord and Savior across the entire Rockies NOW!

Donald J Trump is a living GOD!!

[QUOTE=KeviKev68;2980317]You are dead wrong! We have the Gulf of America now. That's real leadership that America can count on. LOL.[/QUOTE]That's nothing. Wait until we get the 51st State. Then we won't have to impose tariffs on them.

[QUOTE=KeviKev68;2980317]You are dead wrong! We have the Gulf of America now. That's real leadership that America can count on. LOL.[/QUOTE]That will last until the next Repub Party-facilitated historic record worst Climate Change Hurricane ravages the Gulf States.

Then he'll go back to blaming Mexico for it. "They coulda' turned off that big water faucet and this never woulda' happened"!

A half a day of decline in the S&P 500 and the Dow and Trump folded like a cheap lawn chair!

What happened to Mexico "taking advantage of us economically" and "other countries will pay us billions and we can fund everything from my brilliant tariffs"?

How the hell does a bunch of bored Mexican soldiers hanging around getting paid to look the other way while USA citizens smuggle drugs across the border have to do with those trade imbalances Trump was whining about and the billions in free money Mexico was going to pay us with those Trump Tariffs?

"Trump pauses Mexico tariffs for one month after agreement on border troops. ".

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/03/trump-tariffs-mexico-canada-china-sheinbaum-responds.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL you soooo silly you soft in the head.

Meanwhile, his only "win" so far with all this Tariff bullshit is the president of Colombia agreed to let him continue doing what Obama and Biden were already doing in greater numbers and cheaper! Lolol.

[URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/politics/trump-economy-threats.html[/URL]

Trump Wields USA Power With Unclear Economic Consequences.

The president sees the USA Economy as a powerful lever against other countries but there are risks to that approach.

Share full article.

564.

President Trump, wearing a blue suit and red tie, sits at a wooden desk facing a line of microphones.

Economists say that as strong as the American economy is, trade wars will weaken it by raising prices, stalling investment, slowing growth and dragging down exports. Credit. Doug Mills / The New York Times.

Ana Swanson.

By Ana Swanson.

Ana Swanson has covered international trade for over a decade and is based in Washington.

Feb. 3, 2025.

Updated 5:48 pm ET.

President Trump is brandishing the USA Economy like a weapon, threatening to put more than a trillion dollars of trade on the line with economic wars on multiple fronts.

In a high-stakes confrontation that lasted over the weekend and into Monday, Mr. Trump promised to put tariffs on the United States closest trading partners, which are together responsible for more than 40 percent of American imports, to try to force them to accede to his demands.

Mr. Trump was pushing Canada, Mexico and China to stop flows of migrants at the border one of his major domestic policy issues as well as to stem shipments of deadly drugs, and offer the United States better terms when it comes to trade relationships.

Both Canada and Mexico earned slight reprieves on Monday after Mr. Trump agreed to delay tariffs of 25 percent which were supposed to go into effect on Tuesday for a month. That decision came after President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico promised to reinforce the USA -Mexico border with 10,000 members of its National Guard. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, said Canada would appoint a fentanyl czar, launch a joint strike force to combat organized crime and list cartels as terrorists, among other steps.

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China has not received any such reprieve and Mr. Trump on Monday said that the 10 percent tariffs that will go into effect on Tuesday were simply an opening salvo.

Speaking from the Oval Office, the president also made clear that he would use tariffs liberally to get other governments to give him what he wants, essentially saying he would leverage Americas economic strength to bully other nations.

I don't want to use names, but tariffs are very powerful, both economically and in getting everything else you want, Mr. Trump said during remarks in the Oval Office. When you're the pot of gold, the tariffs are very good, theyre very powerful and theyre going to make our country very rich again.

The president is right that the American economy is a powerful weapon, and that tariffs, if he chose to put them into effect, would hit other countries harder. Canada and Mexico in particular are deeply dependent on trade with the United States. They send more than 80 percent of their exports to the United States, and could be crippled by a prolonged fight.

But many economists say the strategy would cost the United States, too. They estimate that as strong as the American economy is, trade wars would weaken it by raising prices, stalling investment, slowing growth and dragging down exports. Many farmers and businesses who would see their costs go up and export markets evaporate have protested the risk.

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It remains to be seen what the president will do once his 30 day timeline ends. But even if the president ultimately does not follow through this time around, the uncertainty his policies have created could discourage businesses from investing in new factories and hiring workers until they have a clearer picture of how trade will unfold.

Emily Blanchard, an economics professor at Dartmouths Tuck School of Business, argued that tariff threats eat away at USA Economic leverage. She said that Mr. Trump was undermining the trust that provides the foundation of USA Strength by throwing around the countrys weight in global markets.

If companies and investors expect the United States to deploy tariffs regularly, they will hedge against future disruptions by reducing their reliance on American markets, she said. Trade policy is an economic weapon that becomes less powerful every time it is used, she said.

The president has briefly acknowledged that trade wars could hurt Americans, but he has argued that they will hurt other countries more.

WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? He wrote on social media on Sunday. YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT! BUT WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, AND IT WILL ALL BE WORTH THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID.

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A news release accompanying Mr. Trumps trade executive orders over the weekend stated that access to the American market was a privilege for foreign governments. The White House noted that trade accounted for 73 percent of Mexicos economic activity, 67 percent of Canadas and 37 percent of Chinas. But trade is only 24 percent of USA Gross domestic product, it said.

Wendy Cutler, a former USA Trade negotiator and vice president at the Asia Society, said Mr. Trump was correct that trade wars would be more painful for Canada and Mexico. There is no doubt that our partners will be more severely impacted than the United States, with over three-fourths of their exports destined for our market, she said.

Still, USA Consumers, companies and economy will also feel the pain, particularly when subject to retaliatory actions by our partners.

Image.

A line of yellow and white rail cars on a cloudy day.

A rail yard in Windsor, Canada. Mr. Trump has briefly acknowledged that trade wars could hurt Americans, but he has argued that they will hurt other countries more. Credit. Ian Willms for The New York Times.

Researchers at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington have estimated that a 25 percent tariff on Canada and Mexico and a 10 percent tariff on China would hit other countries the hardest, but would also slow the USA Economy.

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Canadian and Mexican gross domestic product would both shrink by a full percentage point by 2027, they estimate. G. the. P. In the United States would fall by only about a third of that. While that may not seem like much, there are few actions that American presidents have willingly taken that cut economic growth by so much.

Tariffs on Canada and Mexico would be particularly painful because, after 30 years under a common trade agreement, many companies have set up supply chains that cross North American borders. Companies making petroleum, cars, consumer care products, tequila, steel and other products have expressed concern over the tariffs.

Ontario, the province that is home to Canadas auto industry, estimated that 450,000 jobs were at risk because of the tariffs. Officials there announced that they would offer tax deferrals and other measures to help businesses affected by the tariffs.

Beyond the effects on companies, trade experts said the aggressive threats could be longer-term damage to USA Interests. That is because the tariff threats would eat away at international confidence that the United States will abide by trade rules and norms that govern when governments deploy tariffs and why.

Edward Alden, a trade expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that the United States had nurtured a system of international rules and predictability for decades. With Mr. Trump threatening to deploy tariffs in a random, incomprehensible fashion, he said, that era has come to an end.

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The United States is now signaling that tariffs are an all-purpose club to be used for whatever policy goal the president wishes, he said. That formula will create enormous, in many ways unprecedented, uncertainty not just in North America but in the entire global economy.

Canada and Mexico had been poised to retaliate if the tariffs went into effect, despite a USA Threat to escalate tariffs further if they do. Canada announced on Sunday that it would target American-made honey, tomatoes, whiskey and refrigerators. Before the one-month reprieve, Mexicos president had also said her country would respond.

Foreign officials have been frustrated that Mr. Trumps metrics for having tariffs removed were subjective and vague. He had expanded his goals in recent days, saying that countries would also need to reduce their trade surpluses with the United States, in addition to action on drugs and migrants.

Asked on Monday what Mr. Trudeau could offer the United States in order to forestall tariffs, Mr. Trump answered: I don't know. We have big deficits with Canada, like we do with all countries.

Some have implied that Mr. Trumps real goal is to shift the blame for domestic problems to foreign countries.

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Ms. Sheinbaum said in a social media post on Saturday that if the United States really wanted to address drug issues, it should look to internal measures. It could combat fentanyl sales on its streets, address money laundering or start a campaign to prevent drug consumption, she wrote.

Others have contended that Mr. Trumps motives may be more about sending political signals to his supporters, rather than really affecting drugs, migrants or trade.

Heather Hurlburt, a former Biden administration trade official, said at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations in January that signaling in politics was the single most important purpose of tariffs.

This is a signaling game, she said.

Economic research published last year found that Mr. Trumps tariffs in his first term had not accomplished his stated aims of increasing manufacturing jobs, but that they had still benefited the president politically, by winning over voters for the Republican Party.

Ms. Hurlburt said that after Mr. Trumps first term, it was duly noted across the political spectrum that tariffs had been incredibly effective in getting people to pay attention.

If you want to signal to the public that you are taking on issue X, why or Z, tariffs are now an irresistible way to do it, she said.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2979697]What really happened is that Biden had this brain dead idea that if he funded a few of his favored AI companies, he could control them and all of AI. I did not say that. Marc Andreessen did on Joe Rogan. The one thing that AI companies do not need is government capital. Wall Street has been shoveling it to them in droves.

Thing is Andreessen flipped on the Dems and went Trump once he saw a Soviet style approach to AI. Now that China has produced a good product for far less than what American AI companies did, it looks like the AI companies did very little if any good work and just pocketed the money Biden was throwing at them. [/QUOTE] [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Is that why your Fuhrer, is throwing $500 Billion dollar in AI investments at the grovelling "3-Tech Bros"?

So like you, I find Rogan very funny, comedic and a very entertaining talking-head, if I have 5 to 10 minutes to a spare on such tomfoolery. But unlike you, I don't watch Rogan for my education on said matters. But you do you!

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2979697]Despite what the European snob said, Chinese cars are higher quality than European and American ones. They did not used to be. So kudos on getting that one right.

As for American car companies competing, you can only compete when there is a level or near level playing ground. Chinese cars are 50% cheaper to produce, and they can innovate for 10% of the cost of American companies and innovate more quickly.

No one can compete with those conditions.[/QUOTE] What a cop-out! Is that just your right-wing MAGA defeatist rhetoric talking, w/r to America competing with China? Again you're wrong on nobody being about to compete with China. Countries like Korea, Vietnam and India are producing their own EVs/PHEVs/Hybrids and competing.
[LIST][i] Right-Wing Woke is alive and well. NYT: [b] "Trump Is Going Woke"[/b], Jan 28, 2024

"Trump's right-wing wokeism impugning electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy because they don't conform to MAGA ideology and aren't manly enough is as devoid of common sense and not remotely in the national interest as any left-wing cultural wokeism."
...

"Most important: [b]If Trump's all-in-on-fossil-fuels, drill, baby, drill rallying cry at the dawn of this era of artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, batteries and autonomous cars really becomes our strategy,[/b] it will not make America great again. But it will definitely help make China great again." [/i] [url]https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/opinion/deepseek-ai-trump.html[/url][/LIST]
With idiots and clowns like Trump/Repub admin, saddling Americans, with tariffs and "drill baby drill" asinine policies, is the reason the right-wing woke MAGA gullible, think the U.S. CANNOT compete!

But you are right about the quality and innovation of Chinese EVs/Hybrids/PHEVs and tech, currently being better than many of our American EVs or our European snobs.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2979747]I know China sell more and more and not only cars, in EU and USA, but not meaning because of quality. In Germany, when administration support fell for electric cars, Germans then buy much less electric cars, showing they only buy when not expensive, otherwise they prefer thermic cars. [/QUOTE]As indicated in the 2030 Climate Action Programme (€130 billion funding), the government in Germany strives to enlarge the number of EVs to 10 million and charging stations to 1 million on German roads by 2030. Yes, unfortunately, due to budget constraints, the program ended 1 year earlier in 2023, than was planned. Only €10 billion were used in EV tax credits and incentives. It's a good start, but a long way yet to go.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2979747]When You love cars, You don t drive electric cars, but at least 6 cylinders engine. When batteries pollute a lot and not lasting long, don t forget our earth turn and what happen in China and USA is above our heads daily, also polluting our air abroad. [/QUOTE] Yeah Whatever! Please no more lies about batteries!

But the way I see it, when you love cars and love OUR PLANT, you'll EMBRACE all manners of viable energy and transportation solutions, that makes for COMMON SENSE, depending on your NEEDS and geo-economical situation. Currently there is no one solution fits all, but rest assured, "electrification" of transportation is becoming the better solution for many modes of transportation and cars.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2979747]On the other hand, when You buy a quality thermic car, use your brain to power with from agriculture gas, like french E85 , keeping your car for at least 10 years and 300000 kms, then You have a real car, not just a slow bus and You pollute less than electric cars production and which won t last long. I much prefer my V8 Audi built in Ingolstadt. De I powered with french E85 , more powerful and 0% pollution on technical control, than being fucked by shameful Musk or China. [/QUOTE]

What now? [i]..."Use your brain"[/i] and what...then use ethanol? [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Is that your best argument? Next you'll be telling me, to [i]"use your brains"[/i] and fuel up your vehicle, using hydrogen (H2).

There are so many things wrong with that E85 statement, it makes me wonder do you really know of what you speak? And while E85 may be a slightly cleaner fuel and makes more power output, than regular gasoline, burning E85 DOES NOT produce 0% pollutant in emissions and you still have to burn 10-12% more fuel, to cover the same distance, verses using regular standard gasoline. So ethanol, it's not as efficient as you claim.

I would love to see this proof. [u]Please provide proof this so called [i][b]"0% pollution on technical control"[/b][/i] of yours![/u]

If ICE vehicles are so much better in quality, please tell me why ICE manufacturers only provide a Powertrain/Drivetrain Warranty Coverage of 60 months/60,000 miles? Meanwhile EV manufacturers provide a [i][b]10 years/100,000 miles[/b][/i], while its 155,000 miles on the Mercedes-Benz EQS.

BTW, the latest generations of EV batteries and EV electric motors, not only coming out of China and Korea, have much better/longer warranties, because they are confident of the QUALITY and LONGEVITY of their products.

So again, if ICE manufacturers are so confident of the quality of their products, I'd like to see them try and match the warranty on China's CATL launched new EV battery (Apr 3, 2024) with close to [i][b]One (1) million miles, 15-year lifespan warranty.[/b][/i] [URL]https://electrek.co/2024/04/03/catl-launches-new-ev-battery-last-1-million-miles-15-yrs/ [/URL]

So if you're gonna argue against EVs, trying making some better arguments and not these lame duck fossil fuel excuses, that ICE vehicle pundits have been trying to make for years.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980372][i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Is that why your Fuhrer, is throwing $500 Billion dollar in AI investments at the grovelling "3-Tech Bros"?[/QUOTE][URL]https://apnews.com/article/trump-ai-openai-oracle-softbank-son-altman-ellison-be261f8a8ee07a0623d4170397348c41[/URL]

Trump got a commitment from private enterprise to spend $500 billion in Texas. Why are you griping about that?

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980372]So like you, I find Rogan very funny, comedic and a very entertaining talking-head, if I have 5 to 10 minutes to a spare on such tomfoolery. But unlike you, I don't watch Rogan for my education on said matters. But you do you![/QUOTE]Thanks for admitting that when Rachel Maddow has a guest on with her show, you only listen to her and not her guest. That explains a lot.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980372]Is that just your right-wing MAGA defeatist rhetoric talking, w/r to America competing with China? Again you're wrong on nobody being about to compete with China. Countries like Korea, Vietnam and India are producing their own EVs/PHEVs/Hybrids and competing.[/QUOTE]South Korea has partnerships with China. Average hourly wage for auto worker in China, Vietnam, and India is less than $7 an hour compared to $38 in the USA, and you had Biden pushing for higher wages to boot. So enlighten me, Spidy, how is voting Democrat going to fix that wage gap? And you brag about not answering my questions.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980372]S"Most important: If Trump's all-in-on-fossil-fuels, drill, baby, drill rallying cry at the dawn of this era of artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, batteries and autonomous cars really becomes our strategy, it will not make America great again. But it will definitely help make China great again."

With idiots and clowns like Trump/Repub admin, saddling Americans, with tariffs and "drill baby drill" asinine policies, is the reason the right-wing woke MAGA gullible, think the U.S. CANNOT compete![/QUOTE]I would rather read quotes from Stalin or Hitler than Thomas fucking Friedman. The first time I heard Friedman complain about drill baby drill was around 2005. He was making fun of drilling for oil and gas as an uncivilized ancient and stupid technology. Since then, American oil and gas production has soared making us trillions of dollars, and this fucking moron still thinks he is right making fun of drilling. He is a fucking idiot.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980372]But you are right about the quality and innovation of Chinese EVs/Hybrids/PHEVs and tech, currently being better than many of our American EVs or our European snobs.[/QUOTE]Yes, but that is not really the issue. What is the issue is not falling behind in AI. AI trained fighter pilots are beating our best pilots right now. AI is going to rule everything, and we need to double our electrical output and get our industrial base back to compete.

So I will answer the question that you will not. How do you compete when workers in China make less than $7 an hour and those in the USA are $38 an hour? You do not have any workers. You produce the whole car with robots using AI and we can do it cheaper than China because our electrical costs are less and you know why? Because of drill, baby, drill!

You Democratic douches and your dumb shit windmills and solar panels good and oil and gas bad make me sick. You dummies think there is a choice. We need it all: solar, wind, gas, oil, nuclear, and everything to compete. You all need to wake up!

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980384]
There are so many things wrong with that E85 statement, it makes me wonder do you really know of what you speak? And while E85 may be a slightly cleaner fuel and makes more power output, than regular gasoline, burning E85 DOES NOT produce 0% pollutant in emissions and you still have to burn 10-12% more fuel, to cover the same distance, verses using regular standard gasoline. So ethanol, it's not as efficient as you claim.[/QUOTE]You are right.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980384]If ICE vehicles are so much better in quality, please tell me why ICE manufacturers only provide a Powertrain/Drivetrain Warranty Coverage of 60 months/60,000 miles? Meanwhile EV manufacturers provide a [i][b]10 years/100,000 miles[/b][/i], while its 155,000 miles on the Mercedes-Benz EQS.

BTW, the latest generations of EV batteries and EV electric motors, not only coming out of China and Korea, have much better/longer warranties, because they are confident of the QUALITY and LONGEVITY of their products.[/QUOTE]That is good too.

Now address how our grids cannot handle everyone having an electric car, the constraints on lithium production, and charging times on EV. Those hurdles have to be overcome before EVs are more than a novelty.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980384]As indicated in the 2030 Climate Action Programme (130 billion funding), the government in Germany strives to enlarge the number of EVs to 10 million and charging stations to 1 million on German roads by 2030. Yes, unfortunately, due to budget constraints, the program ended 1 year earlier in 2023, than was planned. Only 10 billion were used in EV tax credits and incentives. It's a good start, but a long way yet to go.

Yeah Whatever! Please no more lies about batteries!

But the way I see it, when you love cars and love OUR PLANT, you'll EMBRACE all manners of viable energy and transportation solutions, that makes for COMMON SENSE, depending on your NEEDS and geo-economical situation. Currently there is no one solution fits all, but rest assured, "electrification" of transportation is becoming the better solution for many modes of transportation and cars.



What now? [i]..."Use your brain"[/i] and what...then use ethanol? [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Is that your best argument? Next you'll be telling me, to [i]"use your brains"[/i] and fuel up your vehicle, using hydrogen (H2).

There are so many things wrong with that E85 statement, it makes me wonder do you really know of what you speak? And while E85 may be a slightly cleaner fuel and makes more power output, than regular gasoline, burning E85 DOES NOT produce 0% pollutant in emissions and you still have to burn 10-12% more fuel, to cover the same distance, verses using regular standard gasoline. So ethanol, it's not as efficient as you claim.

I would love to see this proof. [u]Please provide proof this so called [i][b]"0% pollution on technical control"[/b][/i] of yours![/u]

If ICE vehicles are so much better in quality, please tell me why ICE manufacturers only provide a Powertrain/Drivetrain Warranty Coverage of 60 months/60,000 miles? Meanwhile EV manufacturers provide a [i][b]10 years/100,000 miles[/b][/i], while its 155,000 miles on the Mercedes-Benz EQS.

BTW, the latest generations of EV batteries and EV electric motors, not only coming out of China and Korea, have much better/longer warranties, because they are confident of the QUALITY and LONGEVITY of their products.

So again, if ICE manufacturers are so confident of the quality of their products, I'd like to see them try and match the warranty on China's CATL launched new EV battery (Apr 3, 2024) with close to [i][b]One (1) million miles, 15-year lifespan warranty.[/b][/i] [URL]https://electrek.co/2024/04/03/catl-launches-new-ev-battery-last-1-million-miles-15-yrs/ [/URL]

So if you're gonna argue against EVs, trying making some better arguments and not these lame duck fossil fuel excuses, that ICE vehicle pundits have been trying to make for years.[/QUOTE]I don t know where your culture is from, but I remember all lies of China about covid. I don t trust this country. Not only about chinese cars, but all electric cars and Tesla and even now some Porsche, when You drive on motorway at 130/150 km / h, You will be able to go half distance, your electric car was told for, and don t You know batteries lose power quite fast and when cold. 10 years guaranty is just a joke, maybe then only able to go to buy the bread. And will You run after China when problem on your car, not respecting what your car was sold for. With my real car powered with E85 and yes, when I already drove 120000 kms with this gas, I was amazed for a powerful increased car to get CO2 result 0% on every 2 years technical control. I drive weekly very fast in Germany, aiming 300 km / h, seeing ridiculous Tesla who think they are fast, but only when starting from redlight, and I can go for 400 kms full speed with 5/10 mn to refuel, when electric cars worth only in towns traffic or to go to buy bread, with figures for how many possible kilometers are just a fake, and of course, chinese usual lies, when they are also known for human rights big respect. When Trump is scared of China, I m not, because I don t buy their products and I m not fucked by tok tok. If You don t buy chinese low quality products, You don t have to be scared. For me, only strength of China is they are nearly 5 times more numerous than USA, but not for their products quality, when we can t trust them, when they lie too much. Buying chinese products is supporting their no respect for human rights, like buying Russian products is supporting Russia when attacking Ukraine.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2980188]With all his taxes, when he can t compete for quality, Trump may make real inflation for Americans. Trump is not king of the world and USA are less than 5% population.[/QUOTE]Is old Trump starting to understand he can t decide only on his own? Canada and Mexico are right to resist, when economics is not a casino.

We already know Trump won nothing but looking like a fumbling bumbling numbskull on the world stage when only his Cult Follower dumb Repub hillbilly suckers fell for his claim that he defeated the President of Colombia in some silly Trump-triggered game of tic tac toe.

Uh. The President of Colombia simply agreed to allow Numbskull Trump to continue doing something Biden had already been doing but in greater numbers and for far, far less in American tax-payer dollars than Trump was doing and spending. LOL. Victory!

And now those same suckers probably fell for the bullshit claim that Trump twisted Mexico and Canada's arms and forced them to agree to some brand new, BS Trump Brand new, border security conditions with his hilariously "menacing" monotone threat of Trump Tariff Tax Increases on the American Working Men and Women. LOL. Victory!

Uh. The deals they agreed to had already been negotiated by President Biden and those countries were already abiding by them:

[B]China hits back after new U.S. Tariffs take effect, as those against Mexico and Canada are paused[/B]

[URL]https://news.sky.com/story/mexico-and-canada-agree-to-bolster-us-border-security-in-return-for-tariff-pause-13302681[/URL]

[QUOTE][b]But it's not a new announcement. Look at the language - "are and will be". In other words, "we're doing this already Mr President, but if you want me to reiterate it to placate you, then I will" All that Justin Trudeau has done today is reiterate a border plan he announced last December.

Mexico too has been doing an increasing amount in the fight against fentanyl though it could and probably now will do more.[/b]

So has it all been theatre this past 24 hours?

A show of brinkmanship from Donald Trump, which could have had a cliff-edge ending, but instead ended with him looking strong, and freaking out much of the developed world in the process, and his closest neighbours forced to[b] reiterate their existing plans.[/b][/QUOTE]God only knows what kind of classic Repub blithering blathering fumbling bumbling Know Nothing, Do Nothing result Trump will fart out of his standoff with China.

But if it turns out similar to his previous fumbling bumbling failed Trade War with China results, expect Xi to win everything, deliver nothing and rake in as many global USA farm and manufacturing customers as he can stuff into his Christmas stocking while Trump issues emergency welfare checks to those industries just to keep them afloat.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2980435]Is old Trump starting to understand he can t decide only on his own? Canada and Mexico are right to resist, when economics is not a casino.[/QUOTE]Trump can't even decide with the help of those other World Leaders. Biden did all of the negotiating and deciding for these "Great, Grand and Glorious Tough Guy Trump Deals"! LOL.

Everyone at least minimally informed, including Leaders of countries Trump and his MAGAs consider "shithole" countries, know Trump was punked by the Leaders of Colombia, Canada and Mexico. And that he WILL get punked by Xi. Big Time. Although, as always, he and President Musk are more than willing and compliant "suckers" for anything China wants.

But other World Leaders have all tired of laughing at him. He is too obviously a ridiculous Know Nothing clown to inspire a big hearty laugh anymore. All of their newest laughs are for the 77.3 million numbskulls who actually fell for his creaky old con and voted for him, voted for some nothing Third Party candidate or didn't vote at all but could have voted for Harris.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2980503]but could have voted for Harris.[/QUOTE]Why would someone vote for an illegitimate candidate for [B]POTUS[/B]. And she was not ready for [U]Prime Time[/U]!

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2980324]
Yes, China knows how to make cars. Considering the sheer number of joint ventures it has with Western and Japanese (and probably Korean) brands, it's capable of making some really good ones, no doubt about it.[/QUOTE]Do you feel smart regurgitating the facts I gave you? LOL. And the phrase "probably Korean" means you did not know jack shit about the subject. In fact, you were so sure American and European cars were better than Chinese ones. That was the whole point of the debate. You did not even know what a Chinese car is and you still do not.

The Chinese were way behind ten years ago. They pulled to even two years ago. According to the guy I know who owns car dealerships, they are ahead now and that fits the trajectory.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2980340]Do you own landfill stocks? Or are you just talking out of your ass again? 4 out of every 10 cars built in the world today are built in China so you should be raking it in then on your landfill stocks.

Stock in what? The Chinese-American partnerships? Nah, I am not interested in companies the CCCP can take over with a snap of their fingers.

As for loyalty, I would ask loyal to whom? The American car companies who gave away all their production secrets to the Chinese to have a crack at their market?

And by all means, let's keep score on your Democratic douche style virtue signaling. Please assign patriotism scores on buying a Buick built in China, a Chevy built in Korea, and on Hondas and Mercedes built in the USA.

And by all means, how does the poor sucker who bought the Chinese made Buick and thinking he was supporting 'Merica know where his vehicle was actually produced? Admit it. You do not know.

And how about getting up from behind your keyboard and telling the guy that bought the Chinese made Buick that by buying his vehicle, he is buying trash that will fill up a landfill, sucking the dick of the CCCP, and is not loyal / hates his home country? Are you doing that? Yeah, I did not think so.[/QUOTE]Nor would I apologize for being Anti Slavery to PURE EVIL Libertarians that love savages and slave labor.

Let's hear 3 Big Cheers for HUGE FUCKING Global Trade / Tariff War.

[URL]https://amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/02/03/americas/ecuador-mexico-tariffs-intl-latam?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID[/URL]#amp_tf=From%20%251%24's&aoh=17386232116935&csi=0&referrer=https%3 A%2 F%2 F [URL]www.google.com[/URL]&ampshare=https%3 A%2 F%2 F[URL]www.cnn.com[/URL]%2 F2025%2 F02%2 F03%2 Famericas%2 Fecuador-mexico-tariffs-intl-latam%2 Findex. Html.

You can thank our Our Lord and Savior and MAGA / Nationalist Populist voters globally!!

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2980448] Thanks Joe and Kamla! We already know Trump won nothing but looking like a fumbling bumbling numbskull on the world stage[/QUOTE]LOL. This is how the Italians portrayed Biden: [URL]https://x.com/endwokeness/status/1761552726570188957?mx=2[/URL].

And this is how Jill Biden mocked Kamala Harris: [URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faxCq6WZH7M[/URL].

As for Trump, he just slapped down the leaders of three nations on immigration. He is also going to go back to NATO and do what he did before: get Europe to spend more and us to spend less.

And let's go back to some other Democratic douche whining:

"Just last week, Trump FIRED the heads of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard, and disbanded the Aviation Security Advisory Committee," one X post read. The Associated Press reported Jan. 21 that Trump fired those heads and removed all members of the committee.

Another X post read, "On your 2ND DAY, you 1. Fired the head of the Transportation Security Administration, 2. Fired the entire Aviation Security Advisory Committee, 3. Froze hiring of all Air Traffic Controllers, 4. Fired 100 top FAA security officers. ".

Bill Maher had some fun with this as well. And yet, there is this, [URL]https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/did-trumps-firing-of-aviation-officials-contribute-to-the-d-c-crash-experts-say-its-unlikely[/URL].

There was simply too little time less than 10 days after Trump was sworn in for any of his broadly worded executive orders to have had an effect, experts said.

OTOH, there was Trump telling the truth. The Blackhawk helicopter was flying way above the 200 foot limit. He asked, that is not too complicated to understand, is it?

And now we know who the pilot was flying the helicopter, [URL]https://www.zerohedge.com/military/us-army-identifies-female-black-hawk-pilot-dc-jet-crash[/URL].

And there are photos of her in the Biden White House being a social aide and answering questions from the media yucking it up. Rumors abound that she was gay but her social media accounts were scrubbed after her name was released.

But what we do know is the woman who crashed a Blackhawk helicopter into a passenger jet killing everyone is that she was a star in the Biden White House.

So we have crashing a helicopter, a SS outfit so incompetent it let Trump get shot, Jill Biden making fun of Kamala, and Biden bumbling around on stage. And you are trying to convince us those were our nation's glory days, Loony Tooms? Get the fuck out of here!

Trump put 10% tax, China put back 15% . Such a loser casino player.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2980433]I don t know where your culture is from, but I remember all lies of China about covid. I don t trust this country. Not only about chinese cars, but all electric cars and Tesla and even now some Porsche, when You drive on motorway at 130/150 km / h, You will be able to go half distance, your electric car was told for... [/QUOTE]

What...so now I shouldn't trust Germany/Toyota cars or products, because of their past? Or perhaps because both Volkswagen (VW, Audi, Porsche) and Toyota were found to be the biggest liars of all time, with their the "Dieselgate" emissions scandals.

Personal beefs with China and Russia aside, I ask again, [u]can you or can you not[/u], provide evidence/proof of this this so called [i][b]"0% pollution on technical control"[/b][/i] of yours?

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2980433]With my real car powered with E85 and yes, when I already drove 120000 kms with this gas, I was amazed for a powerful increased car to get CO2 result 0% on every 2 years technical control. ...[/QUOTE]

[u][b]The Magic of Sirioja "0% Pollution on Technical Control" Fuel:[/b][/u]

Sirioja, it occurs to me...why are VW and Toyota, senselessly paying billions of dollars in fines, for "Dieselgate" emissions scandals, when a die-hard patrol head, like yourself, has magically figured out, that your [i][b]"0% pollution on technical control"[/b][/i], type "zero emissions" solution for ICE vehicles, will do what VW, Toyota and all the other ICE manufacturers have failed to do?

Why are you letting your favorite German auto manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes, Audi and VW, suffer huge emissions fines, needlessly, when you have the perfect solution?

Better yet Sirioja, why haven't you sold this gold-mine of a solution, to the ICE auto industry? And saved the world from pollution?

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2980044]When you have thermic atmospheric car like my Audi S5 V8 and you know what is a car, you can limit maintenance and gas costs, when almost impossible with hybrid and electric ones.

Mercedes should be higher quality than US cars. [/QUOTE] What are you trying to say, here?

If your point or argument was to compare lower ICE vs EV maintenance and fuel costs, it won't matter if you have a "higher quality" ICE Mercedes or NOT!

ICE vehicles are [u]NEVER[/u] going to beat EVs on lower maintenance or fuel costs...[u]NEVER![/u]

Especially when you're powering your vehicle with FREE electricity/electrons from home rooftop solar, for example!

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2980340]Do you own landfill stocks? Or are you just talking out of your ass again? 4 out of every 10 cars built in the world today are built in China so you should be raking it in then on your landfill stocks.

Stock in what? The Chinese-American partnerships? Nah, I am not interested in companies the CCCP can take over with a snap of their fingers.

As for loyalty, I would ask loyal to whom? The American car companies who gave away all their production secrets to the Chinese to have a crack at their market?

And by all means, let's keep score on your Democratic douche style virtue signaling. Please assign patriotism scores on buying a Buick built in China, a Chevy built in Korea, and on Hondas and Mercedes built in the USA.

And by all means, how does the poor sucker who bought the Chinese made Buick and thinking he was supporting 'Merica know where his vehicle was actually produced? Admit it. You do not know.

And how about getting up from behind your keyboard and telling the guy that bought the Chinese made Buick that by buying his vehicle, he is buying trash that will fill up a landfill, sucking the dick of the CCCP, and is not loyal / hates his home country? Are you doing that? Yeah, I did not think so.[/QUOTE][URL]https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/02/is-the-democrats-problem-that-theyre-not-obnoxious-enough/[/URL]

Really senile Trump who already lost versus China and Canada, who has 0 knowledge about the world, turning more and more crazy with his criminal friend Netanyahou, may kill many US, when millions muslims inside of USA, like Netanyahou behavior may kill many Jews all over the world. USA have now a dangerous leader for their safety.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980594]What...so now I shouldn't trust Germany/Toyota cars or products, because of their past? Or perhaps because both Volkswagen (VW, Audi, Porsche) and Toyota were found to be the biggest liars of all time, with their the "Dieselgate" emissions scandals.

Personal beefs with China and Russia aside, I ask again, [u]can you or can you not[/u], provide evidence/proof of this this so called [i][b]"0% pollution on technical control"[/b][/i] of yours?



[u][b]The Magic of Sirioja "0% Pollution on Technical Control" Fuel:[/b][/u]

Sirioja, it occurs to me...why are VW and Toyota, senselessly paying billions of dollars in fines, for "Dieselgate" emissions scandals, when a die-hard patrol head, like yourself, has magically figured out, that your [i][b]"0% pollution on technical control"[/b][/i], type "zero emissions" solution for ICE vehicles, will do what VW, Toyota and all the other ICE manufacturers have failed to do?

Why are you letting your favorite German auto manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes, Audi and VW, suffer huge emissions fines, needlessly, when you have the perfect solution?

Better yet Sirioja, why haven't you sold this gold-mine of a solution, to the ICE auto industry? And saved the world from pollution?

What are you trying to say, here?

If your point or argument was to compare lower ICE vs EV maintenance and fuel costs, it won't matter if you have a "higher quality" ICE Mercedes or NOT!

ICE vehicles are [u]NEVER[/u] going to beat EVs on lower maintenance or fuel costs...[u]NEVER![/u]

Especially when you're powering your vehicle with FREE electricity/electrons from home rooftop solar, for example![/QUOTE]You tell about dieselgate which was made by Bosch program / injection and most of all brands using, not only VW, when I tell about gas mainly from agriculture, when unfortunately, hydrogen seem too complicated for cars brands. When You seem to support Chinese products, do You know about pollution made by China and for batteries, to build and when dead, fucking our planet. I can send You my official by government technical control with 0% CO2 , surprising me for a so powerful V8 Audi when I increased power. Of course, I don t even see MG or BYD on free speed german autobahns. And I don t trust lying China for batteries able to drive a bit for 10 years, when losing power quite fast and when cold. With french E85 , I have just to be careful to start engine, not to fuck sparks, when cold and wet, but a bit same like when starting a race car.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2980541]Why would someone vote for an illegitimate candidate for [B]POTUS[/B]. And she was not ready for [U]Prime Time[/U]![/QUOTE]Why was Harris illegitimate? Was she born in Kenya, too? LOL.

BTW, who voted for President Musk?

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2980638][URL]https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/02/is-the-democrats-problem-that-theyre-not-obnoxious-enough/[/URL][/QUOTE]No, it was me. I meant everything I said. It may be time to cut the auto companies loose as they are subsisting on corporate welfare as of now.

But this story is more in line with what I usually post. Do you know how the Democratic douches are always trying to say their sources are legit?

[URL]https://www.zerohedge.com/political/politico-ny-times-propped-millions-dollars-us-government[/URL]

According to government spending tracker website USASPENDING. Gov, Politico. Which laundered the Hunter Biden '51 intel officials' propaganda during the 2020 election. Received up to $27 million (and by some counts $32 million) from various US agencies during the Biden years.

And look at this, the NY Times received $3. 1 million in taxpayer funds, while the UK's BBC received $3. 2 million.

Yeah, is this a surprise? The Democratic douches just had their slush funding curtailed when Trump cut off USAID. He he.

Meanwhile.

ZeroHedge hasn't received a dime from the US government (or any government, assholes), while coming under recurring attack from the deep state and their various tentacles. We subsist on dwindling ad revenues thanks to the media censorship complex, subscriptions, and revenue from our new store.

So my tax dollars are going to support pro-government liberal Democratic douches who in turn are smug? Well, you just do not understand Elvis. It is a privilege for you to give me money and listen to my opinion.

Fuck these liberal fucks! Why would any Republican want to pay taxes while this shit is going on?

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2980711]You tell about dieselgate which was made by Bosch program / injection and most of all brands using, not only VW, when I tell about gas mainly from agriculture, when unfortunately, hydrogen seem too complicated for cars brands. When You seem to support Chinese products, do You know about pollution made by China and for batteries, to build and when dead, fucking our planet. I can send You my official by government technical control with 0% CO2 , surprising me for a so powerful V8 Audi when I increased power. Of course, I don t even see MG or BYD on free speed german autobahns. And I don t trust lying China for batteries able to drive a bit for 10 years, when losing power quite fast and when cold. With french E85 , I have just to be careful to start engine, not to fuck sparks, when cold and wet, but a bit same like when starting a race car.[/QUOTE]And many made in China toys are dangerous for children, many clothes have lead metal inside to make You heavily sick, when they already sent us covid and lied, so must really want to die fast to buy a chinese car and car can be a real weapon, to kill others. Resist to Trump craziness, after sexual criminal, he will be soon international law criminal like his friends Netanyahou and Putin, and don t buy chinese products and stop being fucked by tok tok which is for no brained.

Today President Trump signed the 'No Men in Women's Sports' executive order and it is fun to watch the Woke kool-aid drinkers lose their banana cakes over another amazing executive order. I just have one question for our ISG resident fanatics, BKK Bob, this question especially for you because you live in BKK: can you tell the difference between a girl and a ladyboy when you are out cruising down Sukhumvit Soi 4 looking for poontang? And if you can't see a difference because you believe in this woke garbage; how many ladyboys have you barebacked?

This is not a gotcha question. I just want to know if you are an ordinary, old school, Marxist, as I think you are, or you have drunk the kool-aide.

I know some ISG'ers are into Bitcoin. That's fine with me. I file it under it's your money, do with it what you like with it.

Anyway, I received an email from my old alma Mater, the University of Chicago Grad School of Business about Bitcoin that might be of interest to some. It is entitled; 'Why Chicago Booth's Eugene Fama Thinks Bitcoin Is Going to Zero'. Take a look see if you want to. Fama is a fucking brilliant guy. I took his famous 2 semester PHD course in Finance back before he got the Nobel. It was one of most intellectually challenging and stimulating times in my life. The 1st time I visited Walking Street in Pattaya was pretty stimulating too, but in a completely different way.

[URL]https://www.promarket.org/2025/01/30/nobel-laureate-eugene-fama-predicts-bitcoin-will-become-worthless/?mkt_tok=MjUwLUNRSC05MzYAAAGYdv4ROwa-H0l5wCU_9ER2RsBUp8rKPMqYjPbwbIwCIhHLrf-gyfvsCue4DybvQl6lzpj8gK0uvZ-6xYgjYLjGAyHalsTsnw-cRzmlF3iHhXdqxQ[/URL]

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2980701]Really senile Trump who already lost versus China and Canada, who has 0 knowledge about the world, turning more and more crazy with his criminal friend Netanyahou, may kill many US, when millions muslims inside of USA, like Netanyahou behavior may kill many Jews all over the world. USA have now a dangerous leader for their safety.[/QUOTE]Why the fuck do you keep bundling Trump and Netanyahou? One is a bumbling moron who attacks his friends and allies for no reason other than to please his brainwashed followers. The other WAS ATTACKED by an evil terrorist cult in the worst attack in his country's history and fights the forces of evil to bring peace and stability to his own country. You're nothing but a typical European anti-Semitic hypocrite who's happy for any excuses to bash Jews for everything.

Trump's Pandemic Part 2, dot #I forget, there have been so many.

This time, will it take shape as a Worldwide Economy Destroying and International Tourism and Sex Mongering Travel-Crippling new drug-resistant HIV / AIDS, Tuberculosis, or Ebola?

Anything is possible.

President Musk, his assistant Trump, Xi, Putin and other Authoritarian Dictators would be pleased either way. All of the above would be welcomed with delight by them. They have always hated that the USA would dare to spend a fraction of 1 percent of its national budget on these highly effective humanitarian endeavors and Pandemic Prevention efforts.

Well. Promises made:

[B]Trump says he would disband the pandemic preparedness officeagain.
May 3, 2024[/B]

[URL]https://thebulletin.org/2024/05/trump-says-hed-disband-the-pandemic-preparedness-office-again/[/URL]

[QUOTE]Before declaring a pandemic on March 17, 2020, Donald Trump repeatedly undermined the seriousness of the disease, saying on January 22nd that Its just one person coming from China. On February 10th, he implied that it would go away with the heat in April. Its going to disappear, he said on February 27th. On March 10th, just days before declaring a pandemic, Trump urged everyone to Just stay calm. It will go away.[/QUOTE]And now, promises kept. Can't say none of those non Harris voters were not warmed well in advance. Thank you for your vote:

[B]"People Will Die: The Trump Administration Said It Lifted Its Ban on Lifesaving Humanitarian Aid.
That's Not True.
Organizations that provide vital care for desperate and vulnerable people around the world have been forced to halt operations, turn away patients and lay off staff. Ive never seen anything that scares me as much as this, one doctor said.
Jan. 31, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-state-department-usaid-humanitarian-aid-freeze-ukraine-gaza-sudan[/URL]

[QUOTE]Experts in and out of government have anxiously watched the fluid situation develop. Ive been an infectious disease doctor for 30 years, and Ive never seen anything that scares me as much as this, said Dr. Jennifer Furin, a Harvard Medical School physician who received a stop-work order for a program designing treatment plans for people with the most [b]drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis. Infectious diseases do not know borders, she pointed out. Its terrifying."[/b]
..........
"Like a Russian nesting doll of fuck-ups, said Jeremy Konyndyk, who ran some of USAIDs largest programs under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Its just astonishing.
..........
[B]There are also new outbreaks of Ebola in Ugandas capital and of the diseases cousin, the Marburg virus, in Tanzania.[/b] The U.S. has long been a key funder of biosecurity measures internationally, including at high-security labs. That funding is now on hold.[/QUOTE]

I suppose it is impossible for President Musk's assistant Donald Trump to do anything without covering it with a blatant, easily debunked lie.

So it is even more impossible for him to avoid it when he is addressing one of the Classic Repub Social Issues that only exist to con suckers into voting against their and the country's interests on issues that actually matter.

Remember when President Joe Biden really rooted out the Repub con artists on this particular Classic Social Issue For Suckers by merely confirmed his administratikn's support for folling the law as is required?

[B]Fact check: Posts criticizing Biden order on gender discrimination lack context.
Feb. 14, 2021[/B]

[URL]https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/02/02/fact-check-biden-executive-order-discrimination-transgender-women-sports/6686171002/[/URL]

[QUOTE]The Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation calls for a broader application of last year's Supreme Court Bostock v. Clayton County ruling, which mandated that LGBTQ people are protected from sex discrimination in the workplace.

The majority opinion held that, It is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex.

The order builds on the landmark ruling and directs federal agencies to extend protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, and calls for the Supreme Court ruling to apply to Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination in federally funded schools.

Under "Bostock's reasoning," Title IX, the Fair Housing Act and Section 412 of the Immigration and Nationality Act prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, so long as the laws do not contain sufficient indications to the contrary.

"Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love," Biden's executive order reads. "Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports."[/QUOTE]Then it was inevitable that Trump would need to further con his dumb Repub hillbilly suckers on this Sucker Social Issue by repeated a favorite lie about it:

[B]Fact check: Trump repeats lie that champion Olympic womens boxers transitioned.
Feb. 5, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/05/politics/olympic-womens-boxers-transitioned-trump-fact-check/index.html[/URL]

[QUOTE]Before signing an executive order Wednesday to try to ban transgender women from competing in womens sports in schools and other settings, President Donald Trump repeated a lie he told last year. He asserted that two Olympians who won gold in womens boxing events in 2024 were men who transitioned.[/QUOTE]Yes, perhaps it helps to comfort himself and all of his MAGA Cult Followers who apparently piss and shit in terror worrying about whether or not their "wide-stance" foot tapping messages to the person in the next toilet stall is being received by the intended real butch male sexual prospect or a totally Nellie Tranny.

But how does any of this lower the cost of eggs, groceries, damn I'm glad Trump invented that word, gas, rent, Mortgage loan rates, etc as well as prevent the biggest Warmongering potus of all time at home and abroad from plunging us into War with Canada, Mexico, Panama, Greenland and Gaza? And will this in any way Prevent the next Trump's Pandemic that he is clearly intent upon creating?

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2980808]Why the fuck do you keep bundling Trump and Netanyahou? One is a bumbling moron who attacks his friends and allies for no reason other than to please his brainwashed followers. The other WAS ATTACKED by an evil terrorist cult in the worst attack in his country's history and fights the forces of evil to bring peace and stability to his own country. You're nothing but a typical European anti-Semitic hypocrite who's happy for any excuses to bash Jews for everything.[/QUOTE]Netanyahou is a criminal and his interest is to keep on war, when he will have justice problems, when it will end. Trump is crazy and think he can rule the world with his real lack of knowledge. When Hamas is not Palestinian population, but Israel politics feed Hamas power, when Israel was given to Jews, why not to give a real country to Palestinians, nothing anti semite about this and I'm pretty sure should make Hamas losing power, when they work on Palestinians and Arabs misery and anger. If Palestinians lived happy on what is their historical land, I m pretty sure they would not be motivated to attack Israel. Of course, Trump knows nothing about history, but prefer to play with his friend Netanyahou. Jews were given a country, they have to accept same for Palestinians, or never ending war and Trump will never stop, when Muslims are stronger than him and I m not Muslim. My only religion is a peaceful world without criminal Netanyahou, Putin, Trump and China. Then our world should be much higher quality with better air.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2980719]Why was Harris illegitimate?[/QUOTE][U][b]Political Science 101[/b][/U]

Former Vice President Harris did not run the primary gauntlet. She was not chosen by the registered Democrats of the United States of America. In my opinion that made her an illegitimate candidate for President. Add to it she was not ready to sit in the [U]Big Chair[/U].

[B]The Prosecution Rests![/B] Is the [U]Defense Ready[/U]?

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2980803]
[URL]https://www.promarket.org/2025/01/30/nobel-laureate-eugene-fama-predicts-bitcoin-will-become-worthless/?mkt_tok=MjUwLUNRSC05MzYAAAGYdv4ROwa-H0l5wCU_9ER2RsBUp8rKPMqYjPbwbIwCIhHLrf-gyfvsCue4DybvQl6lzpj8gK0uvZ-6xYgjYLjGAyHalsTsnw-cRzmlF3iHhXdqxQ[/URL][/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]The persistence of Bitcoin poses a challenge to established economic principles. [u]Im hoping it will bust,[/u][/QUOTE]Thank you for the laugh! It is February 6, 2025. Let's revisit this article on February 6, 2035. Or after Bitcoin goes to zero. Whichever comes first. LOL!

The US Dollar is on track to lose 99.9% of its value per Michael Saylor. A brilliant entrepreneur whose company MSTR has made me an insane amount of money by buying, holding and selling its common stock.

[URL]https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-knows-michael-saylor-102200274.html[/URL]

[B]The Defense Rests![/B]

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2980800]Today President Trump signed the 'No Men in Women's Sports' executive order and it is fun to watch the Woke kool-aid drinkers lose their banana cakes over another amazing executive order. I just have one question for our ISG resident fanatics, BKK Bob, this question especially for you because you live in BKK: can you tell the difference between a girl and a ladyboy when you are out cruising down Sukhumvit Soi 4 looking for poontang? And if you can't see a difference because you believe in this woke garbage; how many ladyboys have you barebacked?

This is not a gotcha question. I just want to know if you are an ordinary, old school, Marxist, as I think you are, or you have drunk the kool-aide.[/QUOTE]Why do you care about the type of shorts people are wearing. That's not healthy, you know.

Another thing that's not healthy is when grown-ups are pointlessly using the idiotic word "woke" and not because it conveys any kind of meaning (it makes ZERO sense altogether) but because Trump and MAGA love how it sounds.

Woke. Wok. Wok-wok. Who's there. Lovely!

The third idiotic thing is calling anyone who disagrees with you a Marxist. That's a very mature, MAGA-approved trait, I'm sure.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2980406][URL]https://apnews.com/article/trump-ai-openai-oracle-softbank-son-altman-ellison-be261f8a8ee07a0623d4170397348c41[/URL]

Trump got a commitment from private enterprise to spend $500 billion in Texas. Why are you griping about that?[/QUOTE]

Why? Because as your AP article says, [i][b]"The initial plans for Stargate go back to the Biden administration.[/b] Tech news outlet The Information first reported on the project in March 2024 ..."[/i]
So as much you as your American Fuhrer, Repub clown shit show and the "3-Tech Bros", would like to conveniently omit and wanna take credit for the Stargate Project, truth is, it was started by the great President Joe Biden. Not a grip, just the truth, something that rarely comes outta the mouths of Repubs.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2980406]South Korea has partnerships with China. Average hourly wage for auto worker in China, Vietnam, and India is less than $7 an hour compared to $38 in the USA, and you had Biden pushing for higher wages to boot. So enlighten me, Spidy, how is voting Democrat going to fix that wage gap? And you brag about [b]not answering my questions.[/b][/QUOTE]

First, w/r to higher American auto workers, getting higher wages, I will say this; isn't it always interesting to note that auto execs/upper management, rarely ever take pay cuts or claw back their big-ass bonuses, as they simultaneously bleed the paychecks of their workers.

Your robber barons and American Fuhrer, have you MAGA gullible imbeciles, parroting about "wage gaps between American vs. Chinese auto workers", as the problem why American auto can't compete with China, all the while ignoring The Fuhrer's billionaire buddies and CEOs and top-execs making 200 times the salary of hard working Americans.

So when is that Repub shit show of administration, gonna fix the price of eggs and bacon, let alone soul sucking, widening pay gap that exists here in America, that almost 9 in 10 (87%) agree that the growing gap between CEO pay and worker pay is a problem in this country.

Second, oh, I answered your question, you just weren't listening (as usual)...YOU just need to learn how to listen better! [i][b]Less yapping, like a little Chihuahua and more listening![/b][/i] Again, I'll explain it to you, in my responses, to other questions in parts 2 and 3.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2980406] Yes, but that is not really the issue. What is the issue is not falling behind in AI. AI trained fighter pilots are beating our best pilots right now. AI is going to rule everything, and we need to double our electrical output and get our industrial base back to compete.[/QUOTE]

Dude, I wouldn't worry to much about human fighter pilots. Any decent futurist, worth their salt, knows the next era of warfare, will be fought with smart AI unmanned drones (ie. just like our Raptor and Reaper drones, but smarter). Coincidentally, DeepSeek AI, is something the Ukraine, is now looking to implement in their drones.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2980406] So I will answer the question that you will not. How do you compete when workers in China make less than $7 an hour and those in the USA are $38 an hour? You do not have any workers. You produce the whole car with robots using AI and we can do it cheaper than China because our electrical costs are less and you know why? Because of drill, baby, drill![/QUOTE]

Once again, you Repubs and MAGA clowns, are NOT in the business of forward thinking or critical thinking. Let's face it, your American Fuhrer and the Repub clown shit show, that is currently in office (or any other time for that matter), has always been void of any VISIONARY thinking that propels the country FORWARD, but BACKWARDS instead.

Your American Fuhrer's style of vision, is to simply, [i][b] "slap his name and brand on anything of value and then call it his own...before turning it to shit...",[/b][/i] has pretty much always been his MO and the "Republican Way".

The "Stargate" AI project, AI chips/tech, battery, clean energy manufacturing factories and jobs success, is just the latest example of credit theft, that was started by the Democrat visionary IRA and CHIPS/AI bills and initiatives. And when your American Fuhrer/MAGA, can't take credit for it, you will either rebrand it as MAGA, or just blow it up as some "woke/liberal" conspiracy.

Having said that, your assessment of "Why American auto can't compete with Chinese EVs?", w/r to the [i]"U.S. vs. China wage gap",[/i] being the problem, is correct to a degree, but too simplistic in its approach and is perhaps only 33% to 25% of the answer. While, I still think, it comes down to American innovation, to make up the 75% to 66%, rest of the answer/solution.

If you consider the main 3-components for Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), raw materials, manufacturing and labor, I think you'll agree, America has some catching up to do, in the other two categories. This is exactly the innovation and infrastructure deficiencies that Biden's IRA and CHIPS acts/bills, was addressing and successfully accomplishing.
[LIST][i][b]Forbes (Dec 16, 2025):[/b] "Its an important step in the right direction that the Biden administration did pass three massive pieces of legislation funneling trillions of dollars and/or tax [b]incentives toward US innovation and industrial productivity, that have ultimately fueled a manufacturing renaissance across the US.[/b] Since 2021, over $2.1 trillion has been allocated by the government to pro-manufacturing initiatives through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, and the CHIPS Act.

And according to Blackrock, as of November 2023, the private sector has pledged an additional $614 billion towards the production of semiconductors, electric vehicles, and batteries."
...

"But, it will require much more capital and investment to build up the US manufacturing ecosystem similar to the SEZ model in China, and it may take decades to develop. In the meantime, 'Made in China', whether directly or indirectly, is the sobering reality that we face."[/i] [URL]https://www.forbes.com/sites/shimiteobialo/2024/12/16/heres-why-us-manufacturers-cant-quit-china[/URL][/LIST]
Again, this was the answer I give, but you, a MAGA knucklehead, weren't listening (as per frickin' usual).

You, just never wanted to give President Joe Biden, the credit for being a visionary, for reviving America's jobs, manufacturing, infrastructure, clean energy and AI & Chips industries growth, that was enabling the U.S. to compete with the China and their special economic zones (SEZs), that had begun in the 1980's to spur their economic growth and innovation.

The way I see it, [i][b]the biggest challenge facing the U.S. Auto Industry, is innovation.[/b][/i] Solving the wage problem, won't do you any good, if you don't have the vision to innovate build good products, control production waste and streamline manufacturing practices, to be more efficient, effective and thereby bring costs under control.

When countries are banning the sale of ICE vehicles (now or in the near future) and and sales are down, because people aren't buying "dated" over priced ICE vehicles, in a market that's offers better affordable EV/Hybrid choices, hopefully this should come as wake-up call.

As much as I dislike Elon, when Tesla innovated with their giga presses, giga stamps, car heat-pumps and robotics...etc, it was stubborn American, European and Japanese legacy auto, that pooh-poohed Tesla's EV innovations and it was China that EMBRACED such innovative manufacturing, that drastically lowered the cost/time to build a vehicle in minutes vs. hours, mainly because they were on the same EV visionary path to electrifying their auto industry.

So we'll see if the Repub clowns in office, continue to blow it up, sabotage and gets in the way of America's own best interests and all the good the IRA and CHIPS/AI acts have done, in order for the U.S. to compete?

Although, you should note, that as both the U.S. and China auto industries, move towards near 100% automation, using tech like giga presses and robotics, to the fullest extent of manufacturing, with very little worker/human interaction toward a truer "level-playing field" and less wages to pay workers (and hopefully CEOs/Exes), it will still come down to INNOVATION, to "kick-ass" and save the day
for American auto.

Lastly, don't let those fat, bloated and lazy auto execs or those robber barons, CEO/Execs billionaire slave masters and buyout private equity firms, tell you MAGA cult faithless, any different [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2980406] You Democratic douches and your dumb shit windmills and solar panels good and oil and gas bad make me sick. You dummies think there is a choice. We need it all: solar, wind, gas, oil, nuclear, and everything to compete. You all need to wake up![/QUOTE]

But wait a minute, WTF is Texas doing?
[LIST][i][b]Environment Texas (Oct 23, 2024): [/b]"DALLAS: [u]Texas ranks first[/u] in the nation for [b]wind power[/b] generation, [u]second[/u] for [b]solar[/b] power generation, [u]second[/u] in the nation for [b]battery storage,[/b] and [u]third[/u] in the nation for the number of [b]electric vehicle registrations[/b] through 2023, according to the online Renewables on the Rise 2024 dashboard ..."

"This analysis comes as Texas is set to receive $360 million from the federal government to interconnect the ERCOT grid with other southern states, potentially bringing cheap, clean, Texan energy to hundreds of thousands more."[/i]

[b]New analysis: Texas continues dominance in wind and solar power generation ... [/b]
[url]https://environmentamerica.org/texas/media-center/new-analysis-texas-continues-dominance-in-wind-and-solar-power-generation [/url][/LIST]
Yeah, I know just what you mean Elvis 2008, ...take a minute and just checkout, all those dumbass, knuckle dragging, stupidass redneck, imbecile Texans, building more solar, more wind, more BESS and driving more EVs, than nearly everyone else in the country. My goodness, like how stupid can those Texans be? [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

Golly...I mean, like where's the fun in MAGA, by building out, $360 million worth of worth of clean energy, with more of President Joe Biden's IRA federal government cheese? That ain't very MAGA? Doesn't that just spit in the face of your American Fuhrer and nullifies his battle cries of "drill baby drill"? As if any self-respecting MAGA, should ever adopt a silly [i][b]"woke/liberal"[/b][/i] idea like solar or wind power clean energy generation? [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

Don't get me wrong, I love what Texas is doing and (reluctantly) following California's lead, by boosting their grid with more available solar and wind energy. Which, BTW, is some of the cheapest and cleanest forms of energy, right now, if saving tax payers dollars is still a thing for you Conservative Republican Libertarians?

But the hypocrisy and idiot notion that MAGA ideology/dogma, can't adopt clean energy, because it's some deep state "woke/liberal" idea, that is a conspiracy plot against right-wing MAGA Christian Conservative Libertarians ideals, is as delusional, paranoid and as nutty as your America Fuhrer, robber barons, vulture capitalists and private equity firms, want you to believe.

So that on the one hand, they continue to feed you, gullible clowns, the lies and the culture-war nonsense (mostly), while with the other hand, blindly pick your pockets clean.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2980887][U][b]Political Science 101[/b][/U]

Former Vice President Harris did not run the primary gauntlet. She was not chosen by the registered Democrats of the United States of America. In my opinion that made her an illegitimate candidate for President. Add to it she was not ready to sit in the [U]Big Chair[/U].

[B]The Prosecution Rests![/B] Is the [U]Defense Ready[/U]?[/QUOTE]None of the Presidents whose image is carved into Mount Rushmore ran for their nomination via primaries. By your reasoning, they and virtually every president judged by history to be "Great" was illegitimate.

[B]Until 1968, presidential candidates were picked by party conventions a process revived by Bidens withdrawal from race.[/B]

[URL]https://theconversation.com/until-1968-presidential-candidates-were-picked-by-party-conventions-a-process-revived-by-bidens-withdrawal-from-race-235082[/URL]

[B]A brief history of presidential primaries.[/B]

[URL]https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/a-brief-history-of-presidential-primaries[/URL]

Even today, polls show your opinion is very much a minority view in America.

[B]Voters have a dim view of primaries as a good way to pick the best candidate.[/B]

[URL]https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2016/04/05/voters-have-a-dim-view-of-primaries-as-a-good-way-to-pick-the-best-candidate/[/URL]

[QUOTE]Just 35% of voters say that the primaries have been a good way of determining the best-qualified nominees, a recent Pew Research Center survey on issues and the campaign has found. This is a smaller share than said so during the 2008 election but is on par with views of the primary process in 1992, 1996 and 2000.[/QUOTE]Had a relative handful of angry Muslims mobilized by that community's leadership in just three swing states not rushed to the voting places to vent their anger against Netanyahu by voting against the Biden Administration candidate in what will go down in history as one of the dumbest self-defeating blunders by any voter demographic ever, Harris would have won the election. Less than an average shift of 0. 75 point of a percent of votes from Trump to Harris in just those three swing states is all that was needed.

Considering Trump had been doing virtually nothing except playing golf, making horrible economic and national security decisions and campaigning for his 2nd term election since January 20,2017, that Biden and Harris had been very, very busy recovering America and the rest of the World from Trump's Total Shitstorm of an across-the-board mess of everything since January 20,2021 and the obvious gender and ethnic hurdles for her to surmount yet still coming within a pubic hair of winning the election in a global "change election" environment, Kamala Harris proved herself to be a remarkably good candidate.

Three weeks in, if a hypotherical "re-election" were to take place tomorrow, I dare say that relative handful of angry Muslims across those three swing states would most definitely return their votes to Harris instead of Trump and she would win handily.

And the millions of 2020 Biden voters who were apparently so satisfied with their financial situation and so unbelieving that it would matter all that much who won the presidency that they didn't bother to vote last November sure as hell would get off their satisfied butts and vote for Harris as well.

That is what most academics are!

[B]Those who can do! Those who cannot teach.[/B]

When I was in flight training my teachers could fly. They taught me rules and procedures out of books. Aerodynamic theory out of books. We practiced in simulators. [B]But it went down for real on the flight line![/B]. Walk around the plane and the pre-flight checklist. No theory. Action!

Today is February 7, 2025. It is 0124 as I write this. Bitcoin is 96300.00 USD. Spot Gold is 2,855.40 USD / ounce. Spot Silver is 32.27 USD / ounce.

Needed to add this so we can check the numbers on February 7, 2035.

Additional notes: [B]The United States of America is considering a strategic digital reserve[/B].

[URL]https://www.nbcnews.com/business/markets/trump-bitcoin-digital-asset-stockpile-strategic-reserve-cryptocurrency-rcna188921[/URL]

[B]15 States are considering a strategic bitcoin reserve[/B]

[URL]https://fortune.com/crypto/2025/01/31/state-bitcoin-reserve-idea-trend-what-to-know/[/URL]#.

[U]Bitcoin Holdings by Countries in the World[/U]

[URL]https://treasuries.bitbo.io/countries/[/URL]

I recommend a diverse portfolio gentlemen!

Trump is the first Bitcoin President. He gets it!

[B]I get paid nearly every trade, in short, I got it made![/B]

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2980901]Why do you care about the type of shorts people are wearing. That's not healthy, you know. [/QUOTE]You completely miss the point. I don't care who you or anybody else fucks. Fuck an antelope for all I care. I was merely pointing out the Left's and specifically BKK Bob's hypocrisy. Woke doctrine states that anyone can be a girl at any time and same same for a girl who wants to be a man. What's her fucks name, you know, the Biden Supreme court appointee who could not answer the simple question: what is a woman? I think you can. I know I can. I am pretty sure BKK Bob can because he does so every time he hits Soi 4 looking for a hot date. 555. BUT nobody attending the last Democratic convention could or would answer the question 'what is a woman' and that is a problem. For example, are you in favor of the practice of mutilating a child's body or giving female hormones to young boys? Are you in favor of the practice known as "grooming" our children? Do you approve of having a man compete with a woman in the Olympics' boxing tournament or swimming tournaments? I haven't heard anything about this from any of you ISG lefties. WHY? And why couldn't any of you guys admit Joe Biden was suffering from some form of dementia his entire term in office?

So, I understand why you and other lefties hate the word WOKE. Too fucking bad! You guys are stuck with it around your necks until you are willing to disown it. And except for your recent post entitled "Typical European anti-Semites" I haven't heard you say anything negative about the Woke agenda including Woke antisemitism, the open border policy, giving the vote to illegal aliens, rewriting history and destroying our education system, DEI which is total racism, censorship of opposing viewpoints, lawfare against your political opponents, gutting the constitution and creating a one party state like California, not making the streets safe by not arresting repeat criminals especially if they are of certain skin shade or re-releasing violent criminals with a no bond requirement, ill management of the homeless, and the worst of all, and yeah, I am not going to let this one go, the sexual mutilation our children. [URL]https://www.instagram.com/p/DFqd3OgzDOT/[/URL].

You got it? You want a definition? Here it is: Woke is Mao's cultural revolution cleverly adapted for the American population.

As to your claim that I call anyone who disagrees me a Marxist; I think you are wrong there buddy, for example, I do not recall ever calling you a Marxist. Rather I think you fall into the lost liberal category. You have been a democrat or a liberal all your life and you just do not realize that today's Democratic party is a long, long way from liberalism. Hell, I hope one day the liberals ARE able to take back their party because in the long run America needs 2 viable political parties.

But that ain't happening right now because the WOKES are still running the Democrat Party, and they are going nuts over Trump 47. Great! Did you know that Biden's approval rating on the day he left office was lower than Nixon's on the day he left office? That's astonishing. Meanwhile Trump's favorable rating is the highest it has ever been. HAHAHA. How you like me now! So, unless the moderates can take back their party you better get used to Republican majorities for a long time to come. Make America Great Again! 555!

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980932]
But the hypocrisy and idiot notion that MAGA ideology/dogma, can't adopt clean energy, because it's some deep state "woke/liberal" idea, that is a conspiracy plot against right-wing MAGA Christian Conservative Libertarians ideals, is as delusional, paranoid and as nutty as your America Fuhrer, robber barons, vulture capitalists and private equity firms, want you to believe.[/QUOTE]You might want to read what I wrote versus what you WISH I wrote.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980932]Don't get me wrong, I love what Texas is doing and (reluctantly) following California's lead, by boosting their grid with more available solar and wind energy.[/QUOTE]Following California's lead? With what? Burning homes? Brown outs? OMG. California does not have their own grid, Spidy.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980932]The way I see it, the biggest challenge facing the U.S. Auto Industry, is innovation.[/QUOTE]How much did USAID paying you for that brilliant line? Were serving the customer, keeping a lid on expenses, and promoting synergy all copyrighted by other left wing geeks?

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980932]Lastly, don't let those fat, bloated and lazy auto execs or those robber barons, CEO/Execs billionaire slave masters and buyout private equity firms, tell you MAGA cult faithless[/QUOTE]Spidy, you dumb Democratic douche, one of Trump's mortal enemies is Mary Bara. She is CEO of GM and a Democrat. You are name calling one of your own.

As for billionaires, the richest ones were all Democrats until Musk changed teams. You keep railing against your own.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2980929]You, just never wanted to give President Joe Biden, the credit for being a visionary, for reviving America's jobs, manufacturing, infrastructure, clean energy and AI & Chips industries growth, that was enabling the U.S. to compete with the China and their special economic zones (SEZs), that had begun in the 1980's to spur their economic growth and innovation.[/QUOTE]What is with you Democratic douches and Biden? The guy could not spell cat if you spotted him the first two letters, and you dumb douches keep talking about how brilliant he was. And taking our tax dollars and spending them does not mean any pol should get credit. Pols are supposed to be referees. The players make the game great not the refs.

The USAID money is gone now Spidy. You do not get to take tax payer dollars for kissing Biden's ass anymore. I do not consider giving Brazil $10 million dollars to do a transgender opera creating jobs. Taking my tax dollars to do that is not job creation.

In the video of the announcement on data centers, Trump introduces the Softbank CEO who was investing in the USA and pushed him to invest even more money. THAT is something pols can do. Biden could not do that. He was taking napping 12 hours a day, and I guess you are asleep now as well.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2980732]No, it was me. I meant everything I said. It may be time to cut the auto companies loose as they are subsisting on corporate welfare as of now.

But this story is more in line with what I usually post. Do you know how the Democratic douches are always trying to say their sources are legit?

[URL]https://www.zerohedge.com/political/politico-ny-times-propped-millions-dollars-us-government[/URL]

According to government spending tracker website USASPENDING. Gov, Politico. Which laundered the Hunter Biden '51 intel officials' propaganda during the 2020 election. Received up to $27 million (and by some counts $32 million) from various US agencies during the Biden years.

And look at this, the NY Times received $3. 1 million in taxpayer funds, while the UK's BBC received $3. 2 million.

Yeah, is this a surprise? The Democratic douches just had their slush funding curtailed when Trump cut off USAID. He he.

Meanwhile.

ZeroHedge hasn't received a dime from the US government (or any government, assholes), while coming under recurring attack from the deep state and their various tentacles. We subsist on dwindling ad revenues thanks to the media censorship complex, subscriptions, and revenue from our new store.

So my tax dollars are going to support pro-government liberal Democratic douches who in turn are smug? Well, you just do not understand Elvis. It is a privilege for you to give me money and listen to my opinion.

Fuck these liberal fucks! Why would any Republican want to pay taxes while this shit is going on?[/QUOTE][URL]https://amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/02/03/americas/ecuador-mexico-tariffs-intl-latam?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID[/URL]#amp_tf=From%20%251%24's&aoh=17386232116935&csi=0&referrer=https%3 A%2 F%2 F [URL]www.google.com[/URL]&ampshare=https%3 A%2 F%2 F [URL]www.cnn.com[/URL]%2 F2025%2 F02%2 F03%2 Famericas%2 Fecuador-mexico-tariffs-intl-latam%2 Findex. Html.

[URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/opinion/tariff-free-trade-new-system.html[/URL]

Opinion.

Guest Essay.

Want Free Trade? May I Introduce You to the Tariff.

Feb. 6, 2025.

Credit. Felix Decombat.

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By Robert E. Lighthizer.

Mr. Lighthizer, the author of "No Trade Is Free: Changing Course, Taking On China, and Helping America's Workers," was the USA Trade representative in the first Trump administration.

The international trading system has failed America and many other countries around the world. No one has done more than President Trump to bring attention to this broad failure.

By imposing tariffs on China (and threatening to impose them on Mexico and Canada), he has taken an immediate measure that is driven by an urgent national security issue the fentanyl crisis, which is killing thousands of our citizens every month.

But using tariffs as leverage on security matters should not be confused with the fundamental fact that the global trading system has failed our country. It has not faltered because free trade doesn't work. It has failed because free trade doesn't exist.

What brought down the postwar trading order was the rise in many countries of pernicious industrial policies. In this drama, those with continuous, large trade surpluses are the real villains.

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China, which recently announced a nearly $1 trillion trade surplus for 2024, has demolished the system. But it is not China alone: Other chronic surplus-trade countries, such as Germany and Vietnam, have also adopted policies across their economies intended to shift resources from their consumers to their manufacturing sector to increase exports.

The innocent parties are countries like the United States and Britain that have consistently run sizable trade deficits. Policies that produce large deficits, even if they include tariffs, are not protectionist. They are the opposite.

This is why countries with democratic governments and mostly free economies should come together and create a new trade regime. This new system, formalized by agreement, would focus on the key principle of balance for the parties involved in the exchange.

This principle is what makes global trade appealing in the first place and it has too often been overlooked. Nations are supposed to export in order to import. This exchange is intended to raise the standard of living for citizens of both the exporting and the importing countries. And countries should export what they make best and maintain balanced trade by importing goods that are made relatively cheaper by their trading partners.

That's the theory, but this has mostly not happened in practice. Instead, many countries have adopted lopsided industrial policies that allow them to export much more than they import. Their objective is not to raise the standard of living of their citizens but to accumulate power and wealth by buying assets equity, debt, real estate and often technology from the victims of their economic policies. This wealth ends up helping to fund their companies and government. For some, like China, this wealth buildup also offers geopolitical benefits.

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Though tariffs command a lot of attention, they are not the main element of these destabilizing industrial policies. The more effective features are things like government subsidies; market-access limits; rigged health and safety standards; directed banking systems that lend below market rates to manufacturers; labor laws that keep wages down; currency manipulation; predatory tax systems; lack of essential regulation in areas like the environment the list could go on.

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Sure, officials could try to counter this gantlet of unfair practices one at a time, but that would take decades, and as one was eliminated, others would surely spring up.

The United States and several other countries have become victims either because they believed in the myth of free trade or because they are not good at defending themselves against these aggressive strategies.

That the trading system has failed America seems clear. In the last 20 years, we have transferred some $20 trillion of our wealth (in the form of equity in our companies, debt and real estate) to the governments and citizens of the exploiting countries. The aggressors now own both those assets and the future income of a large segment of the USA Economy. We and our children are poorer and our ostensible trading "partners" are richer.

As suggested by the recent release of a new artificial intelligence model from the Chinese company DeepSeek, we no longer possess technology superiority. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute determined that the United States trails China, for example, in research for 57 of 64 critical technologies. We are not competitive in important products like personal computers, semiconductor manufacturing, solar panels, shipbuilding and much more.

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And we recently achieved a dubious distinction in two critical areas: For the first time in our history, we imported more food than we exported, and more than half of the passenger cars sold in America were imported.

But our workers are the real victims of these policies. They have seen millions of their good-paying jobs disappear, their real wages have mostly stagnated for more than two decades and many of their communities have been decimated.

They are poorer and they live less fulfilling lives. In 2021, America's gap in life expectancy between adults 25 and older without a college degree and those with a four-year college degree widened to eight years. Increasingly Americans without a college degree die from suicide, drugs and alcohol. At the same time, wealth inequality has grown to an alarming level. The top 1 percent of our families now have more wealth than the middle 60 percent.

Americans and other trade-deficit countries are not the only casualties of this failed trading system. Consumers in countries like China, with the world's second-largest economy, are also suffering. In 2023, citizens in China consumed only 39 percent of their gross domestic product. They are, in effect, subsidizing large manufacturing.

In Germany, another chronic surplus country, the consumption rate was only 52 percent in 2024. In Ireland, with its very low corporate tax rate, it was just 29 percent last year. The average for the Group of 7 conference of industrialized nations is roughly 58 percent. Low domestic consumption is largely a result of policy, not the peculiarity of national character. In America, 68 percent is consumed domestically.

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So we come back to the urgent, overarching question: What should a new trading arrangement look like, and what is the objective?

Any structure that will actually increase public welfare across the globe must be based on long-term trade balance, and the new system should enforce an equilibrium. Balance was always assumed by great economic thinkers like Adam Smith and David Ricardo. Indeed, John Maynard Keynes proposed a similar structure in the conference at Bretton Woods that established the post-World War II trade order.

Countries with democratic governments and mostly free economies should come together and create a new trade regime. This system could enforce balance by having two tiers of tariffs.

One higher level would apply to countries outside the group. These would be nondemocratic countries as well as those that insist on using beggar-thy-neighbor, aggressive industrial policies to run large surpluses. Those tariffs over time would reduce those surpluses.

The countries within the new regime would pay lower tariffs, and they could be adjusted over time to ensure balance. When a country in the group begins to run substantial surpluses, the other countries could increase their tariffs on it. Those new higher tariffs would be reduced when the surpluses were eliminated.

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This equilibrium would not necessarily be with each country in the group or for every year. The objective would be to have balance within the entire group and over time perhaps a running three-year period. The details would be negotiated. For example, developing countries that may want to run temporary deficits in order to facilitate investment and industrialization would be permitted to do so.

There are alternatives to tariffs to enforce balance and offset systemic unfair practices, but tariffs have advantages. Almost every country in the world already has a legal and administrative structure to deal with them. And they are flexible and straightforward and would have relatively fewer collateral effects.

Such a new trading system would create a large subset of the global economy that is balanced. It would lead to greater economic growth and a fairer distribution of the true benefits of trade. Since the basic commitment balance can be measured objectively, there would be little need for a dispute resolution mechanism to adjudicate differences.

This system would also leave sufficient room for a country to adopt the policies required to deal with particular needs in its economy. Finally, by holding out the possibility of joining this new system, it would incentivize democracies outside of it to correct their policies.

Some will argue that the current system is working fine. That ignores the damaging effects of long-term trade deficits on our economy and its workers. These critics seem to think it doesn't matter who owns America or the distributional effects in our country.

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Others will say there would be a loss of efficiency in the new system. But in the long run, balance encourages efficiency. The industrial policies of the chronic surplus countries are what is distorting the global market-driven allocation of resources. Those policies would no longer be beneficial to the predators.

Finally, some will claim there would be inflation. But ultimately, a system that encourages competition and balance will help keep prices down.

The people who unfairly benefit from the current system will argue that such a system would not work. But we have done it their way for decades, and that has failed. It is time to try something different.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2980874]Netanyahou is a criminal and his interest is to keep on war, when he will have justice problems, when it will end. Trump is crazy and think he can rule the world with his real lack of knowledge. When Hamas is not Palestinian population, but Israel politics feed Hamas power, when Israel was given to Jews, why not to give a real country to Palestinians, nothing anti semite about this and I'm pretty sure should make Hamas losing power, when they work on Palestinians and Arabs misery and anger. If Palestinians lived happy on what is their historical land, I m pretty sure they would not be motivated to attack Israel. Of course, Trump knows nothing about history, but prefer to play with his friend Netanyahou. Jews were given a country, they have to accept same for Palestinians, or never ending war and Trump will never stop, when Muslims are stronger than him and I m not Muslim. My only religion is a peaceful world without criminal Netanyahou, Putin, Trump and China. Then our world should be much higher quality with better air.[/QUOTE]After USA lost in both weak Vietnam and Afghanistan, senile crazy Trump will probably lose versus Muslims, but he gives support to Netanyahou.

The United States of America is nation of laws. Trump and Musk must follow those laws. Or Trump faces impeachment and removal from office and Musk risks criminal prosecution.

If either one of them do not like the laws in place then they can goto Congress and have the laws changed or new ones made.

That is how the government as as per the Constitution of the United States of America which is the source document for all government operations.

Hey SubCmdr, how are you doing? I am glad you took a look at Fama's comments about Bitcoin. There 2 things of note in what Fama said. 1. he describes the weakness or rather the vulnerability of the construct leaving it open to manipulation by the big traders and 2. That he lays it on the line when he said that if Bitcoin proves to be for real, he will have to question the very validity of his Noble winning monetary model.

I know you are a big supporter of Bitcoin. I just thought this article would be of some passing interest to you. Now if you are long Bitcoin at the price point I think you are long at which would be in the $16,000 to $20,000 price level (because that is where I was thinking of going long) between Nov 2022 and January 2023, after Bitcoin had sold off from its old high of $64,000 (approx.) back in late 2021, then congrats to you on your foresight and trading skills.

The question now is, where is Bitcoin going? It's current high is around $106,000 and I do believe there is great potential that the next high (resistant point) will be around $200,000 and $240,000 level. But Bitcoin is highly volatile as I am sure you are aware. I see current initial support at around the $50,000 to $60,000 level and absolute support around the $25,000 to $30,000 level which is the price point that I see as a real buying opportunity. Unfortunately (for me and other risk averse investors) Bitcoin may never test this support level. Such are vagaries of trading in an uncertain world so I may have missed the boat and that's the way the cookie crumbles. But like I said, if you are long where I think you are long then, my sincere congrats to you. If or when bitcoin hits $200,000 I will meet you in Pattaya and we will celebrate your deserved good fortune. I love a good trade. I will bring the highest quality booze, weed and I will book the penthouse suite at the Hilton, and you can pay for the girls. 555! And we will party!

Buy low, sell high and hold on to your winners.

A. H.

Oops, I forgot to upload this bitcoin graph of past and possible future performance. It is all in the numbers. Check it out.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981000]You completely miss the point. I don't care who you or anybody else fucks. Fuck an antelope for all I care. I was merely pointing out the Left's and specifically BKK Bob's hypocrisy. Woke doctrine states that anyone can be a girl at any time and same same for a girl who wants to be a man. What's her fucks name, you know, the Biden Supreme court appointee who could not answer the simple question: what is a woman? I think you can. I know I can. I am pretty sure BKK Bob can because he does so every time he hits Soi 4 looking for a hot date. 555. BUT nobody attending the last Democratic convention could or would answer the question 'what is a woman' and that is a problem. For example, are you in favor of the practice of mutilating a child's body or giving female hormones to young boys? Are you in favor of the practice known as "grooming" our children? Do you approve of having a man compete with a woman in the Olympics' boxing tournament or swimming tournaments? I haven't heard anything about this from any of you ISG lefties. WHY? And why couldn't any of you guys admit Joe Biden was suffering from some form of dementia his entire term in office?

So, I understand why you and other lefties hate the word WOKE. Too fucking bad! You guys are stuck with it around your necks until you are willing to disown it. And except for your recent post entitled "Typical European anti-Semites" I haven't heard you say anything negative about the Woke agenda including Woke antisemitism, the open border policy, giving the vote to illegal aliens, rewriting history and destroying our education system, DEI which is total racism, censorship of opposing viewpoints, lawfare against your political opponents, gutting the constitution and creating a one party state like California, not making the streets safe by not arresting repeat criminals especially if they are of certain skin shade or re-releasing violent criminals with a no bond requirement, ill management of the homeless, and the worst of all, and yeah, I am not going to let this one go, the sexual mutilation our children. [URL]https://www.instagram.com/p/DFqd3OgzDOT/[/URL].

You got it? You want a definition? Here it is: Woke is Mao's cultural revolution cleverly adapted for the American population.

As to your claim that I call anyone who disagrees me a Marxist; I think you are wrong there buddy, for example, I do not recall ever calling you a Marxist. Rather I think you fall into the lost liberal category. You have been a democrat or a liberal all your life and you just do not realize that today's Democratic party is a long, long way from liberalism. Hell, I hope one day the liberals ARE able to take back their party because in the long run America needs 2 viable political parties.

But that ain't happening right now because the WOKES are still running the Democrat Party, and they are going nuts over Trump 47. Great! Did you know that Biden's approval rating on the day he left office was lower than Nixon's on the day he left office? That's astonishing. Meanwhile Trump's favorable rating is the highest it has ever been. HAHAHA. How you like me now! So, unless the moderates can take back their party you better get used to Republican majorities for a long time to come. Make America Great Again! 555![/QUOTE]None of the phony "outraged" Wingers and MAGAs have ever met anyone who doesn't know what a woman is as you appear yo be so confused and uncertain about it.

Nor have they met a family whose son was dropped off at a school, got "mutilated" and came home later as a daughter.

Nor have they ever net anyone who thinks a man can get pregnant.

Nor have they met anyone in Democratic Party leadership who has proposed legislation or a law to make it so.

Don't worry. Your genitals are safe. You can remain whatever definition of a man or woman you think you might fall into. If you were born a male there is very little chance, more like zero, that you will get pregnant no matter how many ladyboys or outright butch male homosexuals you have sex with.

Relax.

Your and the rest of the world's much bigger health worry is what form Trump's Pandemic Part 2 will take this time.

Pay more attention to that.

My first crypto currency buy ever was [B]ETH[/B].

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981130]Hey SubCmdr, how are you doing?[/QUOTE][B]I'm balling like a Gents Club Pro[/B]

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981130]I am glad you took a look at Fama's comments about Bitcoin. There 2 things of note in what Fama said. 1. he describes the weakness or rather the vulnerability of the construct leaving it open to manipulation by the big traders and 2. That he lays it on the line when he said that if Bitcoin proves to be for real, he will have to question the very validity of his Noble winning monetary model.[/QUOTE]I see the big players in BTC have a unfair advantage. They buy over the counter and therefore the retail price does not move. The BTC market is pure sentiment. There are people in the market that are over leveraged with money they don't have.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981130]I know you are a big supporter of Bitcoin. I just thought this article would be of some passing interest to you. Now if you are long Bitcoin at the price point I think you are long at which would be in the $16,000 to $20,000 price level (because that is where I was thinking of going long) between Nov 2022 and January 2023, after Bitcoin had sold off from its old high of $64,000 (approx.) back in late 2021, then congrats to you on your foresight and trading skills.

The question now is, where is Bitcoin going? It's current high is around $106,000 and I do believe there is great potential that the next high (resistant point) will be around $200,000 and $240,000 level. But Bitcoin is highly volatile as I am sure you are aware. I see current initial support at around the $50,000 to $60,000 level and absolute support around the $25,000 to $30,000 level which is the price point that I see as a real buying opportunity. Unfortunately (for me and other risk averse investors) Bitcoin may never test this support level. Such are vagaries of trading in an uncertain world so I may have missed the boat and that's the way the cookie crumbles. But like I said, if you are long where I think you are long then, my sincere congrats to you. If or when bitcoin hits $200,000 I will meet you in Pattaya and we will celebrate your deserved good fortune. I love a good trade. I will bring the highest quality booze, weed and I will book the penthouse suite at the Hilton, and you can pay for the girls. 555! And we will party![/QUOTE]BTC.

Yes [U]Axel Heyst[/U], the Bitcoin trade caught my attention at the exact point you described. [B]I deserve NO credit[/B]. It was a move of desperation. Cash piled up with no place to put it. So I [I]aped in[/I] as they say with all the cash on hand that I didn't need. Side story. I told ten friends I was buying BTC and none of them bought in with me. Except for one. I learned that he had bought after it double and he told me he wish he would have bought more.

My trading style is to pull my original investment out and ride the wave on house money. I call that a no-risk trade. That is where I am at today. I see BTC peaking at 130 - 135 K with possible extensions to 150 K. Then a mind numbing drop that will test to see if your sphincter is working because it will have to keep your spine from dropping out of your ass and most likely crossing your legs like you got to go when you were a kid. There will those bruising their knees on the ground. Then there will be me. Chilling in Pattaya. [B]ROTFLMAO[/B]. I expect the pull back to be between 50 - 30 K. Where I will ape back in. BTC has no fundaments other than being hardest money on earth (21 million cap). BTC is not fulling its role as currency. It is WAY to volatile. But it has worked well for me as a store of value. That is why I am buying Gold and Silver also. Now with all of that said, if the United States of America announces they are going to actively buy BTC, I am going to grab my balls and squeeze hard to make sure I am not dreaming. LOL!

Because I cannot take it with me, I am consuming a lot more. [B]BTC at 200K party[/B]? No thank you! If I was really going to celebrate and spend some money I am going to Kyoto, Japan, or on one of those around the world cruises.

A quick review of my preferences in Pattaya will find us at a table at Heaven Above, or maybe you can take me to your favorite top tier Agogo on walking street. You know with the [I]knock kneed bimbos walking like hos[/I] those who post in the [B]Pattaya Reports[/B] thread seem to like so much. There is a much better value hotel (Than the Pattaya Hilton) with ocean views in Jomtien (reported on it) where I do my Long Times.

[B]I'll certainly get the first bottle of Goose at Heaven Above![/B]

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2981129]The United States of America is nation of laws. Trump and Musk must follow those laws. Or Trump faces impeachment and removal from office and Musk risks criminal prosecution. [/QUOTE]Many of President Trump's EO's, Doge's spending cuts, Border Czar Homan's actions will be shopped around and challenged in Democrat friendly federal courts around the country, then challenged by the Executive branch ie the attorney general Pam Bondi, and finally settled in the Supreme Court of the United States. I am not worried about eventual the outcome, but the Left sure is which is the reason for their current state of mass hysteria. They are losing control of their bureaucratic swamp and they know it. Elections have consequences! How you like me now!

[URL]https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6368432274112[/URL]

On the subject of a 3rd impeachment, be real man, 555, #1 it ain't going to happen as long as the Republicans hold the House and the Senate. #2 If the Dems take back the House in 26 all bets are off, but we all remember Nancy baby's 1st impeachment of Trump over a legitimate phone call the president made to the leader of the Ukraine asking if his Ukrainian attorney general had any information on the illegal goings on between Burisma and Hunter Biden. That impeachment went so well for the Dems that Trump was re-elected President of the USA in 2024. My point is the unprecedented impeachment of Donald Trump the 1st time as well as the 2nd time didn't work out as planned for the Wokies. I am sure President Trump is shaking in his boots over a possible 3rd attempt.

See, it really doesn't matter that most of Trump's big "Day One" Tariffs, Tariffs and More Tariffs campaign promises never materialized or were slapped back by other countries.

The mere constant blather about them was enough to set the American economic decline Trump and President Musk apparently are squirreling for in motion:

[B]Consumer inflation fears spike in February as tariff worries hit sentiment.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/07/consumer-inflation-fears-spike-in-february-as-tariff-worries-hit-sentiment.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]The University of Michigan consumer survey showed that respondents expect inflation a year from now to be 4.3%, a 1 percentage point jump from January and the highest since November 2023.

Worries over inflation dovetailed with lower optimism overall, as the headline index fell to 67.8, a one-month drop of 4.6% and an 11.8% move lower from the same month a year ago.
............
Consumers grew dramatically more worried about near-term inflation as President Donald Trump pushed aggressive tariffs against major U.S. trading partners, a closely watched survey showed Friday.

The University of Michigan consumer survey for February showed that respondents expect the inflation rate a year from now to be 4.3%, a 1 percentage point jump from January and the highest level since November 2023.

Though Trump postponed tariffs against Canada and Mexico, the looming threat of price pass-throughs to consumers shook sentiment. China has levied retaliatory tariffs following Trumps move. The survey window ran from Jan. 21, the day after Trump took office, to Feb. 3.

Many consumers appear worried that high inflation will return within the next year, said Joanne Hsu, the surveys director. This is only the fifth time in 14 years we have seen such a large one-month rise (one percentage point or more) in year-ahead inflation expectations.

Longer-run expectations werent hit as much, with the five-year outlook drifting up to 3.3%, a 0.1 percentage point gain.

Worries over inflation dovetailed with lower optimism overall, as the headline index fell to 67.8, a one-month drop of 4.6% and an 11.8% move lower from the same month a year ago. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a reading of 71.3.

The survey sometimes is influenced by shifting political winds. However, Hsu noted that declining sentiment was pervasive, with Republicans, Independents, and Democrats all posting sentiment declines from January, along with consumers across age and wealth groups.[/QUOTE]Assuring weirdly nervous MAGAs about the certainty of the genitals they were born with being verified "by law" doesn't seem to be cheering them up about what is to come under this new administration.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2981040] Following California's lead? With what? Burning homes? Brown outs? OMG. California does not have their own grid, Spidy.[/QUOTE] What a stupid and imbecilic argument!

Like Texas hasn't had their own gird issues, like brownouts, blackouts, tornadoes, hurricanes and ice storms fucking up their grid!

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2981040] How much did USAID paying you for that brilliant line? Were serving the customer, keeping a lid on expenses, and promoting synergy all copyrighted by other left wing geeks?

As for billionaires, the richest ones were all Democrats until Musk changed teams. You keep railing against your own.

What is with you Democratic douches and Biden? The guy could not spell cat if you spotted him the first two letters, and you dumb douches keep talking about how brilliant he was. And taking our tax dollars and spending them does not mean any pol should get credit. Pols are supposed to be referees. The players make the game great not the refs.

The USAID money is gone now Spidy. You do not get to take tax payer dollars for kissing Biden's ass anymore. I do not consider giving Brazil $10 million dollars to do a transgender opera creating jobs. Taking my tax dollars to do that is not job creation.

[/QUOTE]Uhh!...Duh!...What now? WTF are you taking about, Brazil, $10 million and transgender opera?

I don't know about you, but I was conversing about the American vs Chinese competitive and innovation battle in the AI, EV and the automotive industry.

You're starting to make about as much sense as Sirioja, and his idiotic arguments on [i][b] "E85 technical control with 0% CO2",[/b][/i] being zero emissions and cleaner running than EVs.

Dude, Elvis 2008, why don't you get back to me, when you [u]REALLY have something interesting[/u] and [u]intelligent to say[/u], about [b]America's competitiveness[/b] and [b]innovation[/b] vs. China, in the AI, EV, clean energy or related technology spaces!

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2980711] I can send You my official by government technical control with 0% CO2 , surprising me for a so powerful V8 Audi when I increased power.[/QUOTE][I][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/I] "E85 and technical control with 0% CO2. " zero emissions. Oh right. That must be something like the perpetual motion engine! [I][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/I].

Sirioja, perhaps you should also get back to me when you've something more interesting than your so called [i]"E85 and technical control with 0% CO2"[/i], zero emissions, nonsense!

[QUOTE=Spidy;2981274][I][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/I] "E85 and technical control with 0% CO2. " zero emissions. Oh right. That must be something like the perpetual motion engine! [I][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/I].

Sirioja, perhaps you should also get back to me when you've something more interesting than your so called [i]"E85 and technical control with 0% CO2"[/i], zero emissions, nonsense![/QUOTE]This is figure for pollution control on technical control made by comoanies approved by french government. Sometimes, smelling flowers. What is pollution made by China since so many years? To build shit products most often dangerous for health.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2981188]
Because I cannot take it with me, I am consuming a lot more. [B]BTC at 200K party[/B]? No thank you! If I was really going to celebrate and spend some money I am going to Kyoto, Japan, or on one of those around the world cruises.

A quick review of my preferences in Pattaya will find us at a table at Heaven Above, or maybe you can take me to your favorite top tier Agogo on walking street. You know with the [I]knock kneed bimbos walking like hos[/I] those who post in the [B]Pattaya Reports[/B] thread seem to like so much. There is a much better value hotel (Than the Pattaya Hilton) with ocean views in Jomtien (reported on it) where I do my Long Times.

[B]I'll certainly get the first bottle of Goose at Heaven Above![/B][/QUOTE]I have heard great things about Kyoto from a fellow punter friend of mine, so I'd like to go someday and check it out. I haven't been to LOS is a LONG time so I am sure things have changed a bit. I would set aside at least a week minimum to scout around and find my new post-covid favorite places. Heavens Above, Airport, Saphire, and Happy used to be a few of my favorite "regular Go Go's, but I used to be a regular at What's Up before they went downhill and were eclipsed by Pinup and the like. Not that I am a fan of agency bars, but if that is where the smokin' hot girls are, that is where you will find me.

On the Hilton: I am well aware that there are better value hotels in Pat. In fact, I have only stayed at the Hilton 1 time and did not really like it. Their pool always crowded with guests and is way too small for such a large hotel so inviting my sexy little friends over for lunch by the poolside and afternoon boom boom is not optimal. Plus their regular rooms are not really 5 star quality. But for a large party with 4 or 5 girls per punter, one does need a large suite with multiple beds in separate rooms which is why I mentioned the Hilton in the 1st place, plus I have a lot of Hilton points so a few nights in the penthouse suite would cost me nada. Take a look and my buddy, Anaggie's recent trip report to Sao Paulo. And while I am on the subject, I highly recommend SP and Brazilian girls. That is where I have been hanging out since Thailand locked me out in 2020, ha ha, and I have another scheduled trip to SP coming up in April. SP has white girls (my personal favorite), black girls, indigenous girls, Japanese Brazilian girls and varying mixes of all four ethnicities and these girls come in all shapes and sizes AND the real kicker is that most of them LOVE TO FUCK! The only downside is, and I am being brutally honest, is that they are more condom conservative than Thai girls although I still manage to get my fair share of bareback.

Rock on,

A. H.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981000]You completely miss the point. I don't care who you or anybody else fucks. Fuck an antelope for all I care. I was merely pointing out the Left's and specifically BKK Bob's hypocrisy. Woke doctrine states that anyone can be a girl at any time and same same for a girl who wants to be a man. What's her fucks name, you know, the Biden Supreme court appointee who could not answer the simple question: what is a woman? I think you can. I know I can. I am pretty sure BKK Bob can because he does so every time he hits Soi 4 looking for a hot date. 555. BUT nobody attending the last Democratic convention could or would answer the question 'what is a woman' and that is a problem. [/QUOTE]It doesn't matter what you think. A PO transsexual considers herself a woman. Even pre-operated transsexual considers herself a woman trapped in a man's body. Now, would I want to fuck a transsexual? No. I want to have sex with a biologically born woman. But I would never deny a transsexual the right to be what she (or he or them for that matter) want to be.

You just need to get into your skull that this is not your damn business. It's their bodies, not yours. It will get easier after finally get that.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981000]For example, are you in favor of the practice of mutilating a child's body or giving female hormones to young boys? Are you in favor of the practice known as "grooming" our children? Do you approve of having a man compete with a woman in the Olympics' boxing tournament or swimming tournaments? I haven't heard anything about this from any of you ISG lefties. WHY? And why couldn't any of you guys admit Joe Biden was suffering from some form of dementia his entire term in office?[/QUOTE]This is a pure conservative bullshit-spewing propaganda. Who's doing that to "young boys"? Who's grooming who? Where? State the facts or stop this nonsense. Your ramblings here are on the same level as the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.

As to sport competitions, I used to think along the same lines until another member presented persuading arguments in this very thread. Search for our conversations. The number of transsexual athletes is miniscule and their effects on competitions are non-existent. That's another ideological nothing-sandwiich designed to scare their flock.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981000]So, I understand why you and other lefties hate the word WOKE. [/QUOTE]I don't hate the word. I say this is an idiotic parody of the word that doesn't make any sense. It's right wingers who hate any movements challenging your ideology (which is fully understandable by the way), but you should've come up with a better word for it. This one is ridiculously inept.

[QUOTE]Woke, the African-American English synonym for the General American English word awake, has since the 1930s or earlier been used to refer to awareness of social and political issues affecting African Americans, often in the construction stay woke.[/QUOTE]What exactly don't you like? That this word tells people to stay awake or that it has African-American origins?

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981000]Too fucking bad! You guys are stuck with it around your necks until you are willing to disown it. And except for your recent post entitled "Typical European anti-Semites" I haven't heard you say anything negative about the Woke agenda including Woke antisemitism, the open border policy, giving the vote to illegal aliens, rewriting history and destroying our education system, DEI which is total racism, censorship of opposing viewpoints, lawfare against your political opponents, gutting the constitution and creating a one party state like California, not making the streets safe by not arresting repeat criminals especially if they are of certain skin shade or re-releasing violent criminals with a no bond requirement, ill management of the homeless, and the worst of all, and yeah, I am not going to let this one go, the sexual mutilation our children. [URL]https://www.instagram.com/p/DFqd3OgzDOT/[/URL].[/QUOTE]Nice job lumping a thousand of made-up issues into one little paragraph. To be clear: I hate all anti-Semites on the right and on the left. Moreover, I despise all wingers, the right ones and the left ones, as I stated here only a few dozen times. As a centrist (not a lefty as you so eloquently put) I'm an equal-opportunity hater.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981000]You got it? You want a definition? Here it is: Woke is Mao's cultural revolution cleverly adapted for the American population.[/QUOTE]Nope. You've made it up again, LOL.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981000]As to your claim that I call anyone who disagrees me a Marxist; I think you are wrong there buddy, for example, I do not recall ever calling you a Marxist. Rather I think you fall into the lost liberal category. You have been a democrat or a liberal all your life and you just do not realize that today's Democratic party is a long, long way from liberalism. Hell, I hope one day the liberals ARE able to take back their party because in the long run America needs 2 viable political parties.[/QUOTE]You called Eih a Marxist. From what I can see, he doesn't resemble a Marxist at all. The man seems to have done quite well for himself, and he also seems to be living a dream. Perhaps, you (just like most of your ideological comrades) simply don't understand what Marxists are. That's fine because I do.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981000]But that ain't happening right now because the WOKES are still running the Democrat Party, and they are going nuts over Trump 47. Great! Did you know that Biden's approval rating on the day he left office was lower than Nixon's on the day he left office? That's astonishing. Meanwhile Trump's favorable rating is the highest it has ever been. HAHAHA. How you like me now! So, unless the moderates can take back their party you better get used to Republican majorities for a long time to come. Make America Great Again! 555![/QUOTE]You seem to be exulted. Why? The highest being what -- 49%? LOL! And your LAS is doing all he can to end these "majorities" in the next 2 to 4 years when his cheap publicity blitzkriegs have failed miserably. Enjoy it while you can.

[QUOTE]While Trump is in a stronger position than at any point in his political career, his numbers still pale in comparison to those of his two Democratic predecessors at this point in their presidencies.

According to FiveThirtyEight averages, President Joe Biden had a 54% approval rating and 36% disapproval rating on Feb. 6, 2021. President Barack Obama had a 61% average approval rating and 26% average disapproval rating just weeks into his first term in February 2009.[/QUOTE][URL]https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/trump-s-approval-ratings-what-the-latest-polls-show/ar-AA1yFarV[/URL]

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2981536]1) You just need to get into your skull that this is not your damn business. It's their bodies, not yours. It will get easier after finally get that.

2) As to sport competitions, I used to think along the same lines until another member presented persuading arguments in this very thread. Search for our conversations. The number of transsexual athletes is miniscule and their effects on competitions are non-existent. That's another ideological nothing-sandwiich designed to scare their flock.

3)You called Eih a Marxist. From what I can see, he doesn't resemble a Marxist at all. The man seems to have done quite well for himself, and he also seems to be living a dream. Perhaps, you (just like most of your ideological comrades) simply don't understand what Marxists are. That's fine because I do. [/QUOTE]1) I don't give a damn what consenting ADULTS want to do their bodies unless they want me to pay for their operations with my hard-earned tax dollars. But you are avoiding the main issue: WHEN ADULTS MUTILATE A CHILDS BODY! Duh! The thing about children is that they are innocent beings and will believe what adults tell them. So, it is very, very wrong (fascistic) and a form of child abuse to "groom" children. "Leave our kids alone!" [URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs35t2xFqdU&t=154s[/URL].

2) You are absolutely out of your fucking mind if you think it is alright for men to compete in women's sports at any level or share bathrooms with underage high school girls. What the fuck is wrong with you? Any third rate male boxer will destroy even the best female boxer. DUH!

3) This is exactly the hypocrisy that I am pointing out. One's real politics is not found in the stupid shit people say, but in how they live their lives. BKK Bob will bore you to death with his left-wing BS pendantory, but he lives his life financially speaking as Capitalist and socially as a Libertarian. This is complete hypocrisy. You ever hear the expression "Do As I Say, Not As I Do"? If you need help understanding this, it means: that a speakers actions speak louder than his words, so pay attention to what he does not what he says.

Finally, it is only in the stupid precincts of Left Wing Western political thought (of the 21st century) that people like you think men can be woman and vice versa. Have you ever been to Thailand? Katoeys have been in the royal court for a thousand years or longer. I think the Thais have a firmer grip on reality than idiot leftwingers in the USA. Go to Soi Sukhumvit on any night and talk to some Ladyboy SW's. They won't bite unless you want them to. Ask them if they are girls or not. Their almost universal answer to that question should enlighten you. The Japanese have it straight too. Ha Ha, pun intended. Ladyboys in Japan are referred to as "Newhalfs". So, if trannys want to compete in sporting events no one is preventing them from organizing their own leagues and competing amoung themselves. If people want to watch them compete in these sporting events these leagues will prosper. That is the American way! Duh.

Senile Trump bullshiting game is to put fire everywhere, maybe not enough fire in California. Our world have not to care about this old senile crazy who doesn t know our world.

Really, this constant, never-ending Repub / Winger / MAGA obsession and focus on trannies, imaginary child cannibalism, child mutilation, child blood-drinking, well, so many obsessive thoughts about children children children in general, what genitals the person in the toilet stall next to them were born with, what is the definition of their own genitals, mythical "wokeism" and on and on instead of how their economic policies and stewardship have produced every Great Depression, Great Recession and Massive Historic Jobs Destruction of the past 100 years and none of the Historic Economic Recoveries. Expansions and Jobs Creation is just getting monotonous.

And, as usual, their rather weird sexual and, well, inappropriate age-related sexual obsessions do nothing particularly positive for the stock market either.

[B]Stuck stock market is worried about economic growth.
Feb. 8, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/08/stuck-stock-market-is-worried-about-economic-growth-as-trumps-tariffs-dominate-headlines.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]Yet day to day, the many-forked path of policy-setting involving tariffs, immigration crackdowns, executive-branch program curbs and, eventually, a tax-and-spending package has sapped market confidence in an imminent economic acceleration.

Many of the textbook Trump trades pricing in a strong growth impulse driving a higher-nominal-growth economy have largely unwound. The small-cap Russell 2000 has rolled back to mid-October levels. And as shown here, the beloved industrial sector has also slid back relative to the broader market.
...........
Its tough to deny that the clench-and-release of tariff threats is the proximate mover of tactical trading flows and the public mood. The S&P 500 low for last week came less than an hour after Mondays opening bell, when 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico were freshly imposed. A 3% multi-day relief rally from there eventually took the S&P 500 to a high right at 6,100 upside resistance unless and until proven otherwise on Friday morning.

That was just before the University of Michigan consumer survey showed a big jump in one-year inflation expectations, almost certainly tied to tariff fears, with stocks legging lower still after President Trump vowed reciprocal tariffs on countries now imposing duties on U.S. goods. Stocks fell 1% from there into the weekly close.
..........
A tariff conflict, rather, is treated by the market as a war of choice that might have positive eventual objectives but in the here and now threatens to throw sand in the gears of commerce and kick dust into the eyes of CEOs and capital allocators.[/QUOTE]This is why Social Issues, politically, are for Suckers.

Snap out of it, you Repubs / Wingers / MAGAs! Try to concentrate on issues that matter and over which the politicians we vote for definitely have some influence and control! Not on Social Issue junk that will move along with the times, the culture and what free human beings are drawn to anyway regardless who we vote for.

The Social Issues that keep you people tossing and turning with obsessive worry in your bed every night will go the direction society wants them to go even if you election 5 Ronald Reagans followed by 5 Donald Trumps in a row over the next 2-3 generations.

I thought you Repubs / Wingers / MAGAs were supposed to be "pro business", supporters of Capitalism, free trade and THE ECONOMY. There is an awful lot of lip-service dedicated to creating that highly dubious impression at least.

Then when are you going to start acting like it, stop obsessing over your and everyone else's genitals and, most importantly, start voting for presidents and congresses that know how to build an "Envy of the World" Economy rather than finding new and unprecedented ways to Crash the Economy?

Of course, that would require you to vote for Dems instead of Repubs. But, hey, think of how much better you will feel and sleep at night to know the people you voted for are not even half as obsessed with trannies' and children's genitals as you and your fellow Repubs / Wingers / MAGAs are!

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2981536]It doesn't matter what you think. A PO transsexual considers herself a woman. Even pre-operated transsexual considers herself a woman trapped in a man's body. Now, would I want to fuck a transsexual? No. I want to have sex with a biologically born woman. But I would never deny a transsexual the right to be what she (or he or them for that matter) want to be.

You just need to get into your skull that this is not your damn business. It's their bodies, not yours. It will get easier after finally get that.

This is a pure conservative bullshit-spewing propaganda. Who's doing that to "young boys"? Who's grooming who? Where? State the facts or stop this nonsense. Your ramblings here are on the same level as the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.

As to sport competitions, I used to think along the same lines until another member presented persuading arguments in this very thread. Search for our conversations. The number of transsexual athletes is miniscule and their effects on competitions are non-existent. That's another ideological nothing-sandwiich designed to scare their flock.

I don't hate the word. I say this is an idiotic parody of the word that doesn't make any sense. It's right wingers who hate any movements challenging your ideology (which is fully understandable by the way), but you should've come up with a better word for it. This one is ridiculously inept.

What exactly don't you like? That this word tells people to stay awake or that it has African-American origins?

Nice job lumping a thousand of made-up issues into one little paragraph. To be clear: I hate all anti-Semites on the right and on the left. Moreover, I despise all wingers, the right ones and the left ones, as I stated here only a few dozen times. As a centrist (not a lefty as you so eloquently put) I'm an equal-opportunity hater.

Nope. You've made it up again, LOL.

You called Eih a Marxist. From what I can see, he doesn't resemble a Marxist at all. The man seems to have done quite well for himself, and he also seems to be living a dream. Perhaps, you (just like most of your ideological comrades) simply don't understand what Marxists are. That's fine because I do.

You seem to be exulted. Why? The highest being what -- 49%? LOL! And your LAS is doing all he can to end these "majorities" in the next 2 to 4 years when his cheap publicity blitzkriegs have failed miserably. Enjoy it while you can.

[URL]https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/trump-s-approval-ratings-what-the-latest-polls-show/ar-AA1yFarV[/URL][/QUOTE]Come on Man.

Don't insult us moderates and centrists by calling yourself and writing shit like this.

"A PO transsexual considers herself a woman. Even pre-operated transsexual considers herself a woman trapped in a man's body. Now, would I want to fuck a transsexual? No. I want to have sex with a biologically born woman. But I would never deny a transsexual the right to be what she (or he or them for that matter) want to be. ".

Your ramblings here are on the same level as the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.

Pizza gate was not a conspiracy theory it was about Bill Clinton and Bill Gates et al.

[URL]https://rollcall.com/2016/05/13/report-bill-clinton-flew-on-disgraced-donors-jet-26-times/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/business/jeffrey-epstein-bill-gates.html[/URL]

So what did Epstein have to offer them?

Don't talk like a psycho leftist and call yourself a moderate, that's just pathetic!!

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981582]3) This is exactly the hypocrisy that I am pointing out. One's real politics is not found in the stupid shit people say, but in how they live their lives. BKK Bob will bore you to death with his left-wing BS pendantory, but he lives his life financially speaking as Capitalist and socially as a Libertarian. This is complete hypocrisy. You ever hear the expression "Do As I Say, Not As I Do"? If you need help understanding this, it means: that a speakers actions speak louder than his words, so pay attention to what he does not what he says.[/QUOTE]This is a classic logical fallacy. Political Systems and Economic Systems are different. Is China a capitalist country? I would argue yes! Is their political system free and open? Not from what I understand.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2981286]This is figure for pollution control on technical control made by comoanies approved by french government.[/QUOTE]Would this be the same French Government that underspends on its military to the point that it could defend itself against another aggressor nation without the help of United States of America. Didn't they learn anything from World War II?

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981582]
Finally, it is only in the stupid precincts of Left Wing Western political thought (of the 21st century) that people like you think men can be woman and vice versa. [/QUOTE]AH, I agree with you 1000% on all but this one. The only trans guy I knew is a relative who would go through this crazy ritual to wear women's clothes. Now another family member has come out as trans. Perhaps the most gentle, nonthreatening way to come to grips with this was watching the excellent documentary Will and Harper. If you heart does not become a little unglued watching this successful writer describe himself as a freak and cry about hating himself for being so weird, you might not have a heart. Hell, the guy bought a place in the sticks in California just to have a place where he could watch the sun set while wearing a dress. He then talked about the joys of a boob job and estrogen treatment but was not ready to do full genital transormation.

Yes, there are men who dress up like women to strip men of their money in the hobby. And yes, there are men dressing like women to get into female spaces and have sex with women and potentially rape them. That said, I do not think it is limited to those two categories or to the 21st century. J. Edgar Hoover was known to like wearing a dress.

One time a friend found himself intertwined in a government proceeding. The prosecutor was openly gay as was the judge, and the lead counsel for the government agency was a closet tranny and was such an ass. Some of the most evil people in history have been closet gays or trannies. They are skilled at hiding their true selves and also desire to have power over others such that they can be who they really are. Given that pitfall, I would much prefer they be allowed to be themselves.

I have not met the women who want to be men personally but I have met the reverse, and I believe their desire was genuine.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2981717]Would this be the same French Government that underspends on its military to the point that it could defend itself against another aggressor nation without the help of United States of America. Didn't they learn anything from World War II?[/QUOTE]Do You always live in 80 years ago? I don t think electric cars are a good solution, out of towns.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981582]Have you ever been to Thailand? Katoeys have been in the royal court for a thousand years or longer. I think the Thais have a firmer grip on reality than idiot leftwingers in the USA. Go to Soi Sukhumvit on any night and talk to some Ladyboy SW's. They won't bite unless you want them to. Ask them if they are girls or not. Their almost universal answer to that question should enlighten you. The Japanese have it straight too. Ha Ha, pun intended. Ladyboys in Japan are referred to as "Newhalfs". So, if trannys want to compete in sporting events no one is preventing them from organizing their own leagues and competing amoung themselves. If people want to watch them compete in these sporting events these leagues will prosper. That is the American way! Duh.[/QUOTE]There is a beauty contest in Thailand each year for Ladyboys. [B]In western countries they be trippin[/B].

Personally I don't think the average voting person in the United States of America could give a fuck about [I]dick politics[/I]. I think they care about housing, feeding and clothing themselves. Something the current [B]Plutocracy[/B] does not give a fuck about because they have theirs. When the three richest men in the United States of America has the POTUS' back, it does not bode well my fellow citizens.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2979747] ... In Germany, when administration support fell for electric cars, Germans then buy much less electric cars, showing they only buy when not expensive, otherwise they prefer thermic cars. ... [/QUOTE]

Oh Really?...Well, NOT according the the latest sales figures for Germany, in Jan 2025.

BEVs were the best-performing powertrain in January 2025 (beating Petrol & Diesel), in terms of growth. Registrations jumped 53.5% (yoY), reaching 34,498 units, [b]without[/b] gov't consumer subsides. This marked an increase of 12,024 deliveries from 12 months ago.

Yes, EV sales in Germany plummeted by 27.4% in 2024, with only 381,000 EVs (YoY) were registered in Germany. The decline in 2024 that you talk about, only happened after FIVE (5) years of strong EV registration growth, but yes with gov't consumer subsides.

But you also failed to mention that Petrol and diesel car sales also dropped significantly in 2024 and still lost market share to EVs.

So far in 2025, EVs are on pace for another great year of sales, while Petrol and diesel car sales are slowing and plummeting.

Same right-wing QAnon/MAGA zealots, that brought you imbecilic "culture wars" on purple dinosaurs, purple teletube babies and ban dictionaries, are same ideological gun-toting fascists, that support the Nazi-whitewashing of Jewish and Holocaust history (like Musk recently was doing in Germany, with outside interference, supporting the far right AfD), and are trying to do the same thing with U.S. American Black/Slavery history.

Buying into all those right-wing idiotic and imbecilic "culture war" ideologies...hook, line and sinker, really only plays into their overlords, billionaire buddies and robber baron's hands. This is just all perfect subterfuge and a pretext, while they blindly pick their pockets clean, while their gullible masses, blind themselves, with all their hate, misogyny, homophobia, fear mongering and racist platitudes and proclivities, against their fellow Americans.

The REAL hypocrisy is...how the right, are [i]"so concerned", "livid"[/i] and [i]"get fired-up"[/i], when family members or individuals, who have the right, to do "untold harm" themselves if they wish; but somehow, when a right-wing Incel, QAnon/MAGA AR-15 gun-toting extremists, mow-down, murder and kill, countless kids, women and men on mass,...not a peep to ban such automatic weapons of destruction from civilian use, but instead rally to support their use.

• So while [i]"woke"[/i] may have morphed and weaponized into something else, by both left and right (mostly) and it is (I think) primarily now in a twisted way, used to mean, [b][i]"where COMMON SENSE goes to die",[/b][/i] it should be be noted, that while there's a lot of truth to that, unequivocally, we all know [i][b]"COMMON SENSE" died a long time ago, [u]on the right![/u] (...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

[QUOTE=Spidy;2981783]Oh Really?...Well, NOT according the the latest sales figures for Germany, in Jan 2025.

BEVs were the best-performing powertrain in January 2025 (beating Petrol & Diesel), in terms of growth. Registrations jumped 53.5% (yoY), reaching 34,498 units, [b]without[/b] gov't consumer subsides. This marked an increase of 12,024 deliveries from 12 months ago.

Yes, EV sales in Germany plummeted by 27.4% in 2024, with only 381,000 EVs (YoY) were registered in Germany. The decline in 2024 that you talk about, only happened after FIVE (5) years of strong EV registration growth, but yes with gov't consumer subsides.

But you also failed to mention that Petrol and diesel car sales also dropped significantly in 2024 and still lost market share to EVs.

So far in 2025, EVs are on pace for another great year of sales, while Petrol and diesel car sales are slowing and plummeting.[/QUOTE]You don t know yet for whole 2025 , when Niagara fall for Tesla, when many Europeans feel shameful because of what is Musk. EV are not real cars, when You love cars, and they also pollute with batteries. My choice is a very noble great engine in a really beautiful car, Audi S5 V8 with white leather, same like a beautiful woman, I powered with gas made from agriculture, when I m not just a follower, but prefer to think and use my brain. For sure, with AI, people won t think much nor train their brain and some will play with no brained, like Putin or Musk or tok tok use to do.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2981713]Is China a capitalist country? I would argue yes! Is their political system free and open? Not from what I understand.[/QUOTE]Yes, China is a very interesting case. Their economic success began with the Nixon / Kissinger trade opening and has been nothing less than amazing and yet they are a totalitarian regime. Their handling of the Tiananmen Square protests, their methods used against the Uyghurs, and their takeover of HKG proved this beyond a shadow of a doubt, but interestingly from a monger's point of view, it was not until very recently when Xi Jinping began cracking down on China's p4 p industry that most mongers, who never previously gave it a 2nd thought, felt the sting. I was lucky enough to visit ChangPing during its last year of greatness and man was it great! Shanghai used to have a very viable and popular FL bar scene too and I used to love HKG when I used to fly the trans-pacific route from Florida to BKK and always laid over in HKG for a few days to enjoy the Wanchai bars which are now total BS thanks to Xi's crackdown. What a loss to humanity and our favorite pastime!

But currently China are the USA are locked into some kind of spiral death match. We buy a ton of China's manufactured goods and they buy our Gov't Treasury bonds to finance our purchases. Neither country can afford to let go of the other because that would lead to mutual economic disaster. In other words, we need each other. So, it is going to be interesting to see how President Trump's tariff strategy works out. I think both sides will eventually cave a little.

[URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irYD_xIV_TQ&t=21s[/URL]

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2981761]Do You always live in 80 years ago?[/QUOTE]I live in the here and the now. Can France defend itself alone? The answer is no. Otherwise they would not be in NATO. Countries in NATO want BIG DADDY USA to come sailing across to ocean to save their asses once things go kinetic.

[QUOTE][b]France will reach NATO defense spending target in 2024[/b]

France will reach NATO's target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense in 2024, hitting the goal earlier than previously forecast, French Armed Forces Minister Sbastien Lecornu announced today.

Paris is dramatically increasing spending. In 2017, France spent 30 billion on its military but it "will eventually reach 69 billion, which allows me to confirm that France will meet the 2 percent target set by NATO this year," he said, speaking ahead of a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels.

The French defense budget this year is 47.2 billion and is expected to steadily increase in the next years under the country's seven-year military planning law.

According to previous forecasts, France was initially slated to spend 1.94 percent of GDP in its defense budget in 2024 and wasn't expected to reach the 2 percent figure before 2025 at the earliest.

On Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced that 18 NATO member countries are on track to reach the alliance's spending target. He called on the 13 others to help achieve a "fair" burden sharing with the U.S.

Lecornu said that earmarking 2 percent of GDP for defense is not enough, as that money also has to be directed toward buying more kit. NATO has a target of 20 percent of defense funds going for that purpose while France already spends 30 percent.

"We need to look at the actual share of investment in equipment," Lecornu said.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Sirioja;2981761] I don t think electric cars are a good solution, out of towns.[/QUOTE]I disagree with you. That might be the solution I use for transport in the Dominican Republic. My concern is the battery packs. I will do a deep dive into the long term ownership costs of EV's. The only thing that matters to me is the cost per mile of moving down the road. I have long since lost my love for driving. I cannot wait for self driving cars to get here. I'll by a van. Set it up as an office. And post up in the back seat. While my AI driver takes me down the road. If that is not the hight of decadence I simply do not know what is.

EV's verses Carbon Based engines is not the answer. Hydrogen seems like a much better solution. But Green Hydrogen is hard to produce. The idea that fuel produced from vegetation ignores the amount of petroleum used during production. Don't try to go toe to toe with me on energy issues. I power my entire business with solar. I designed, procured and install the components myself. One of the advantages of me using a EV might be because I can easily set up a charging station at my business and modern EV's have plenty of range for round trip travel. On top of that, most of my destinations have charging stations available.

At this point it is really a matter of personal preferences. On a long trip it depends entirely on the infrastructure of the charging stations along your route. Takes a bit more planning that driving a petrol car. Filling up that Audi V8 is easy with stations everywhere. LOL!

This is what winning looks like:

Did you guys see Trump's reception at Super Bowl LIX? Has it not yet dawned on you lefties that the man you have vilified since 2015 is genuinely popular among the American people? If you still don't get it, you should take a look at the latest polls.

The Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll for this Monday shows that 52% of LIKEKY USA Voters approve of President Trump's job performance. Forty-five percent (45%) disapprove.

I know Rasmussen is BAD BAD BAD. Ok, then check out the latest CBS News / YouGov poll conducted from Feb. 5 to Feb. 7, especially the under-30 numbers which show a majority are behind the president.

1) 53% of respondents signaled approval for the job Trump is doing the highest approval rating for Trump in a CBS News poll EVER.

2) Broke down by age if they approved or disapproved of the way Trump was handling his job as president, 50% of respondents 65 and older, 56% of Americans ages 45 to 64,52% of Americans ages 30 to 44, and 55% of Americans under 30 said YES!

3) The CBS poll further indicated that Trump continues to have far greater popularity among men (surprise surprise), with 60% approval, and 47% favorability among woman.

4) And regardless of whether respondents approved of Trump or not, 70% of respondents indicated that Trump was fulfilling the promises he made during his campaign. And 49% of respondents admitted that Trump has done more than they expected he would do in his first weeks in office. 61% said of respondents said the actions taken so far are mostly things they like.

5) And the further the bad news for Democrats still smarting from Nov. 5, 69% of respondents described Trump as "tough"; 63% described him as "energetic"; 60% described him as "focused"; and 58% described him as "effective. ".

6) And when asked about the Trump's administration's program to deport illegal aliens, 59% of respondents signaled approval. And an overwhelming 64% of respondents supported Trump's deployment of American troops to the southern border.

Now back to the youth vote: the Economist / YouGov poll conducted from Nov. 17-19 found that 57% of respondents ages 18 to 29 said they had a favorable view of Trump. This is huge! It portends a major sea change in future elections for a generation or longer.

So, I honestly hope the Wokes keep fighting the trend. It is really too bad from my perspective that Maxine Waters and her crew did not successfully break into the USAID office. I would pay good money to see that "person" escorted to jail in hand cuffs. And I can't wait to see which Democrat Mayor decides to stand up and get in the way of ICE and their roundup of criminal illegal aliens. I personally hope it is the incompetent mayor of Chicago.

The smart thing, of course, would be for moderates to take back the party and work with the Trump administration on some of these issues like cutting the bloat out of Federal spending and balancing the budget like President Clinton did with Newt Gingrich in the 90's, but that would mean working with Musk and Doge, so that ain't going to happen anytime soon. HAHAHA. Oh well. The truth is we don't need the Woke Dems, so my message to then is keep doing what you are doing.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2981762]

Personally I don't think the average voting person in the United States of America could give a fuck about [I]dick politics[/I]. I think they care about housing, feeding and clothing themselves. Something the current [B]Plutocracy[/B] does not give a fuck about because they have theirs. When the three richest men in the United States of America has the POTUS' back, it does not bode well my fellow citizens.[/QUOTE]You have a point there, but every so often the Plutocrats and their paid politician lackeys fuck up and the American people get fed up and say shit no, we have had enough of your BS, go fuck yourselves. I think that is what happened in the last election. The people refused to get in line and do the proscribed thing. I could be wrong. But Trump won the election and is out of the starting gate faster than the speed of light this time around and he is doing exactly what he said he was going to do. Hence his popularity is rising as I post this.

But it is way, way too early to call his 2nd term a success when it has barely begun. The Republican majority in both chambers of Congress better get their act together and pass a real spending bill with as many if not all of Trump's campaign promises in it, and soon, by May at the latest. Because and to your point, Trump HAS to get the economy booming again and raise real after inflation wages. Then he has get the street crime rate under control, and improve the public education system in America which is currently failing out kids even though the country spends more per capita on education than any other technically advanced country in the world. The people need good paying jobs, safe neighborhoods, quality education for their children, and the end to the illegal alien mess. If, in the next few years Trump can accomplish most of this or at least a substantial part of this and convince the people that the USA is indeed back heading in the right direction, you can say goodbye to the Woke crew forever.

So. Let's see what happens. I am somewhat optimistic. But I won't be that surprised if the train goes off the tracks. Anything can happen in the next 4 years. "It is going to be a bumpy ride". -Betty Davis.

A. H.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2981582]1) I don't give a damn what consenting ADULTS want to do their bodies unless they want me to pay for their operations with my hard-earned tax dollars. But you are avoiding the main issue: WHEN ADULTS MUTILATE A CHILDS BODY! Duh! The thing about children is that they are innocent beings and will believe what adults tell them. So, it is very, very wrong (fascistic) and a form of child abuse to "groom" children. "Leave our kids alone!" [URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs35t2xFqdU&t=154s[/URL].

2) You are absolutely out of your fucking mind if you think it is alright for men to compete in women's sports at any level or share bathrooms with underage high school girls. What the fuck is wrong with you? Any third rate male boxer will destroy even the best female boxer. DUH!

3) This is exactly the hypocrisy that I am pointing out. One's real politics is not found in the stupid shit people say, but in how they live their lives. BKK Bob will bore you to death with his left-wing BS pendantory, but he lives his life financially speaking as Capitalist and socially as a Libertarian. This is complete hypocrisy. You ever hear the expression "Do As I Say, Not As I Do"? If you need help understanding this, it means: that a spih are referred to as "Newhalfs". So, if trannys want to compete in sporting events no one is preventing them from organizing their own leagues and competing amoung themselves. If people want to watch them compete in these sporting events these leagues will prosper. That is the American way! Duh.[/QUOTE]Well, I can see how you're not holding back your emotions. The only thing left now is to back up all these kooky allegations with facts from REPUTABLE SOURES (and no, that doesn't include Youtube).

Who mutilated, who was mutilated, what sport events were ever destroyed or results influenced by transsexual athletes, etc. Should be easy-peasy to find since you're talking about it as a widespread abuse.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2981687]Come on Man.

Don't insult us moderates and centrists by calling yourself and writing shit like this.[/QUOTE]Thanks, got a smile out of me again.

[QUOTE=MarquisdeSade1;2981687]Pizza gate was not a conspiracy theory it was about Bill Clinton and Bill Gates et al.[/QUOTE]Looks like you might've had one too many. The Pizzagate was about the prostitution ring that Hillary was running out of the DC pizzeria basement. Remember that pizzeria a MAGA kook shot up?

He was shot and killed by the police a month ago, by the way. Yes, that Pizzagate.

How many millions of tax-payer dollars were spent so Trump could get boo'd at the Super Bowl, fall asleep and then leave early in humiliation when his team and that quarterback he lied about got slaughtered?

How many more millions of tax-payer dollars has Trump been blowing in order to fly fewer undocumented immigrants back to their home country per flight than Obama and Biden did?

President Musk has surely placed those at the top of his list for citing Waste, Fraud and Abuse of American Tax-Payer Dollars, right?

And this must REALLY piss off President Musk and his assistant Trump:

[B]S&P 500 is little changed as Powell comments, trade tensions weigh on market.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/10/stock-market-today-live-updates.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]"With our policy stance now significantly less restrictive than it had been and [b]the economy remaining strong[/b], we do not need to be in a hurry to adjust our policy stance, Powell said in his first of two appearances this week on Capitol Hill. The central bank leader called [b]the economy strong overall with a solid labor market, and said inflation is easing [/b]but remains above the Feds 2% goal.[/QUOTE]How do we know that accurate assessment REALLY pisses them off?

Because they are choosing to do this:

[QUOTE]Trump on Monday signed new tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. The European Union responded by saying it would retaliate with levies of its own if the U.S. tacks on tariffs against products from the country bloc.[/QUOTE]And this:

[B]Ford CEO says Trump's tariffs are causing 'chaos' in auto industry.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/11/ford-ceo-says-trumps-tariffs-are-causing-chaos-in-auto-industry.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]Farley described announced 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as threatened levies on Mexico and Canada as currently adding [b]a lot of cost and a lot of chaos[/b] to the industry.[/QUOTE]Meanwhile, how are the prices for eggs, groceries, damn I'm glad Trump invented that word, gas, rent, Mortgage loan rates, etc doing lately?

Has Trump ended the Russia-Ukraine War yet? A lot of "24 hours" have passed by since the election.

As a landlord, I have yet to get a terse memo or audio recording of Trump's hilariously "menacing" monotone voice demanding I reduce the rent for my tenants. So I guess I won't.

And why are there so many deadly aircraft crashes since President Musk demanded the head of the FAA resign? Just another wild coincidences I suppose.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2981859]I live in the here and the now. Can France defend itself alone? The answer is no. Otherwise they would not be in NATO. Countries in NATO want BIG DADDY USA to come sailing across to ocean to save their asses once things go kinetic.


I disagree with you. That might be the solution I use for transport in the Dominican Republic. My concern is the battery packs. I will do a deep dive into the long term ownership costs of EV's. The only thing that matters to me is the cost per mile of moving down the road. I have long since lost my love for driving. I cannot wait for self driving cars to get here. I'll by a van. Set it up as an office. And post up in the back seat. While my AI driver takes me down the road. If that is not the hight of decadence I simply do not know what is.

EV's verses Carbon Based engines is not the answer. Hydrogen seems like a much better solution. But Green Hydrogen is hard to produce. The idea that fuel produced from vegetation ignores the amount of petroleum used during production. Don't try to go toe to toe with me on energy issues. I power my entire business with solar. I designed, procured and install the components myself. One of the advantages of me using a EV might be because I can easily set up a charging station at my business and modern EV's have plenty of range for round trip travel. On top of that, most of my destinations have charging stations available.

At this point it is really a matter of personal preferences. On a long trip it depends entirely on the infrastructure of the charging stations along your route. Takes a bit more planning that driving a petrol car. Filling up that Audi V8 is easy with stations everywhere. LOL![/QUOTE]USA always made good money business from wars, even when they lost, when your crazy elected by no brained Trump is lightning fire everywhere and will kill many of your citizens. Funny, many Europeans are writing on their Tesla: I bought before Musk went crazy. About EV, did you ever drive 3000 kms from Thursday evening to Monday morning, try with your EV, when I m used to drive more than 1000 kms each week end. When can t trust lying China, Toyota I rank higher than chinese cars, guarantie for 10 years, but only 185000 kms, meaning less than 3 years driving for me. When you really drive, EVs are not best adapted for more than going buying bread.

I suppose the Bitcoiners here will rush in to tell me I just don't understand their Love, how it manifests itself in unconventional ways, that a down line on an historic chart is "good" and an up one is "bad" and all that.

But is this what supposed "winning" looks like in Bitcoin World under Trump vs the supposed "losing" it suffered under Biden?

Just asking.

The screenshots of charts below show what happened with the price of Bitcoin all during Trump's 1st so-called presidential term, after Biden was elected in 2020, since Trump was elected for his 2nd so-called presidential term in November 2024, on Biden's last day in office on January 19 and since then.

Oh and as a bonus I threw in a screenshot for the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline because it was handy.

As a reminder, for over a year under Bidenomics and before President-elect Musk's assistant Trump launched into his constant blather about increasing Trump Tariff Taxes on the American Working Men and Women Consumer, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline had been steadily declining to within about a dime above where it was in mid 2019, right before Trump's historically disastrous economic and national security decisions laid the groundwork for, ushered in and exacerbated Trump's Pandemic and all of the hyper-inflation and skyrocketing prices for everything that followed.

Again, I suppose the Trumpsters here will rush in to assure me that steadily rising prices for gasoline under Trump's economic stewardship is "good" while those steadily declining prices we were seeing under Biden was "bad". For sure a plurality or majority of those latest CBS poll respondents would see it as great that Trump "kept his promise" to increase prices on almost everything for Americans with his across-the-board Trump Tariff Taxes blather.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2982087]When you really drive, EVs are not best adapted for more than going buying bread.[/QUOTE]When you are really poor you can only afford on vehicle. I have many vehicles. Just like in my tool box I have many different tools for different purposes. Argue all you want about range. I don't have a EV where I can even drive 1000 KM or would want to. So, why would I be concerned about that?

[B]You are saying The United States of America made money on World War II[/B]? France cannot defend itself. That is why it is part on NATO. History taught them a lesson.

The stupidest comment I have read in this thread is attaching credit for movement of markets to who is POTUS. [B]ALL MARKETS![/B]. Presidents don't move them. The market participants move them. I am surprised to see such stupidity proffered in order to forward a political cause that is lost for the next 4 year. I've written that Democrats are sore losers. Even the ones that don't even live in The United States of America.

If a man lives in the [I]land of smiles[/I] from reading his posts I do not see any signs of it. Plus he does not know the law in the county now calls home.

Thanks, Joe.

[B]'Their Brutal Ordeal Is Over.' Biden Announces Release of Americans in Russia Prisoner Swap.
Aug. 1, 2024[/B]

[URL]https://time.com/7006616/biden-prisoner-swap-evan-gershkovich-remarks/[/URL]

[QUOTE]President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that Russian authorities have released Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich along with two other American citizens and an American green-card holder as part of a sweeping prisoner swap.

The historic swap, involving seven countries and over 20 prisoners total, marks a significant diplomatic achievement for Biden and a rare moment of cooperation amid deepening global tensions. Now their brutal ordeal is over, and theyre free, Biden said, flanked by 11 family members of the released prisoners.

The President continued: For anyone who questions whether allies matterthey do. Today is a powerful example of why it's vital to have friends in this world, friends you can trust, work with and depend upon, especially on matters of great consequence and sensitivity like this. Our alliances make our people safer.

Gershkovich, who had been detained in Russia on false charges of espionage, was released along with Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine also detained on spying charges widely viewed as spurious, and Alsu Kurmasheva, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist detained for spreading false information about the Russian military. They touched down in Ankara, Turkey on Thursday morning following their release from Russian custody.[/QUOTE]Imagine that. A President of the United States of America managed to get 3 Americans released from Russia without kissing Putin's butt publicly or privately or claiming to be that murderous authoritarian dictator's "friend" but rather due to the true and far more important friendship among our allies.

Democrats better stop engaging in [B]Dick Politics[/B] and find a candidate for the people. I like AOC!

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2981812]You don t know yet for whole 2025 , when Niagara fall for Tesla, when many Europeans feel shameful because of what is Musk. EV are not real cars, [b]when You love cars,[/b] and they also pollute with batteries. [/QUOTE]As I've previously explained to you, when you first made that [B]"I love cars"[/B] argument. I explained to you then, that people will buy and drive cars, trucks and vehicles of all kinds, for different reasons. Most times, I would guess 95% of people buy/drive their vehicles for practical reasons.

So as the reasons for buying/owning an EV are becoming increasing more compelling, by contrast, the reasons for buying/owning an ICE vehicle are decreasing. As the [B]DATA[/B] and [B]FACTS[/B] for new sales/registrations of EV vs ICE purchases playout in the biggest car markets, around the world.

What is apparently evident to everyone (except Sirioja, Toyota and other ICE manufacturers with their heads stuck in the sand), is that the trend is increasingly towards buying EVs, the [B]FACTS, DATA[/B] and [B]NUMBERS[/B] show that. And BTW, those very same European/USA Car manufacturers, that still make petrol/diesel/ICE vehicles, also make EVs that Europeans (and Americans) buy and drive, not just China.

Almost 96%, 54% and 53.5% of new cars registered in Norway, China and Germany, respectively last month (Jan 2025), were EV/PHEVs or Hybrids. That's the trend, and those are the FACTS, dude! Yes, that overall trend my change, but not at this present time.

So while I appreciate the overt "I love cars" tears, emotions and overtures,...it's all perhaps, a bit much. May I suggest, a little less "emotion" and [U]more [b]FACTUAL[/b][/U] arguments are preferable, when debating. Not weak "I love cars" arguments, with nothing to back it up!

Good on you, dude, but so what if you love cars? What's love got to do with the data that shows, EV sales/registrations outpacing ICE vehicles in some of the biggest car markets in the world?

Confused by how CPI jumped back up to 3% in January when the actual cost of manufactured and imported items didn't increase?

You shouldn't be.

Trump's constant blather about how excited he is to increase the price of everything for the American Consumer through the use of his "favorite and most beautiful word; Tariffs" ASAP has contributed to shippers and consumers front-loading their shipments and purchases in order to "get ahead of the game", the Trump's Tariffs game, that is, and will raise the price of things even before those beautiful Trump Tariffs are actually imposed or begin to inflict their damage on Americans directly.

As I have been pointing out would be the outcome for quite some time:

[B]Looming Trump tariffs drive rush on imports, push shipping costs higher.
Freight costs are rising as businesses rush to import goods ahead of higher tariffs promised by US President-elect Donald Trump on Chinese and European products.
Nov. 19, 2024[/B]

[URL]https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/11/19/looming-trump-tariffs-drive-rush-on-imports-push-shipping-costs-higher/[/URL]

[QUOTE]"Trump has vowed blanket tariffs of up to 20% on all imports into the US and additional tariffs of 60% to 100% on goods from China, the company said in a statement. Data from Xeneta the ocean and air freight intelligence platform shows[b] the last time Trump ramped up tariffs on Chinese imports during the trade war in 2018, ocean container shipping freight rates spiked more than 70%.[/b][/QUOTE]And Americans paying more and higher prices under Trumpanomics vs Bidenomics in that way is only the beginning. Thanks to Trump driving CPI back up to 3% with his magic "all the best words", the Fed will likely NOT enact more than one Funds Rate cut this year, if that.

As everyone with at least a minimum amount of understanding about how the economy works knows, lowering Fed Funds rates in an environment of rising inflation, especially along with increasing the price of everything with Tariffs, is a tried and true Betty Crocker recipe for even MORE Inflation and higher prices for everything.

Which, of course, is why President Musk's assistant Trump wants the Fed to do exactly that. Lolol.

[B]Hopes for more Fed rate cuts dim.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/12/hopes-for-more-fed-rate-cuts-dim-as-powell-notes-hot-cpi-means-were-not-quite-there-yet.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]Fed interest rate cut wont be coming until at least September, if at all this year, following a troubling inflation report Wednesday.

Chair Jerome Powell, in an appearance before the House Financial Services Committee, insisted the Fed had made great progress on inflation from its cycle peak but were not quite there yet.[/QUOTE][B]Trump wants interest rate cuts. The market isn't buying it.
Feb. 12, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-wants-interest-rate-cuts-190909740.html[/URL]

[QUOTE]Just before the release of Wednesdays monthly consumer price report, President Donald Trump called for lower interest rates in a post on his Truth Social platform.

[B]Interest Rates should be lowered, something which would go hand in hand with upcoming Tariffs!!! Lets Rock and Roll, America!!! he wrote.[/b]

Upon the reports release just a few minutes later, investors indicated they had other plans.

With the pace of inflation for January coming in above forecasts, stocks tumbled while borrowing costs climbed. Those moves reflect expectations that the Federal Reserve, which helps set interest rates throughout the economy, will now keep those rates higher for longer.[/QUOTE]To MAGAs who could have but did not vote for Kamala Harris and especially that relative handful of angry Muslims spread across just three states who really decided the election in the greatest "self-own" unforced error in presidential election history, thank you for your vote.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2982335]Thanks, Joe.

[B]'Their Brutal Ordeal Is Over.' Biden Announces Release of Americans in Russia Prisoner Swap.
Aug. 1, 2024[/B]

[URL]https://time.com/7006616/biden-prisoner-swap-evan-gershkovich-remarks/[/URL]

Imagine that. A President of the United States of America managed to get 3 Americans released from Russia without kissing Putin's butt publicly or privately or claiming to be that murderous authoritarian dictator's "friend" but rather due to the true and far more important friendship among our allies.[/QUOTE]After installing degenerates and obvious Russian agents to the top security posts in this country, what are today's events if not simply a confirmation of what we've known all alone. Trump is Putin's asset. Pure and simple. Kudos to the DOJ and personally Merrick Garland for going after the brain-damaged rioters instead of putting all their resources into prosecuting the Traitor-in-Chief.

What a clusterfuck!

[QUOTE=Spidy;2982427]As I've previously explained to you, when you first made that [B]"I love cars"[/B] argument. I explained to you then, that people will buy and drive cars, trucks and vehicles of all kinds, for different reasons. Most times, I would guess 95% of people buy/drive their vehicles for practical reasons.

So as the reasons for buying/owning an EV are becoming increasing more compelling, by contrast, the reasons for buying/owning an ICE vehicle are decreasing. As the [B]DATA[/B] and [B]FACTS[/B] for new sales/registrations of EV vs ICE purchases playout in the biggest car markets, around the world.

What is apparently evident to everyone (except Sirioja, Toyota and other ICE manufacturers with their heads stuck in the sand), is that the trend is increasingly towards buying EVs, the [B]FACTS, DATA[/B] and [B]NUMBERS[/B] show that. And BTW, those very same European/USA Car manufacturers, that still make petrol/diesel/ICE vehicles, also make EVs that Europeans (and Americans) buy and drive, not just China.

Almost 96%, 54% and 53.5% of new cars registered in Norway, China and Germany, respectively last month (Jan 2025), were EV/PHEVs or Hybrids. That's the trend, and those are the FACTS, dude! Yes, that overall trend my change, but not at this present time.

So while I appreciate the overt "I love cars" tears, emotions and overtures,...it's all perhaps, a bit much. May I suggest, a little less "emotion" and [U]more [b]FACTUAL[/b][/U] arguments are preferable, when debating. Not weak "I love cars" arguments, with nothing to back it up!

Good on you, dude, but so what if you love cars? What's love got to do with the data that shows, EV sales/registrations outpacing ICE vehicles in some of the biggest car markets in the world?[/QUOTE]You tell about quantity, just as a follower not driving many kilometers, when I will never change my atmospheric V8 for a EV and of course no shit chinese which could never work with me who can drive 3000 kms through mountains on a long week end, to go to bicycle climb mountains. But I m not a follower fucked by politics, but a free bird loving real cars, not kind of little but heavy trucks. But obvious, when less government money help, people buy less EVs and more thermic, in biggest European countries and I don t forget legendary Colin Chapman telling light is fast, basis for good dynamics, when big pollution from China and for batteries. And who is naive enough to trust lying China for quality, reliability, for sure not me.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2982327]When you are really poor you can only afford on vehicle. I have many vehicles. Just like in my tool box I have many different tools for different purposes. Argue all you want about range. I don't have a EV where I can even drive 1000 KM or would want to. So, why would I be concerned about that?

[B]You are saying The United States of America made money on World War II[/B]? France cannot defend itself. That is why it is part on NATO. History taught them a lesson.

The stupidest comment I have read in this thread is attaching credit for movement of markets to who is POTUS. [B]ALL MARKETS![/B]. Presidents don't move them. The market participants move them. I am surprised to see such stupidity proffered in order to forward a political cause that is lost for the next 4 year. I've written that Democrats are sore losers. Even the ones that don't even live in The United States of America.

If a man lives in the [I]land of smiles[/I] from reading his posts I do not see any signs of it. Plus he does not know the law in the county now calls home.[/QUOTE]I had several Audis at same time, but I made a bad discovery: I couldn t drive them all at same time or on same day, so I took time to make work my brain and decided to keep only the best and most enjoyable one I improved and powered more ecological than batteries. In Western Europe, we still have culture of pleasure for beautiful cars which are not EVs when 0 pleasure, no oil smell. About war, who wants to attack France on 21th century? Putin who is not able to defeat Ukraine? When shameful Trump try to put fire everywhere. Our world and of course EU have to resist to his and Musk bullshits. Both are just kings of bullshiting. Pity, no brained USA drink this.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2982444]Confused by how CPI jumped back up to 3% in January when the actual cost of manufactured and imported items didn't increase?

You shouldn't be.

Trump's constant blather about how excited he is to increase the price of everything for the American Consumer through the use of his "favorite and most beautiful word; Tariffs" ASAP has contributed to shippers and consumers front-loading their shipments and purchases in order to "get ahead of the game", the Trump's Tariffs game, that is, and will raise the price of things even before those beautiful Trump Tariffs are actually imposed or begin to inflict their damage on Americans directly.

As I have been pointing out would be the outcome for quite some time:

[B]Looming Trump tariffs drive rush on imports, push shipping costs higher.
Freight costs are rising as businesses rush to import goods ahead of higher tariffs promised by US President-elect Donald Trump on Chinese and European products.
Nov. 19, 2024[/B]

[URL]https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/11/19/looming-trump-tariffs-drive-rush-on-imports-push-shipping-costs-higher/[/URL]

And Americans paying more and higher prices under Trumpanomics vs Bidenomics in that way is only the beginning. Thanks to Trump driving CPI back up to 3% with his magic "all the best words", the Fed will likely NOT enact more than one Funds Rate cut this year, if that.

As everyone with at least a minimum amount of understanding about how the economy works knows, lowering Fed Funds rates in an environment of rising inflation, especially along with increasing the price of everything with Tariffs, is a tried and true Betty Crocker recipe for even MORE Inflation and higher prices for everything.

Which, of course, is why President Musk's assistant Trump wants the Fed to do exactly that. Lolol.

[B]Hopes for more Fed rate cuts dim.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/12/hopes-for-more-fed-rate-cuts-dim-as-powell-notes-hot-cpi-means-were-not-quite-there-yet.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[B]Trump wants interest rate cuts. The market isn't buying it.
Feb. 12, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-wants-interest-rate-cuts-190909740.html[/URL]

To MAGAs who could have but did not vote for Kamala Harris and especially that relative handful of angry Muslims spread across just three states who really decided the election in the greatest "self-own" unforced error in presidential election history, thank you for your vote.[/QUOTE]Senile Trump taxes will just make inflation for your citizens, when China and EU are both stronger than USA for economics, with more than 300 billions debt versus EU. Trump is only king of bullshiting, but not of the world which have to resist to his craziness. USA will suffer under him, same like Russians.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2982444]Confused by how CPI jumped back up to 3% in January when the actual cost of manufactured and imported items didn't increase?

You shouldn't be.

Trump's constant blather about how excited he is to increase the price of everything for the American Consumer through the use of his "favorite and most beautiful word; Tariffs" ASAP has contributed to shippers and consumers front-loading their shipments and purchases in order to "get ahead of the game", the Trump's Tariffs game, that is, and will raise the price of things even before those beautiful Trump Tariffs are actually imposed or begin to inflict their damage on Americans directly.

As I have been pointing out would be the outcome for quite some time:

[B]Looming Trump tariffs drive rush on imports, push shipping costs higher.
Freight costs are rising as businesses rush to import goods ahead of higher tariffs promised by US President-elect Donald Trump on Chinese and European products.
Nov. 19, 2024[/B]

[URL]https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/11/19/looming-trump-tariffs-drive-rush-on-imports-push-shipping-costs-higher/[/URL]

And Americans paying more and higher prices under Trumpanomics vs Bidenomics in that way is only the beginning. Thanks to Trump driving CPI back up to 3% with his magic "all the best words", the Fed will likely NOT enact more than one Funds Rate cut this year, if that.

As everyone with at least a minimum amount of understanding about how the economy works knows, lowering Fed Funds rates in an environment of rising inflation, especially along with increasing the price of everything with Tariffs, is a tried and true Betty Crocker recipe for even MORE Inflation and higher prices for everything.

Which, of course, is why President Musk's assistant Trump wants the Fed to do exactly that. Lolol.

[B]Hopes for more Fed rate cuts dim.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/12/hopes-for-more-fed-rate-cuts-dim-as-powell-notes-hot-cpi-means-were-not-quite-there-yet.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[B]Trump wants interest rate cuts. The market isn't buying it.
Feb. 12, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-wants-interest-rate-cuts-190909740.html[/URL]

To MAGAs who could have but did not vote for Kamala Harris and especially that relative handful of angry Muslims spread across just three states who really decided the election in the greatest "self-own" unforced error in presidential election history, thank you for your vote.[/QUOTE][B]Good![/B] That is what the people voted for. This is what they get. Next time the Democrats better run a legitimate candidate that is ready to sit in the big chair. Dick Politics don't cut it as a policy platform.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2982504]About war, who wants to attack France on 21th century?[/QUOTE][B]Then why does France allocate 2% of its GDP on military spending?[/B]

In the Dominican Republic I have vehicles that are special purpose. Over the road, truck, UTE, moto. If all you are doing is computing and using you off time to drive around then I see why you don't understand why you just have one. My vehicles are a capital expense. As a wage slave residing on the government / corporate plantations of Western Europe you probably do not understand tax law. I will make it easy for you. Because I own a business, I receive income, spend money then pay taxes on what is left over. Wage Slaves, earn money, pay taxes, then buy useless shit (like cars) with the money that is left over.

[B]ROTLMAO[/B]

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2982548][B]Good![/B] That is what the people voted for. This is what they get. Next time the Democrats better run a legitimate candidate that is ready to sit in the big chair. Dick Politics don't cut it as a policy platform.[/QUOTE]Democratic Party pols will be fine. They have all networked the next job and board membership to live the rest of their and their childrens' lives fat and happy. Even those without a current position like Kamala Harris.

They didn't "need" to get elected nearly as much as the American people "needed" to elect them if Great Economic Expansions and Jobs Creation is more preferable to people than Great Depressions, Great Recessions and Historic Jobs Destruction, that is.

Otherwise, I ageee; it is [B]Good[/B] that the suckers who voted for Trump, stayed home and didn't vote or ultimately did not vote for Harris for fear that their sons would get their dicks chopped off and turned into vaginas, that They're eating the cats, They're eating the dogs, that caravans of blood-thirsty immigrants are on the way to steal their job, that the Stock Market was at an all-time low and the Unemployment Rate was at an all-time high, that Joe Biden and not Donald Trump was responsible for overturning Roe v Wade, that denying any member of the Biden Administration the presidency will really show Netanyahu what's what and any other idiocy promoted by Repubs and propaganda bought by Elon Musk to con the masses into voting against their and their country's best interest will get what they so richly deserve for being such gullible suckers and easy marks.

It is only too bad that the majority of the American electorate, the majority that voted "NOT Trump", will also suffer the consequences right along with the sucker minority of voters who begged to be conned into another Trump / Repub Disaster.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2982601][B]Then why does France allocate 2% of its GDP on military spending?[/B]

In the Dominican Republic I have vehicles that are special purpose. Over the road, truck, UTE, moto. If all you are doing is computing and using you off time to drive around then I see why you don't understand why you just have one. My vehicles are a capital expense. As a wage slave residing on the government / corporate plantations of Western Europe you probably do not understand tax law. I will make it easy for you. Because I own a business, I receive income, spend money then pay taxes on what is left over. Wage Slaves, earn money, pay taxes, then buy useless shit (like cars) with the money that is left over.

[B]ROTLMAO[/B][/QUOTE]To be able to defend if a crazy like Putin wanted to try, France call it to dissuade. About cars and in life, I m only interested by performance and quality, not USA nor China standards which are quite low level, reason why USA have more than 300 billions debt with EU, because of lower quality and taxes won t change anything for quality. Trump has to improve a lot his level.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2982498]... when I will never change my atmospheric V8 for a EV and of course no shit chinese which could never work with me ...[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2981286]This is figure for pollution control on technical control made by comoanies approved by french government. Sometimes, smelling flowers. What is pollution made by China since so many years? To build shit products most often dangerous for health [/QUOTE]

Just the FACTS ma'am!

Who cares, REALLY...if you want to drive your Audi V8, till the wheels fall off? Good for you, have at it! [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

Dude, I get it, you don't have much love for EVs/batteries, but your opinion on these subjects, is just one (1) single data point. The worldwide global FACTS and DATA, w/r to EVs/Batteries, tells me a different story.

I'm interested in debating [b]the FACTS[/b] and trends towards cleaner energy and automotive innovations, that are happening around the world and how they are changing eco-geo-socio-political norms.

[b]FACT #1: [/b]E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, [u][i][b]IS NOT[/b][/i] considered 0% emissions during technical control[/u] or emissions testing.

E85 [u][i][b]IS NOT[/b][/i][/u] emission-free, but typically has lower emissions compared to pure gasoline, depending on the vehicle and driving conditions. All European regulatory agencies [b](including France)[/b] and technical controls still account for these emissions when testing vehicles running on E85.

So much for your so called, [i][b]"0% pollution on technical control",[/b][/i] nonsense. [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Even France admits and says there is NO such thing as absolute zero 0% emissions when running E85.

[b]FACT #2: [/b]Several of the latest studies on EVs/batteries, like the one out of Stanford Univ, says EVs last longer than ICE vehicles. Feb 05, 2025 Researchers in the U.K. looked at the [u]life cycles of almost [b]30 million cars[/b][/u] and found that electric and gasoline vehicles last for roughly the same. Under current conditions, driving an electric car is better for the climate than conventional petrol cars in 95% of the world, the study finds at Cambridge Univ.

[b]FACT #3: [/b]In 2024, [u]once again [b]batteries[/b] are saving the world.[/u] The cumulative global battery energy storage systems (BESS) capacity reached an impressive 150 GW/363 GWh ... China and the USA together account for 70% of global BESS projects, on a power basis.

The ramped up addition of renewable clean energy and BESS around the world, are stabilizing and balancing electrical grids and reducing our dependency on things like coal powered pico-power plants and fossil fuel derived fuel sources.

Once you take a good look at the FACTS, they often paint a very different picture than what you or I may think or "feel"!

[QUOTE=Spidy;2982719]Just the FACTS ma'am!

Who cares, REALLY...if you want to drive your Audi V8, till the wheels fall off? Good for you, have at it! [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

Dude, I get it, you don't have much love for EVs/batteries, but your opinion on these subjects, is just one (1) single data point. The worldwide global FACTS and DATA, w/r to EVs/Batteries, tells me a different story.

I'm interested in debating [b]the FACTS[/b] and trends towards cleaner energy and automotive innovations, that are happening around the world and how they are changing eco-geo-socio-political norms.

[b]FACT #1: [/b]E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, [u][i][b]IS NOT[/b][/i] considered 0% emissions during technical control[/u] or emissions testing.

E85 [u][i][b]IS NOT[/b][/i][/u] emission-free, but typically has lower emissions compared to pure gasoline, depending on the vehicle and driving conditions. All European regulatory agencies [b](including France)[/b] and technical controls still account for these emissions when testing vehicles running on E85.

So much for your so called, [i][b]"0% pollution on technical control",[/b][/i] nonsense. [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Even France admits and says there is NO such thing as absolute zero 0% emissions when running E85.

[b]FACT #2: [/b]Several of the latest studies on EVs/batteries, like the one out of Stanford Univ, says EVs last longer than ICE vehicles. Feb 05, 2025 Researchers in the U.K. looked at the [u]life cycles of almost [b]30 million cars[/b][/u] and found that electric and gasoline vehicles last for roughly the same. Under current conditions, driving an electric car is better for the climate than conventional petrol cars in 95% of the world, the study finds at Cambridge Univ.

[b]FACT #3: [/b]In 2024, [u]once again [b]batteries[/b] are saving the world.[/u] The cumulative global battery energy storage systems (BESS) capacity reached an impressive 150 GW/363 GWh ... China and the USA together account for 70% of global BESS projects, on a power basis.

The ramped up addition of renewable clean energy and BESS around the world, are stabilizing and balancing electrical grids and reducing our dependency on things like coal powered pico-power plants and fossil fuel derived fuel sources.

Once you take a good look at the FACTS, they often paint a very different picture than what you or I may think or "feel"![/QUOTE]0% CO2 controlled on pollution control. Don t batteries production and when they are not working anymore pollute? When a bit funny, not for our planet, but very lying China and USA are 2 biggest for pollution in our world and Trump will increase USA pollution. About figures and mass, I remember how so many Germans followed hysteric nazi Hitler, when they were told he was right, but was he really? Same now with Russians blind with Putin, when I m not a sheep. Funny, sometimes E85 smell like flowers or in a farm, when I doubt for batteries production and also keeping a real quality car for many years, I aim 1 million kilometers for engine and manual gearbox, not possible with automatic, make less pollution for our planet than often changing when You are bored of low quality, You can ask any specialist on pollution. I laugh about 10 years chinese guaranty which would mean around 800000 kms for a driver like me, then I would have to recharge every 50 kms and not even sure on motorway and even when new, but so slow on german autobahns, my playfield to aim 300 km / h. With which EV? And for how many kilometers? 20 ? Not much longer. Maybe working longer at slow 60 miles or on Hollywood boulevard in USA, when great Italy and NL increase speed on motorways and some free speed in Germany.

1. EV's are not [I]zero emission[/I]!

2. The long term impact is determined by the quality of inputs into the grid the EV is charging on!

3. When people in the United States of America choose their vehicle the make the decision based on practical reasons!.

[QUOTE]Meanwhile, issues aside from the environment namely cost and convenience are key to winning over any would-be EV buyer.

Elizabeth Krear of J.D. Power has been closely tracking why people who are thinking of buying an EV choose not to take the plunge. This pool includes plenty of people who are fully convinced of EVs' green virtues.

"Those top reasons for rejection consistently, month over month, all have to do with charging," she says. "Having the ability to charge in public, having enough stations readily available and visible, speed of charging."

And over time, these non-environmental factors will get only more important, many analysts say.

"That first wave of (EV) ownership, they did believe in those environmental benefits, and that was one thing that pushed them towards ownership," says Gordon, of Ipsos. "This next wave that's not what's going to push them to ownership. Instead, what's pushing them into ownership is going to be longer ranges, faster charging times, lower costs, better charging infrastructure."[/QUOTE][URL]https://www.npr.org/2024/09/23/nx-s1-5074064/ev-gas-cars-environment-skepticism[/URL]

[B]I am convinced that EVs help the environment[/B] But in the [U]United Staes of America[/U] I am NOT interested in buying one. The analysis of my personal driving style shows EV's do not have enough range to head out over the road given the distances you need to cover in the [U]United States of America[/U]. Besides I do not like being told what I have to buy when making the second biggest purchase most people make.

Say that you want to debate the FACTS OF EVs all you like. In the end it comes to one personal opinion and that decision IS made by me.

[B]ROTFLMAO![/B]

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2982759]1. EV's are not [I]zero emission[/I]!

2. The long term impact is determined by the quality of inputs into the grid the EV is charging on!

3. When people in the United States of America choose their vehicle the make the decision based on practical reasons!.

[URL]https://www.npr.org/2024/09/23/nx-s1-5074064/ev-gas-cars-environment-skepticism[/URL]

[B]I am convinced that EVs help the environment[/B] But in the [U]United Staes of America[/U] I am NOT interested in buying one. The analysis of my personal driving style shows EV's do not have enough range to head out over the road given the distances you need to cover in the [U]United States of America[/U]. Besides I do not like being told what I have to buy when making the second biggest purchase most people make.

Say that you want to debate the FACTS OF EVs all you like. In the end it comes to one personal opinion and that decision IS made by me.

[B]ROTFLMAO![/B][/QUOTE]Yes, pollution for batteries and when You use to drive many kilometers in a row, You don t buy EV, because not fast enough and losing too much time to recharge, reason why I call not real cars to travel fast. Audi I rank higher than any USA or Chinese brand, even I found they were on higher quality and reliability on late 2000 , stop electric on some new models, like Q8 or A6 , for only thermic, when EVs just worth to go to buy bread in cities. With less money help from governments, EVs will fall.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2982719]
E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, IS NOT considered 0% emissions during technical control or emissions testing.[/QUOTE]I cannot believe you guys are still arguing about that.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2982719]FACT #2: Several of the latest studies on EVs/batteries, like the one out of Stanford Univ, says EVs last longer than ICE vehicles. Feb 05, 2025 Researchers in the U.K. looked at the life cycles of almost 30 million cars and found that electric and gasoline vehicles last for roughly the same.[/QUOTE]Yeah, well given that most popular make of electric cars in China now have their own ICE, I am not sure how much that matters. PHEVs are actually more likely to break down than EVs or ICEs.

[URL]https://autovista24.autovistagroup.com/news/what-were-the-most-popular-evs-in-china-in-june/[/URL]

[QUOTE=Spidy;2982719]Under current conditions, driving an electric car is better for the climate than conventional petrol cars in 95% of the world, the study finds at Cambridge Univ. once again batteries are saving the world.[/QUOTE]Yeah, you are refusing to look at reality there. [URL]https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-rise-in-global-coal-consumption/[/URL].

Despite efforts to decarbonize the economy, global coal consumption surpassed 164 exajoules for the first time in 2023.

The hypocrisy of Democratic douches knows no bounds on carbon. Forest fires have destroyed the carbon savings in California, and Biden's idiotic attack on Nordstream was not exactly carbon friendly either. What has worked is changing from coal to natural gas.

One good thing about the Ukraine was is China built a NG pipeline from Siberia that goes to Shanghai. If India and China switch to NG pipelines over burning coal, you might see the unheard of like in the USA, carbon emissions going down.

And getting overall electrical use down is a pipe dream. That and clean water are the two most important things when it comes to lifting people out of poverty. The continued rise in electrical use and has led some idiots to suggest we need to cut the human race in half to save the planet. As Elon Musk said, anyone who thinks that is a great idea should start helping by taking their own life.

Senile old elected by no brained USA, but for whole rest of world, gulf will stay of Mexico and fuck google. Korea already tried with Japan sea. Our world don t have to care about a crazy old, only USA problem with soon inflation.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2982444]Confused by how CPI jumped back up to 3% in January when the actual cost of manufactured and imported items didn't increase?

You shouldn't be.[/QUOTE]Let me guess. It is Trump's fault.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2982444]Trump's constant blather about how excited he is to increase the price of everything for the American Consumer.[/QUOTE]Yay! I was right!

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2982444]To MAGAs who could have but did not vote for Kamala Harris and especially that relative handful of angry Muslims spread across just three states who really decided the election in the greatest "self-own" unforced error in presidential election history, thank you for your vote.[/QUOTE]Yeah, wasn't the inflation rate lower when Trump was president than when we had Biden-Harris?

So you are not using facts? You are just doing your usual picking out bad news and blaming Republicans for it.

Seeing as how you are making conjectures, Loony Tooms, how will inflation go once we stop having to print out hundreds of billions of dollars for Ukraine? And hundreds of millions / billions for illegals and their hotel bills, medical expense, college tuitions ETC?

Are you using your typical USAID funded sources once again? Yeah, sure you are.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2982759]1. EV's are not [I]zero emission[/I]!

2. The long term impact is determined by the quality of inputs into the grid the EV is charging on!

3. When people in the United States of America choose their vehicle the make the decision based on practical reasons!.
[URL]https://www.npr.org/2024/09/23/nx-s1-5074064/ev-gas-cars-environment-skepticism[/URL] [/QUOTE]

[b][1.][/b] EVs have NO tail pipe emissions, emitting noxious gases...so you do the math!

Now, if you're talking about materials that go into making EVs vs. ICE, then that's a different argument, but one that still has EVs no worse off then ICE vehicles, and in same cases better than ICE, as even more battery recycling business are ramping up. But the good news is, that EV batteries are lasting far longer then expected.

[b][2.][/b] Agreed! But in the long term, EVs will be seen as benefiting, the long term growth and stability of the all electricity grids, around the world. Just consider them as a fleet of mobile power sources!

With many countries moving towards boosting their grids reliability with EVs batteries as a power source, assisting the grid, in peek and down times, with V2G, V2H and V2L, will only serve to make a more robust grid. Some of today's EVs currently have these capabilities.

BTW, let's see if ICE vehicles can run your homes for several days in a brownout, blackout, or ice storm. [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Especially in the light of more and more greedy GWh gobbling Zuckerberg data centers and crypto/bitcoin mining farms show up, to place even more demands on the a failing grid.

Not to mention the 150+ GWh of new BESS around the world helping the grid. BESS will be pivotal part of that clean energy grid solution. China, Australia and the U.S. (Cali, Texas) are major players and many making major coin ($$$$) from BESS arbitrage.

[b][3.][/b] I just finishing telling Sirioja, the very same thing. But quite honestly, you only need to look to China so see what coming!

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2982759][B]I am convinced that EVs help the environment[/B] But in the [U]United Staes of America[/U] I am NOT interested in buying one ...[/QUOTE]

Again, like I told Sirioja, you can giddy-up, ride, drive or dirt race what ever vehicle your heart desires...until the wheels fall off. I don't really care! I prefer to debate the facts, the trends and future surrounding the these crucial industries and the impact they have on our eco-geo-socio political community.

I'm just here to providing some positive FACTS, data and automotive trends, to the other side of the "negative biases" towards EV, battery tech and clean energy and at the same time debunk and refute, things like Sirioja's nonsense on E85, EVs and battery rhetoric and disinformation.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2982444]Confused by how CPI jumped back up to 3% in January when the actual cost of manufactured and imported items didn't increase?

You shouldn't be.

Trump's constant blather about how excited he is to increase the price of everything for the American Consumer through the use of his "favorite and most beautiful word; Tariffs" ASAP has contributed to shippers and consumers front-loading their shipments and purchases in order to "get ahead of the game", the Trump's Tariffs game, that is, and will raise the price of things even before those beautiful Trump Tariffs are actually imposed or begin to inflict their damage on Americans directly.

As I have been pointing out would be the outcome for quite some time:

[B]Looming Trump tariffs drive rush on imports, push shipping costs higher.
Freight costs are rising as businesses rush to import goods ahead of higher tariffs promised by US President-elect Donald Trump on Chinese and European products.
Nov. 19, 2024[/B]

[URL]https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/11/19/looming-trump-tariffs-drive-rush-on-imports-push-shipping-costs-higher/[/URL]

And Americans paying more and higher prices under Trumpanomics vs Bidenomics in that way is only the beginning. Thanks to Trump driving CPI back up to 3% with his magic "all the best words", the Fed will likely NOT enact more than one Funds Rate cut this year, if that.

As everyone with at least a minimum amount of understanding about how the economy works knows, lowering Fed Funds rates in an environment of rising inflation, especially along with increasing the price of everything with Tariffs, is a tried and true Betty Crocker recipe for even MORE Inflation and higher prices for everything.

Which, of course, is why President Musk's assistant Trump wants the Fed to do exactly that. Lolol.

[B]Hopes for more Fed rate cuts dim.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/12/hopes-for-more-fed-rate-cuts-dim-as-powell-notes-hot-cpi-means-were-not-quite-there-yet.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[B]Trump wants interest rate cuts. The market isn't buying it.
Feb. 12, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-wants-interest-rate-cuts-190909740.html[/URL]

To MAGAs who could have but did not vote for Kamala Harris and especially that relative handful of angry Muslims spread across just three states who really decided the election in the greatest "self-own" unforced error in presidential election history, thank you for your vote.[/QUOTE]Well this takes the cake. Giving all the credit to Obama for a solid economy in 2017 to 2019 was kind of crazy. As was assigning all the blame to Trump for a suck ass economy during a worldwide pandemic. But now January, 2025 inflation was Trump's fault?

Prices as measured by the CPI rose 3% from a year ago. "A year ago" means 365 days ago. Trump was president for 11 days before January 31,2025. He wasn't even president at mid January. You're criticizing Biden, not Trump.

Trump's tariffs will indeed cause a step up in prices of some products. But they hadn't taken effect as of the end of January. If he manages to lower federal spending that will restrain inflation.

Fed policy and other factors generally have a lot more influence on inflation than who's president, although Biden was an exception with the American Rescue Plan. And admittedly Trump could be too if he somehow manages to control the Fed and implement all the tariffs he's proposed. My bet is he won't do all that. Looking at longer term bond yields and the price of gold, the market may disagree with me though.

As to shipping rates your source is old. Prices are down since November. Container rates are close to the lowest they've been since September of last year, and dry shippers are losing money big time. Google World Container Index or Baltic Dry Index. The BDI is close to a 35 year low.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2982759]1. EV's are not [I]zero emission[/I]!

2. The long term impact is determined by the quality of inputs into the grid the EV is charging on!

3. When people in the United States of America choose their vehicle the make the decision based on practical reasons!.

[URL]https://www.npr.org/2024/09/23/nx-s1-5074064/ev-gas-cars-environment-skepticism[/URL]

[B]I am convinced that EVs help the environment[/B] But in the [U]United Staes of America[/U] I am NOT interested in buying one. The analysis of my personal driving style shows EV's do not have enough range to head out over the road given the distances you need to cover in the [U]United States of America[/U]. Besides I do not like being told what I have to buy when making the second biggest purchase most people make.

Say that you want to debate the FACTS OF EVs all you like. In the end it comes to one personal opinion and that decision IS made by me.

[B]ROTFLMAO![/B][/QUOTE]Eminently sensible SubCmdr.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2983020]The BDI is close to a 35 year low.[/QUOTE]Sorry, that's factually incorrect. It's currently around 790, and hasn't been that low for over a year on my chart that goes back to 1984. In 2015/2016, it slipped to the high 400's for a few months.

Are you interested in debating if gravity exists with me? Because if you are I will tell you to hold an egg in your hand, stretch your arm out and then drop the egg. Tell me about the results. Look I do not mind discussing the facts. But I don't let the facts get in the way of a personal decision I am going to make based on what I want. With that understood.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983007][b]1.[/b] EVs have NO tail pipe emissions, emitting noxious gases...so you do the math![/QUOTE]I stand by my original statement.

[QUOTE]Electric vehicles have no tailpipe emissions, which is why they are called "zero-emission vehicles." But they are not entirely zero-emission: Pollution and other environmental costs are associated with building them and charging their batteries.[/QUOTE][QUOTE=Spidy;2983007]Now, if you're talking about materials that go into making EVs vs. ICE, then that's a different argument, but one that still has EVs no worse off then ICE vehicles, and in same cases better than ICE, as even more battery recycling business are ramping up. But the good news is, that EV batteries are lasting far longer than expected.[/QUOTE]I will stipulate to this statement.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983007][b]2.[/b] Agreed! But in the long term, EVs will be seen as benefiting, the long term growth and stability of the all electricity grids, around the world. Just consider them as a fleet of mobile power sources![/QUOTE]This is not a fact this is an opinion. A EV being charged on a an electric grid with coal fired plant is very different from a EV being charged on a let's say a Solar Power grid. In the Dominican Republic I will look at the opportunity to build a charging station at my business location using solar panels. Direct charging during the day and via batteries at night.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983007]With many countries moving towards boosting their grids reliability with EVs batteries as a power source, assisting the grid, in peek and down times, with V2G, V2H and V2L, will only serve to make a more robust grid. Some of today's EVs currently have these capabilities.[/QUOTE]Has nothing to do with pollution now does it?

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983007]BTW, let's see if ICE vehicles can run your homes for several days in a brownout, blackout, or ice storm. [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Especially in the light of more and more greedy GWh gobbling Zuckerberg data centers and crypto/bitcoin mining farms show up, to place even more demands on the a failing grid..[/QUOTE]Has nothing to do with pollution now does it?

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983007]Not to mention the 150+ GWh of new BESS around the world helping the grid. BESS will be pivotal part of that clean energy grid solution. China, Australia and the U.S. (Cali, Texas) are major players and many making major coin ($$$$) from BESS arbitrage.[/QUOTE]Has nothing to do with pollution now does it?

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983007][b]3.[/b] I just finishing telling Sirioja, the very same thing. But quite honestly, you only need to look to China so see what coming![/QUOTE]The error in your logic is the the facts will determine market decisions. Only the individuals who are making the market decisions will determine what happens in the market.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983007]Again, like I told Sirioja, you can giddy-up, ride, drive or dirt race what ever vehicle your heart desires...until the wheels fall off. I don't really care! I prefer to debate the facts, the trends and future surrounding the these crucial industries and the impact they have on our eco-geo-socio political community.[/QUOTE]This makes no sense brother. Facts are not up for debate.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983007]I'm just here to providing some positive FACTS, data and automotive trends, to the other side of the "negative biases" towards EV, battery tech and clean energy and at the same time debunk and refute, things like Sirioja's nonsense on E85, EVs and battery rhetoric and disinformation.[/QUOTE]It is not a negative bias to say I prefer fucking the pussy of a girl over fucking the ass of a man. It is personal preference. Can we at least agree on that? A gay man will disagree with me. I am not going to try to argue that pussy is better than ass (of a man) when he is obviously making his fucking decisions based on personal preference.

[B]I remain convinced that EVs help the environment[/B] But so could a lot of other things also. Like Nuclear Power. Or we could walk everywhere. That would also help with the obesity epidemic in the United States of America. But if EV were so great then why did the market place incentives via tax credits to help them make inroads into the market. No one had to give me tax credit for me to my a iPhone or a ICE vehicle.

[B]ROTFLMAO![/B]

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983007] EVs have NO tail pipe emissions, emitting noxious gases...so you do the math!

Now, if you're talking about materials that go into making EVs vs. ICE, then that's a different argument, but one that still has EVs no worse off then ICE vehicles, and in same cases better than ICE, as even more battery recycling business are ramping up. But the good news is, that EV batteries are lasting far longer then expected. .[/QUOTE]Can you tell us batteries production and China and also USA don't make big pollution for our planet and since many years. Can you tell us batteries don't lose power quite fast, when cold weather. Do you really think Chinese, but even USA or European batteries will remain powerful for 10 years. EV are to go to buy bread, not for long distance and fast driving, reason why not quality cars for me and I would not even buy a Audi or Porsche EV, compare to my V8 E85 smelling flowers, when I can easily drive 1500 kms on a day and through mountains. But for sure, we don't all have same standard for quality and I don t rank high for quality, lying China I don t trust and I also don t want to give my money to shameful Chinese government not respecting human rights, but supporting Chinese production to invade our countries and making us lowering, same like their tok tok. China won t make our world improving, when they just copy, like their new plane, fortunately not allowed in EU, when already enough risks with Boeing now falling reliability.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr=2982360]Democrats better stop engaging in Dick Politics and find a candidate for the people. I like AOC! [/QUOTE]

[i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] C'mon man! As much as AOC may indeed by a very good candidate, you do realize, that's twice (2x) now, that Dems have come up empty, with what were also great women candidates, IMHO, and were ceremoniously rejected by Americans. Against the worst candidate in presidential U.S. History, in the Repub MAGA Orange Fuhrer.

So I think, Dems have learnt their lesson, at least for the next foreseeable future, when it comes to electing a women candidate.

But let's just say, shall we...that [b]if America TRULY wants a women President,[/b] in their future, personally I'm leaving it up to the Repubs, to move past their misogyny and their lip service on DEI and equality for women and elect one of their own.

So as far as I'm concerned, it maybe up to the Repubs, as the only other way you'll get your Madam President, maybe watching her on TV drams shows like, The Diplomat!

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2982360]Democrats better stop engaging in [B]Dick Politics[/B] and find a candidate for the people. I like AOC![/QUOTE]I'd hate to live in a country run by her. But I'd love to bang her. This is a video from when she was studying international relations and economics at Boston University:

[URL]https://www.pekintimes.com/embed/video/2481845002/[/URL]

The ditz actually confused a city in England, Milton Keynes, with the names of two of the best known economists of all time, Milton Friedman and John Maynard Keynes. And, again, she got a degree in economics!

[URL]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/obama/video-2106428/Video-AOC-mixes-names-economists-John-Keynes-Milton-Friedman.html[/URL]

I hope Axel reads this. He'll get a kick out of it if he doesn't already know it. He studied at the same university where the great man (Milton Friedman) taught.

Yes, Alexandria shares every progressive's pipe dream, a 15 hour work week! And she's so articulate, "These advancements have not been enjoyed..."

Sad. Our failed educational system has produced a half literate, possible future president of the United States. Yeah, maybe you could say the same thing about Trump, but, like Biden, at least he's got excuses, old age and dementia.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2983020]Well this takes the cake. Giving all the credit to Obama for a solid economy in 2017 to 2019 was kind of crazy. As was assigning all the blame to Trump for a suck ass economy during a worldwide pandemic. But now January, 2025 inflation was Trump's fault?

Prices as measured by the CPI rose 3% from a year ago. "A year ago" means 365 days ago. Trump was president for 11 days before January 31,2025. He wasn't even president at mid January. You're criticizing Biden, not Trump.

Trump's tariffs will indeed cause a step up in prices of some products. But they hadn't taken effect as of the end of January. If he manages to lower federal spending that will restrain inflation..[/QUOTE]I assume you at least scanned the link I provided. And perhaps heard about this thingy called Google where you can do a search on the topic and find dozens of other such reports.

Shipping prices have been increasing since at least late November. The SHIPPERS are explaining that the reason shipping costs have been increasing is because Trump has been blathering about his 25%, 100% or 200% Tariffs coming any minute now starting on Day One of his so-called presidency and SINCE the November election. Shipments of goods are done PRIOR to when they show up on store shelves. Often several weeks, even months prior.

The competition and demand for even earlier shipments in order to "get ahead of the game", Trump's Tariffs, is called front-loading and it generates greater demand for everything related to the shipping of goods. Greater demand for shipping containers and shipments of goods triggers higher shipping costs.

Those costs have been passed along to the American Consumer in the form of higher prices for the products.

None of this "waits" for Trump to officially impose the Tariffs. Oh, then for him to cave and change his mind about it. Oh, then for him to change his mind about changing his mind. Oh, then for him to impose a tariff but not as big of one as he stated yesterday. Oh, then for him to decide a bigger tariff would be better. Oh, then for him to go play golf and think about it some more.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983084][i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] C'mon man! As much as AOC may indeed by a very good candidate, you do realize, that's twice (2x) now, that Dems have come up empty, with what were also great women candidates, IMHO, and were ceremoniously rejected by Americans. Against the worst candidate in presidential U.S. History, in the Repub MAGA Orange Fuhrer.

So I think, Dems have learnt their lesson, at least for the next foreseeable future, when it comes to electing a women candidate.

But let's just say, shall we...that [b]if America TRULY wants a women President,[/b] in their future, personally I'm leaving it up to the Repubs, to move past their misogyny and their lip service on DEI and equality for women and elect one of their own.

So as far as I'm concerned, it maybe up to the Repubs, as the only other way you'll get your Madam President, maybe watching her on TV drams shows like, The Diplomat![/QUOTE]Are you kidding me?

Hillary Clinton only wanted to become president because her husband cheated on her.

And Kamala Harris only even entered politics because her sugar daddy was a politician.

Sure, Please let AOC be your next presidential candidate so can Rush Limbaugh finally become the president of USA.

It is way more likely that Trump will become the dictator of USA than to see AOC win the election in 2028.

But it would be nice to see AOC run for president with Ilhan Omar as her vice president and their slogan could be "Jihad for America" and "Sharia for everyone"

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2983064]Can you tell us batteries production and China and also USA don't make big pollution for our planet and since many years. Can you tell us batteries don't lose power quite fast, when cold weather. Do you really think Chinese, but even USA or European batteries will remain powerful for 10 years. EV are to go to buy bread, not for long distance and fast driving, reason why not quality cars for me and I would not even buy a Audi or Porsche EV, compare to my V8 E85 smelling flowers, when I can easily drive 1500 kms on a day and through mountains. But for sure, we don't all have same standard for quality and I don t rank high for quality, lying China I don t trust and I also don t want to give my money to shameful Chinese government not respecting human rights, but supporting Chinese production to invade our countries and making us lowering, same like their tok tok. China won t make our world improving, when they just copy, like their new plane, fortunately not allowed in EU, when already enough risks with Boeing now falling reliability.[/QUOTE]And also, EVs need electricity and many countries make big pollution to produce electricity, for example in Germany. When batteries will lose power and efficiency quite fast or when cold, EVs will need more and more electricity to produce. My France don t pollute with nuclear for electricity and I lower my own pollution, powering with E85 , enabling also to increase powerful. When Trump will increase USA pollution, when they are already among very worst. People should remember: when we die, we don't need anymore money.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2983097]I'd hate to live in a country run by her. But I'd love to bang her. This is a video from when she was studying international relations and economics at Boston University:

[URL]https://www.pekintimes.com/embed/video/2481845002/[/URL]

The ditz actually confused a city in England, Milton Keynes, with the names of two of the best known economists of all time, Milton Friedman and John Maynard Keynes. And, again, she got a degree in economics!

[URL]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/obama/video-2106428/Video-AOC-mixes-names-economists-John-Keynes-Milton-Friedman.html[/URL] [/QUOTE]Tiny12, thanks for the video. I love Sandy. Her underdog, primary election upset victory over the powerful, establishment Democratic Caucus Chair, Joe Crowley, was remarkable and earth shattering. The Democratic Party has not been the same since that election in 2017.

Personally, I think she should challenge Chucky Schumer in the 2028 New York Senate primary. He is a total hypocrite and a phony. I think she could beat him good, and he deserves a beating.

On her looks: yeah, I would shag her. KKK! I know she is of Puerto Rican descent, but I have shagged Brazilian girls that remind me of her in RJ and they were plenty amorous in bed. On that note, I have an idea for a movie script: a young NY bartendress runs for congress on a lark with no expectation of winning. But she wins and becomes the leader of a far-left caucus in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile the sitting Democrat President of the USA is suffering from Alzheimer's and he loses the next Presidential election to a young, powerful, charismatic, and good looking 42-year-old MAGA type Republican. Sandy and her caucus lead the charge against the new President. She then goes to the Oval office with her caucus to present their budgetary demands to the newly elected President.

But something happens while she is in the oval office accusing the President of racism and being a dictator ect, ect. Their eyes meet and KABOOM! She falls for him big time! I have to work out the details, but essentially, she gives into her feelings after trying hard to deny them to herself, and they get it on for the 1st time in the Lincoln bedroom and subsequently start secretly seeing each other like every week. There has to be plenty of hot nude scenes, and I want to see a lot of tit & nipples in my movie. None of that wokie Hollywood BS where the girl is wearing a bra while she fucks a topless man. Oh, the Wokes; they fuck up everything they touch. LOL.

Anyway, first her friends and then her political colleagues find out about the secret affair and then she is outed and disgraced publicly on MSNBC. Everybody in the party now hates her and calls her a "working girl", "cunnnt", and charge her guilty of treason. With no friends left in the Party, no friends left in real life, the young and powerful MAGA President first consoles her and then he calls her into the oval office during a press conference and together they announce their relationship and tell the world to fuck off. End of movie.

I think the idea is a winner in the Hollywood tradition of Frank Capra's masterpiece, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and it is definitely a much better concept than the latest Hollywood garbage like, Blake Lively's "It Ends with Us" or the musical? "Emilia Perez. " In the interest of full disclosure, I have not seen either movie, but I have seen studio promo clips of both films and I can almost guarantee you that I will never see either one.

To Blake darling, what the fuck happened to you? You were smokin' hot in "Savages" directed by, left but not woke, Oliver Stone. Why have you become such a bitchh? I guess it is another example of where gobs of money can't buy you happiness. But enough already with the cosmetic surgeries. Less is more baby.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2983148]And also, EVs need electricity and many countries make big pollution to produce electricity,[/QUOTE]Electricity grids pollute, period unless they are renewables.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2983148]for example in Germany. When batteries will lose power and efficiency quite fast or when cold, EVs will need more and more electricity to produce. [/QUOTE]This is your opinion. Put some up some facts with sources to back up your statement.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2983148]My France don t pollute with nuclear for electricity and I lower my own pollution, powering with E85.[/QUOTE]How does Nuclear Energy pollute? It is actually the best way way to provide the base 40% of input an electrical grid produces. Are you an engineer? Have you studied electric production as I have. I am a big fan of Solar Energy. But the sun does not shine at night.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2983148]When Trump will increase USA pollution[/QUOTE]POTUS is but one man. He cannot increase pollution on his own.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2983148] People should remember: when we die, we don't need anymore money.[/QUOTE]Agreed!

This must have been what President Musk and his Hitler Youth Hackers were aiming for:

[B]Fired Nuclear Bomb Specialists Recalled by Energy Department.
About 300-400 workers tied to nuclear programs were dismissed.
Agency seeks to bring back workers after chaotic terminations.
Feb. 15, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-14/dismissed-nuclear-bomb-specialists-recalled-by-energy-department[/URL]

[QUOTE]The agencys quick reversal was announced Friday in an all-staff meeting. [B]The NNSA is seeking to recall the workers because they deal with sensitive national security secrets[/b], according to the people, who werent authorized to talk about the matter, which is not public.

Those cuts are especially concerning because [b]the positions typically require high-level security clearances and training that can take 18 months or longer[/b], said Jill Hruby, who served as the NNSA administrator during the Biden administration.

[B]"These people are likely never going to come back and work for the government,[/b] Hruby said in a phone interview. Weve had a very active program requiring an increase to our staff so the indiscriminate layoffs of people will be really difficult for the coming years.
..........
[B]The agency also plays a role a key role in counter-terrorism, transporting nuclear weapons around the country and responding to nuclear incidents around the world. Recent focuses have included examining how AI can be used to make it potentially easer for people to make nuclear bombs[/b], Hruby said.

"These are areas where weve been concerned and staffed up to respond to that, Hruby said. These are working with high skill-levels that are willing to work around- the-clock if needed.

Among the deepest cuts was to the Energy Departments Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, where roughly 25% of its staff was eliminated, according to a breakdown of the cuts seen by Bloomberg News. That office received some $27 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, [b]as well as bipartisan infrastructure law[/b], to finance carbon capture, hydrogen and advanced nuclear projects. Among its priorities is managing an $8 billion plan to establish a network of hydrogen hubs throughout the US.

[B]"This program helps bring competitive manufacturing back to American shores, so weakening it is only going to help foreign competitors,[/b] said Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit group that advocated for the funding.
..........
In addition, about 15 people in the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains and about half a dozen from the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, [b]which guards against threats to the power grid and other energy infrastructure, were dismissed.[/b][/QUOTE]Ah, now that's more like it.

Finally, President Musk and his fellow America-hating Hackers have found the lynch-pin to yank out and plunge the USA into the kind of colossal economic and national security crisis and destruction the Repub Party is apparently contractually required to produce every time the American electorate is foolish and complacent enough from far superior Dem policy and stewardship results to lower their guard and allow Repubs to slither back into a position of power. Usually by screetching along with some monkey troop of idiotic Social Issues For Suckers, of course.

I can't wait to hear the MAGAs twisted pretzel "reasoning" for how whatever horrific outcome this leads to was just another wild and weird coincidence having nothing to do with what a Repub so-called president did but just as likely the result of, oh I don't know, whatever some junior staffer for a Dem Senator wrote in a legislation summary during the Obama-era years.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2983166]Tiny12, thanks for the video. I love Sandy. Her underdog, primary election upset victory over the powerful, establishment Democratic Caucus Chair, Joe Crowley, was remarkable and earth shattering. The Democratic Party has not been the same since that election in 2017.

Personally, I think she should challenge Chucky Schumer in the 2028 New York Senate primary. He is a total hypocrite and a phony. I think she could beat him good, and he deserves a beating.

On her looks: yeah, I would shag her. KKK! I know she is of Puerto Rican descent, but I have shagged Brazilian girls that remind me of her in RJ and they were plenty amorous in bed. On that note, I have an idea for a movie script: a young NY bartendress runs for congress on a lark with no expectation of winning. But she wins and becomes the leader of a far-left caucus in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile the sitting Democrat President of the USA is suffering from Alzheimer's and he loses the next Presidential election to a young, powerful, charismatic, and good looking 42-year-old MAGA type Republican. Sandy and her caucus lead the charge against the new President. She then goes to the Oval office with her caucus to present their budgetary demands to the newly elected President.

But something happens while she is in the oval office accusing the President of racism and being a dictator ect, ect. Their eyes meet and KABOOM! She falls for him big time! I have to work out the details, but essentially, she gives into her feelings after trying hard to deny them to herself, and they get it on for the 1st time in the Lincoln bedroom and subsequently start secretly seeing each other like every week. There has to be plenty of hot nude scenes, and I want to see a lot of tit & nipples in my movie. None of that wokie Hollywood BS where the girl is wearing a bra while she fucks a topless man. Oh, the Wokes; they fuck up everything they touch. LOL.

Anyway, first her friends and then her political colleagues find out about the secret affair and then she is outed and disgraced publicly on MSNBC. Everybody in the party now hates her and calls her a "working girl", "cunnnt", and charge her guilty of treason. With no friends left in the Party, no friends left in real life, the young and powerful MAGA President first consoles her and then he calls her into the oval office during a press conference and together they announce their relationship and tell the world to fuck off. End of movie.

I think the idea is a winner in the Hollywood tradition of Frank Capra's masterpiece, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and it is definitely a much better concept than the latest Hollywood garbage like, Blake Lively's "It Ends with Us" or the musical? "Emilia Perez. " In the interest of full disclosure, I have not seen either movie, but I have seen studio promo clips of both films and I can almost guarantee you that I will never see either one.

To Blake darling, what the fuck happened to you? You were smokin' hot in "Savages" directed by, left but not woke, Oliver Stone. Why have you become such a bitchh? I guess it is another example of where gobs of money can't buy you happiness. But enough already with the cosmetic surgeries. Less is more baby.[/QUOTE]Yes indeed Axel, Schumer is a two faced hypocrite. He's been protecting carried interest behind the scenes for years, all the time proclaiming how it's a giveaway to wealthy PE and hedge fund managers, a number of whom are his constituents. I agree. I would like her to serve as Senate minority leader, in a Congress controlled by Republicans.

Great idea for a movie! Honestly! It could be a big winner. If you get that off the ground let me know, I might like to partner up. My experience with left wing women who are slightly off is that they're great in bed. I used to troll Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade meetings for poontang back in my younger days.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2983140]I assume you at least scanned the link I provided. And perhaps heard about this thingy called Google where you can do a search on the topic and find dozens of other such reports.

Shipping prices have been increasing since at least late November. The SHIPPERS are explaining that the reason shipping costs have been increasing is because Trump has been blathering about his 25%, 100% or 200% Tariffs coming any minute now starting on Day One of his so-called presidency and SINCE the November election. Shipments of goods are done PRIOR to when they show up on store shelves. Often several weeks, even months prior.

The competition and demand for even earlier shipments in order to "get ahead of the game", Trump's Tariffs, is called front-loading and it generates greater demand for everything related to the shipping of goods. Greater demand for shipping containers and shipments of goods triggers higher shipping costs.

Those costs have been passed along to the American Consumer in the form of higher prices for the products.

None of this "waits" for Trump to officially impose the Tariffs. Oh, then for him to cave and change his mind about it. Oh, then for him to change his mind about changing his mind. Oh, then for him to impose a tariff but not as big of one as he stated yesterday. Oh, then for him to decide a bigger tariff would be better. Oh, then for him to go play golf and think about it some more.[/QUOTE]That's just not right Tooms. OK, instead of using my Bloomberg, I'll Google the indices, so you can see the data:

[URL]https://www.drewry.co.uk/supply-chain-advisors/supply-chain-expertise/world-container-index-assessed-by-drewry[/URL]

The World Container Index is at $3095 for 40 ft containers, down from $3440 on November 14.

[URL]https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/baltic[/URL]

The Baltic Dry Index is at 792, down from 1770 on November 15.

I have no problem conceptually with the idea that freight rates will increase somewhat as a result of inventory stocking because of expected tariffs. But how much difference will that make? The shipping cost, by sea, might represent 1% or 2% of the retail price of a product. And imported goods may be 10% or 15% of GDP. So the effect of higher shipping costs on CPI inflation would be negligible. And temporary, since once the tariffs are imposed there's no excess demand for shipping any longer.

But the reality is that higher shipping costs aren't behind the 3% CPI number, because they weren't really up. Yeah, there was a blip upwards in container rates in, say, the Shanghai to Los Angeles route in late December / early January. But the average rate post election has been less than the average rate during 2024, pre-election.

Yes, once the tariffs are imposed, there will be a step up in prices for the goods affected. Will it be a one time thing? Or will it feed through to wages, etc. and result in a significant increase in month-on-month or quarter-on-quarter inflation going forward? My guess as to the latter is no. But it's above my paygrade.

Now do I think the tariffs imposed by Trump so far in his second term are a good thing? Hell no. Take the tariffs on steel and aluminum. There are a lot of American manufacturers and exporters that won't be competitive now that they have to pay more for those. This will destroy American jobs, raise prices paid by consumers, and it won't raise much revenue. The only winners will be the American crony capitalists who make steel and aluminum here. This was a really bad idea. It hurts us more than it helps us.

And the new China tariff may just backfire bigtime. Now more production of clothes and toys will move from China to places like Vietnam. And in retaliation for the tariff, China is restricting export of rare earth metals and minerals that are essential for our tech companies and defense contractors. If Trump, or Biden, knew his head from a hole in the ground, he would have lined up alternate sources of rare earth products before declaring a trade war on China.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2983250]That's just not right Tooms. OK, instead of using my Bloomberg, I'll Google the indices, so you can see the data:

[URL]https://www.drewry.co.uk/supply-chain-advisors/supply-chain-expertise/world-container-index-assessed-by-drewry[/URL]

The World Container Index is at $3095 for 40 ft containers, down from $3440 on November 14.

[URL]https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/baltic[/URL]

The Baltic Dry Index is at 792, down from 1770 on November 15.

I have no problem conceptually with the idea that freight rates will increase somewhat as a result of inventory stocking because of expected tariffs. But how much difference will that make? The shipping cost, by sea, might represent 1% or 2% of the retail price of a product. And imported goods may be 10% or 15% of GDP. So the effect of higher shipping costs on CPI inflation would be negligible. And temporary, since once the tariffs are imposed there's no excess demand for shipping any longer.

But the reality is that higher shipping costs aren't behind the 3% CPI number, because they weren't really up. Yeah, there was a blip upwards in container rates in, say, the Shanghai to Los Angeles route in late December / early January. But the average rate post election has been less than the average rate during 2024, pre-election.

Yes, once the tariffs are imposed, there will be a step up in prices for the goods affected. Will it be a one time thing? Or will it feed through to wages, etc. and result in a significant increase in month-on-month or quarter-on-quarter inflation going forward? My guess as to the latter is no. But it's above my paygrade.

Now do I think the tariffs imposed by Trump so far in his second term are a good thing? Hell no. Take the tariffs on steel and aluminum. There are a lot of American manufacturers and exporters that won't be competitive now that they have to pay more for those. This will destroy American jobs, raise prices paid by consumers, and it won't raise much revenue. The only winners will be the American crony capitalists who make steel and aluminum here. This was a really bad idea. It hurts us more than it helps us.

And the new China tariff may just backfire bigtime. Now more production of clothes and toys will move from China to places like Vietnam. And in retaliation for the tariff, China is restricting export of rare earth metals and minerals that are essential for our tech companies and defense contractors. If Trump, or Biden, knew his head from a hole in the ground, he would have lined up alternate sources of rare earth products before declaring a trade war on China.[/QUOTE]Your charts show a distinct increase in shipping costs to New York and LOS Angeles vs "the World rate" and vs other destinations during the time frame in discussion.

Do you think there is no price gouging passed along from importers to retailers and to the American Consumer as long as some headline news gives them the least excuse to do it? If shipping costs rise 2% due to higher demand, do you honestly believe the American Consumer will only be charged an additional amount at the register commensurate with only the amount shipping costs added to the price?

Trump's blathering about his across-the-board "beauitiful" 25%, 100%, 200% Tariffs coming soon, sooner, any minute now has given everyone in the supply and delivery chain permission to jack up prices to be paid by the American Consumer.

Do you think Trump's Fed Chairman-appontee is lying about CPI increasing 3% over last year, higher than it was in December and higher than it was in November, a trend the reverse of what we had been seeing for months prior to that?

Then what do you account for that? Was it Biden's stuttering or Harris conceding that in keeping with her Oath to uphold the law she will have to allow the same transgender medical treatment in prisons that Trump's DOJ confirmed?

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2983250]That's just not right Tooms. OK, instead of using my Bloomberg, I'll Google the indices, so you can see the data:

[URL]https://www.drewry.co.uk/supply-chain-advisors/supply-chain-expertise/world-container-index-assessed-by-drewry[/URL]

The World Container Index is at $3095 for 40 ft containers, down from $3440 on November 14.

[URL]https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/baltic[/URL]

The Baltic Dry Index is at 792, down from 1770 on November 15.

I have no problem conceptually with the idea that freight rates will increase somewhat as a result of inventory stocking because of expected tariffs. But how much difference will that make? The shipping cost, by sea, might represent 1% or 2% of the retail price of a product. And imported goods may be 10% or 15% of GDP. So the effect of higher shipping costs on CPI inflation would be negligible. And temporary, since once the tariffs are imposed there's no excess demand for shipping any longer.

But the reality is that higher shipping costs aren't behind the 3% CPI number, because they weren't really up. Yeah, there was a blip upwards in container rates in, say, the Shanghai to Los Angeles route in late December / early January. But the average rate post election has been less than the average rate during 2024, pre-election.

Yes, once the tariffs are imposed, there will be a step up in prices for the goods affected. Will it be a one time thing? Or will it feed through to wages, etc. and result in a significant increase in month-on-month or quarter-on-quarter inflation going forward? My guess as to the latter is no. But it's above my paygrade.

Now do I think the tariffs imposed by Trump so far in his second term are a good thing? Hell no. Take the tariffs on steel and aluminum. There are a lot of American manufacturers and exporters that won't be competitive now that they have to pay more for those. This will destroy American jobs, raise prices paid by consumers, and it won't raise much revenue. The only winners will be the American crony capitalists who make steel and aluminum here. This was a really bad idea. It hurts us more than it helps us.

And the new China tariff may just backfire bigtime. Now more production of clothes and toys will move from China to places like Vietnam. And in retaliation for the tariff, China is restricting export of rare earth metals and minerals that are essential for our tech companies and defense contractors. If Trump, or Biden, knew his head from a hole in the ground, he would have lined up alternate sources of rare earth products before declaring a trade war on China.[/QUOTE]Increased freight rates is only part of the issue. Yes, freight rates fluctuate throughout the year. Freight rates have been higher earlier in the year than they are now. Importers time their freight requirements and costs throughout the year accordingly.

But not while Trump's pie-hole is within hilarious "menacing" monotone voice distance of a microphone.

The bigger problem is that Trump's blather has caused importers and retailers to front-load shipments in order to build inventory before the actual cost increases occur and supplies are spotty during times when freight costs are higher, thereby adding unplanned costs to their ongoing inventory.

That is how Target screwed up last year. They wrongly predicted the longshoreman's strike would go unsettled for months. So they front-loaded shipments during a time of the year when shipping costs were higher, thinking they would get a jump on their competitors on inventory during the Christmas season.

Instead, brilliant negotiator for the good of the American Consumer, Joe Biden, settled that strike within days.

So there was Target, sitting on front-loaded inventory their competitors could ship in their own sweet, lower freight costs time, after having paid MORE for all of it to be shipped than their competitors, effecting profits and triggering a significant sell-off of their stock.

[B]Targets recent trade imports data tells the real story behind massive earnings miss.
Nov. 21, 2024[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/21/target-big-earnings-miss-consumer-demand-decline.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]Target executives cited the recent U.S. ports strike and need to bring goods ahead of it as a factor in its big earnings miss on Wednesday, due to elevated freight costs and overly stocked stores.

Trade data reviewed by CNBC shows Target imported a level of goods this year across key months in advance of the strike that was similar to 2023′s peak shipping season, essentially flat to down in the overall number of cargo containers.[/QUOTE]Trump's constant blather about 25%-200% Tariffs coming soon since the November election, in and out, in again, out again, blithering incoherently on when and by how much importers will have to pay before passing those costs along to the American Consumer has forced them to repeat Target management's mistake in front-loading shipments of inventory during periods of higher freight costs rather than timing them more intelligently for the benefit of keeping their retail costs lower for the American Consumer.

Trump is a proven Enemy of the American Consumer. Just look what he did to them in his previous term by laying the groundwork for and ushering in Trump's Pandemic with all the Global Economic Disaster, Hyper-Inflation and Skyrocketing Prices for everything that naturally followed.

These next 4 year are going to be so much more horrific than anyone could have ever imagined:

[B]Trump administration wants to un-fire some nuclear safety workers but cant figure out how to reach them.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/15/trump-administration-wants-to-un-fire-some-nuclear-safety-workers-but-cant-figure-out-how-to-reach-them.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]WASHINGTON National Nuclear Security Administration officials on Friday attempted to notify some employees who had been let go the day before that they are now due to be reinstated but they struggled to find them because they didnt have their new contact information.

In an email sent to employees at NNSA and obtained by NBC News, officials wrote, The termination letters for some NNSA probationary employees are being rescinded, but we do not have a good way to get in touch with those personnel.[/QUOTE]But at least they cut $20 Million, about 2 1/2 days of tax-payer subsidies for President Musk's failing EV company, by dumping the Sesame Street programming in Iraq so al-Qaeda and ISIS can replace it with their version of Sesame Street in Iraq.

So smart.

Now, I want you to remember all the screaming at Biden and his Communications Director from the White House Press Corp over every silly, insignificant detail of why his historic recovery from Trump's first term Colossal Across-the-Board Disaster was not perfect in every way for everyone all the time down to the exact dime.

And contrast that to whatever oh-so-polite and soft-spoken questioning, IF ANY, by that same Press Corp about this spectacular, potentially existential life on Earth-threatening unforced error screwup. LOL.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2983042][b]If a fact can be debated then it is not a fact [/b] [/QUOTE]

A bit of a nit-pick with my turn of phrase, [i]"debate the facts", [/i] as I'm sure you know what the phrase is meant to convey. But just to be clear, for those who don't, let me provide some context, if still in doubt.

Sure, the facts/data themselves, when rigorously verified, are not debatable. That said, there will always be debates surrounding the interpretation, context, implications, or the quality of evidence of said facts/data. Since the facts/data, can often be meaningless on their own, they require proper context and/or analysis, to inject meaning.

[i][b]Ergo...a debate, surrounding said facts/data, to provide the context.[/b][/i]

To be clear, my cheeky "tongue-n-cheek" phase [i]"just the FACTS ma'am",[/i] was directed at the Sirioja's of the world, who constantly inundate us, with no facts/data and nothing but their "opinions", thinking they are having a debate.

So while a debate shouldn't be all about [i]"just the FACTS ma'am",[/i] perhaps it shouldn't be all [i]"opinions"[/i] either. If we are indeed, going to have an actual debate.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2983042]I stand by my original statement.
I will stipulate to this statement.

This is not a fact this is an opinion. A EV being charged on a an electric grid with coal fired plant is very different from a EV being charged on a let's say a Solar Power grid. In the Dominican Republic I will look at the opportunity to build a charging station at my business location using solar panels. Direct charging during the day and via batteries at night. [/QUOTE]
As do I stand by my statements.

It is a fact, not just an opinion that EVs and their batteries, will help stabilize or at the very least take some of the load off of the grid. In fact, it's already happening, with vehicles like the Ford F150 Lightning EV truck, that has V2H and V2L compatibilities (and soon to be V2G), homeowners can use their EVs to supply their electricity to their homes/business.

Pretty sure, I saw some YouTuber, buy an old used 2014 (??) Nissan Leaf EV (with about a 40 KW battery), on the cheap for under $7K vs. buying like 3 or 4 Tesla Powerwalls, for $30-$40K, to use as their battery storage system. Nissan Leafs were some of the only EVs with V2G, back then.

Point being, if you take a look at Australia for example, with the largest rooftop solar (4 million) powering their homes and EVs, there is a push to make V2G grid connectivity more seamless and inexpensive. Especially if it turns millions of EVs (with V2G capabilities) into versatile plug-n-play mobile "Powerwalls", whenever homeowners want to use the power from their EVs.

I can't confirm this, but (I'm pretty sure) Tesla vehicles already have V2G capabilities, and wouldn't need any additional modifications, to use it. Meaning, this was something that Tesla engineers, were already planning as something EV owners, would want as a future capability.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2983042]Has nothing to do with pollution now does it?
Has nothing to do with pollution now does it?
Has nothing to do with pollution now does it?

The error in your logic is the the facts will determine market decisions. Only the individuals who are making the market decisions will determine what happens in the market.

This makes no sense brother. Facts are not up for debate.[/QUOTE]

[i]What evidence you have, that EVs/BESS's DO NOT reduce pollution?[/i]

Both [i][b]BESS and EVs sure do help reduce pollution[/b][/i] and it's not just my opinion!

The reasoning, benefits, studies and facts/data reports are as follows:

Once again, as I've previously stated, the addition of BESS installations helping wind and solar, become more dependable, flexible and responsive power w/r to smoothing out grid fluctuations, in periods of dunkelflaute, they provide a cleaner, faster and cost more efficient solution, over coal/gas pico power plants/stations.

Thereby, reducing pollution by replacing fossil fuel burning pico power plants. BESS also supports peak shaving and load shifting, helping to minimize the need for the much larger fossil coal/gas fuel plants, avoid ramp up and down, during high-low demand periods.

A study in Brazil showed a 250 kW/560 kWh BESS reduced CO2 emissions by 78% compared to diesel generators, with similar benefits applicable to coal/gas plants. [URL]https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/23/16136[/URL]. Again, this was just a small BESS installation, but none the less, huge impact on reducing emissions/pollution.

W/R to EVs reducing pollution, just look at the huge reduction air pollution in large Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, partly due to the large adoption and popularization of EVs, as one of the weapons, China is using in it's war on air pollution and reduction of emissions. Which BTW is down 42% over the past ten years, even with China burning higher amounts of coal (YoY).

And why do you think BESS are the fastest growing segment in the energy market? The trend is, that by 2030, global BESS capacity is projected to grow sixfold, displacing 1,200 GW of fossil fuel generation and accelerating decarbonization. [url]https://www.saurenergy.com/solar-energy-blog/5-reasons-why-bess-will-be-a-focal-point-of-energy-business-in-2025[/url]

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2983042] It is not a negative bias to say I prefer fucking the pussy of a girl over fucking the ass of a man. It is personal preference. Can we at least agree on that? A gay man will disagree with me. I am not going to try to argue that pussy is better than ass (of a man) when he is obviously making his fucking decisions based on personal preference. [/QUOTE]
Again, as I've said before, I don't care if you prefer to buy, drive or fuck (to somewhat piggyback on your analogy), an EV or an ICE vehicle. If I see dis/misinformation being spread, like the E85 zero emissions nonsense or battery falsehoods, I will try to provide proper facts, to counter any unfounded arguments.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2983042][B]I remain convinced that EVs help the environment[/B] But so could a lot of other things also. Like Nuclear Power. ...[/QUOTE]
Curious...under what circumstances are you advocating for nuclear?

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983376]Curious...under what circumstances are you advocating for nuclear?[/QUOTE]Below is a post I wrote to provide information on power generation in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic gets over 300 days of sun a year and has abundant access to wind and wave power. But all electrical grids need a 40% base input into the electrical grid for it to keep running. The problem with most renewables is that they produce power intermittently. One of the biggest problems with living in the Dominican Republic for me is lace of infrastructure. They cannot keep the lights on. In my opinion, keeping the lights on is so important that NO country should be reliant on others in order to generate power. See what happened to Europe when Russia went to war. I remember what happened during the Arab Oil Embargo. I would have gone nuclear a government policy right after that. But I'll never sit in the big chair. Currently in the United States of America the problem is not generation of electricity it is that the grid is unreliable. [B]My business in the Dominican Republic is run on solar power with a battery back up and a generator fail safe[/B].

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2956503]Once again individuals are challenging my bonafides when it comes to to my knowledge of the Dominican Republic. The knowledge I have about the Dominican Republic far exceeds the knowledge of my critics who are challenging me.

Judge: Is the defense ready? Subcmdr: The defense is ready your honor!

[B]Does the electricity flow in the Dominican Republic now 024/007/365 now[/B]?

During my time in the Colombia I have NEVER experienced a power outage. During my time in Thailand I have only experienced one power outage that was unscheduled during a major storm in my area.

The only reason I do not experience power outages in the Dominican Republic now is that I live completely off grid and I am completely self sufficient when it comes generating electrical power. Last time I stayed in Sosua I experienced several power outages.

Individuals who live there or have visited more recently than I have are welcome to inform me if there has been positive and welcome upgrades to the grid in Northern Coast of the Dominican Republic. Expat friends who live there inform me that electrical generation is still inconsistent and they spend at least 2,000 USD for inverters and batteries (Trojan Red) for standby power.

[U]Nuclear Reactors[/U]

[I]Costs for SMRs vary, but estimates suggest that depending on the size, smaller reactors can cost between $50M for microreactors to $3B for larger units. Microreactor outputs can range between 1-20MW and SMRs can range between 60-300MW.[/I]

1 Trillion USD will buy 333 SMRs. This would far exceed the 40% base load needed for the grid in the Dominican Republic. Place electricity consumption in the Dominican Republic at 20 Billion watts a year. Forty percent of that: 4 Billion watts. So, you would need 15 of the larger SMRs at 3 billion USD each or 45 billion USD. Trillions of dollars needed for my plan. Somebody needs to do the math. I learned how to do the calculations listed above in elementary school. The could put my plan into place for a few billion USD. In order to keep the lights on and increase productive across and entire nation. Yeah, I think that would be priceless.

[U]Wave Power[/U]

[I]Wave power is the capture of energy of wind waves to do useful work for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or pumping water. A machine that exploits wave power is a wave energy converter[/I]

[U]Wind Power[/U]

Here is a wind map published by the World Bitches (World Bank) showing the potential for wind power in the Caribbean.

[URL]https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/261081586847581050/pdf/Technical-Potential-for-Offshore-Wind-in-Caribbean-Islands-Map.pdf[/URL]

They would not have to be placed on the beaches. They need to be placed where the wind blows. [B]What a concept[/B]?

The generation of power using renewable sources is a hobby of mine. Ever since I was young kid and saw how Sats are launched into space and power by solar panels. Actually, the Dominican Republic allowed me live out a dream of living off grid and being self sufficient in that regard.

[I]The Dominican Republic is vigorously advancing its renewable energy sector with an ambitious target to meet 25% of its energy needs with renewables by 2025. This commitment is underscored by substantial investments and initiatives across various forms of renewable energy, including solar, wind, and hydropower.[/I]

[URL]https://www.gcc.re/news/the-dominican-republics-journey-toward-a-sustainable-energy-future[/URL]

[B]The Defense Rests[/B]!

[I]Norway is a different country. Nature has been generous with us. Our ability to exploit natural resources has put us in a unique position with a very high standard of living, a technology industry which ranks as a global leader, and a sovereign wealth fund of more than NOK 10 000 billion. That benefits the whole of Norwegian society[/I]

Could the Dominican Republic do this when it comes to energy? We already know that Tourism is a Renewable Resource when it comes to generating revenue. But does the general population benefit from the gringo largess focused only in the tourist areas?[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983376]Curious...under what circumstances are you advocating for nuclear?[/QUOTE]Two articles below. I think it is a good start. I don't live in the United States of America. So I don't think I am in the position to debate the issues. But hard choices are going to have to be made in the future. The best to ways to provide a base input to the grid with the current technology available are Nuclear and Gas. Hydrogen sounds good until you look at the energy necessary to produce [I]Green Hydrogen[/I]. Not trying to go energy nerd on you, but Nuclear and Solar has been my interests ever since I learned that we could put a nuclear plant on a ship and could get sent to the bottom of the ocean. Still trying to figure out why we don't worry about the environmental impacts of that. My interests in solar occurred as a kid when I learned that how they power space vehicle electrical systems.

The United States of America is losing it's influence in the world. There is a lot of land mass available. As a society we need to be thinking about how to become self sufficient energy wise, now and into the future.

[URL]https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/three-mile-island-nuclear-plant-gears-up-big-tech-reboot-2024-10-22/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/09/26/1104516/three-mile-island-microsoft/[/URL]

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2983307]These next 4 year are going to be so much more horrific than anyone could have ever imagined:

[B]Trump administration wants to un-fire some nuclear safety workers but cant figure out how to reach them.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/15/trump-administration-wants-to-un-fire-some-nuclear-safety-workers-but-cant-figure-out-how-to-reach-them.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

But at least they cut $20 Million, about 2 1/2 days of tax-payer subsidies for President Musk's failing EV company, by dumping the Sesame Street programming in Iraq so al-Qaeda and ISIS can replace it with their version of Sesame Street in Iraq.

So smart.

Now, I want you to remember all the screaming at Biden and his Communications Director from the White House Press Corp over every silly, insignificant detail of why his historic recovery from Trump's first term Colossal Across-the-Board Disaster was not perfect in every way for everyone all the time down to the exact dime.

And contrast that to whatever oh-so-polite and soft-spoken questioning, IF ANY, by that same Press Corp about this spectacular, potentially existential life on Earth-threatening unforced error screwup. LOL.[/QUOTE]Come on, man, don't be naïve. This is a feature, not a bug. When this intentionally created chaos comes down on MAGA crowd and bury them under the dust, Trumpomusk will issue a new narrative that will explain who exactly is guilty in that disaster.

As long as it's going to be the same people MAGA loves to hate, everything will be nice and dandy.

So shameful USA new government: when USA never protected Ukraine, they now try to robb poor Ukrainians who are in misery. I really wish Ukraine and EU will refuse such robbery. Trump really has to BJ Putin to swallowing. Shame, shame, shame.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2982919]I cannot believe you guys are still arguing about that.[/QUOTE]
Me neither! But it's hard to have a reasonable debate and come to any kind of resolution, when the other side provides nothing but "opinions."

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2982919]IYeah, well given that most popular make of electric cars in China now have their own ICE, I am not sure how much that matters. PHEVs are actually more likely to break down than EVs or ICEs.

[URL]https://autovista24.autovistagroup.com/news/what-were-the-most-popular-evs-in-china-in-june/[/URL][/QUOTE]
You should give your article another read. I think you may have misread your article, since [i][b]BYD stopped producing pure ICE vehicles, since March, 2022. [/b][/i]

In the article, the line [i]"...the first of four offerings from the carmaker in the overall top 10 which includes internal-combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.",[/i] is somewhat misleading to readers, since no "overall" chart of the top 10 vehicles, was provided. Just charts of the top 10-20 EVs.

BTW, what evidence or facts, do you have to backup your claims about PHEV less reliable than ICE, or should I just write it off as the same old gish gallop, MAGA disinformation?

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2982919]Yeah, you are refusing to look at reality there. [URL]https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-rise-in-global-coal-consumption/[/URL].

Despite efforts to decarbonize the economy, global coal consumption surpassed 164 exajoules for the first time in 2023. [/QUOTE]
The FACTS are the FACTS. The study examines (not 30, as I had previous wrote, but) [b]300 million vehicles[/b], spanning 17 years, [url]https://www.motor1.com/news/748745/evs-longetivity-uk-study/[/url] and concludes EVs are on par with ICE, if not better in some cases, w/r to LONGEVITY. Now that's impressive!

But while the headlines in your article are scary, you MAGA naysayers and doomsayers, should take solace and [u]think[/u] for a moment, at just how much worse it would be if solar, wind, EVs, BESS weren't around to chip in and do some of the heavy lifting.

I say this half-jokingly, but notice your article does seem to reflect my sentiments and states, [i]" The fossil fuel still accounts for 26% of the worlds total energy consumption.".[/i] Meaning, that renewables and other clean energy sources are picking up the slack when it comes to the increase in demand. And that's a very good thing!

Yes, China leads the way and is the biggest consumer of coal at 56%, but some reports have China at peak coal in 2024. [URL]https://table.media/en/china/sinolytics-radar/why-china-may-now-have-really-reached-its-coal-consumption-peak/[/URL] Not sure I believe the experts, but we'll see.

However, one reason why they may be correct, is the fact that, when you look at China's energy mix, it seems from the 86% cut in coal permits, to the 11.8 terawatts (TW) of solar, wind and BESS, they may indeed be steaming the tide on coal, [URL]https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/china-has-cut-new-coal-power-plant-permits-by-nearly-80-greenpeace-says-2024-08-21/[/url] and entering a turning-point.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2982919]The hypocrisy of Democratic douches knows no bounds on carbon. Forest fires have destroyed the carbon savings in California, and Biden's idiotic attack on Nordstream was not exactly carbon friendly either. What has worked is changing from coal to natural gas. [/QUOTE]
[i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] Next, you and your American Fuhrer, will be telling us, the recent floods and power outages in Kentucky, is the fault of President Joe Biden and the Dems.

Sure, much of the U.S. transition from coal to gas generation of electricity, has been good thing. And naturally, it only behooves the U.S. to use what they have in abundance, as China does with coal.

However, the U.S. under the American Fuhrer, are doing the country a disfavor, by not transitioning, the electricity grid to the next level.

Instead of battle cries of "drill baby drill", the U.S. should be ramping up, not abandoning things like solar, wind, BESS, nuclear (w/caveat) and HVDC lines to upgrade the gird, along side gas and coal, as demand requires. Giving the U.S., a steady growth path to a cleaner grid and meeting increasing demands, while slowly weaning off on coal and gas, and decreasing the dependency on fossil fuels.

BTW, this is exactly what China (and Biden's IRA/Chips and AI) is doing, with a good deal of success! But if the U.S. keeps under estimating China, in true "DeepSeek" fashion, with backwards thinking, it'll be curtains.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2982919]And getting overall electrical use down is a pipe dream. [/QUOTE]
Where or who was it exactly, that said we need to bring down demand for electricity? Could you have taken this out of context?

But you MAGA yahoos need to stop putting all the gird woes and blame on EVs. Especially when you have Google, Microsoft [url]https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/google-and-microsoft-consume-more-power-than-some-countries[/url] and bitcoin mining farms [url]https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/03/climate/bitcoin-carbon-footprint-electricity.html[/url], consuming more power than some small countries.

Gullible MAGA, needs to pay more attention to what your robber barons are doing and less on the avg. working Joe.

When You love cars, You don t buy EV and never a chinese one. No mechanics in EV, just small busses to move, so boring, 0 interest and not 0 pollution. USA and China will still be biggest to pollute.

Almost two weeks ago, the Office of Personnel Management assigned CDC leadership to look through a list of employees who were in probationary or term-limited positions — including new directors, fellows and highly skilled noncitizen scientists — and designate each as "must be retained," "mission critical" or "not mission critical. " According to the two CDC officials, the lists did not appear to have been used in the ultimate firing decisions.

Representatives for the White House, the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Of course, we already know what could and did go wrong:

[B]Trump begins firings of FAA air traffic control staff just weeks after fatal DC plane crash.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/17/trump-begins-firings-of-faa-air-traffic-control-staff-just-weeks-after-fatal-dc-plane-crash.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Probationary workers were targeted in late night emails Friday notifying them they had been fired, David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement.

[B]The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, one air traffic controller told the Associated Press.[/b] The air traffic controller was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
..........
The employees were[b] fired without cause nor based on performance or conduct[/b], Spero said, and the emails were from an exec order Microsoft email address - not a government email address.

[B]The firings hit the FAA when it faces a shortfall in controllers. Federal officials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for years[/b], especially after a series of close calls between planes at U.S. airports. Among the reasons they have cited for staffing shortages are uncompetitive pay, long shifts, intensive training and mandatory retirements.

[B]In the Jan. 29 fatal crash between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines passenger jet, which is still under investigation, one controller was handing both commercial airline and helicopter traffic at the busy airport.

Just days before the collision, President Donald Trump had already fired all the members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a panel mandated by Congress after the 1988 PanAm 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. The committee is charged with examining safety issues at airlines and airports.[/b]
(See link for more)[/QUOTE]Musk-o-Trump ought to just save time and nuke every State Capitol in the USA for Xi, Putin and Kim. Or ask one of their Winger Loons who by now probably have all the necessary info to make and detonate a home-made nuclear bomb, thanks to their now historic blithering "saving Americans billions" blunders, to do it for them.

So many mentally deranged unfounded MAGA sucker social issues grievances, so little time.

"Sunday's episode of the disgraced 60 Minutes from far-left CBS News worked overtime to mislead its gullible viewers about the recent layoffs at USAID, a left-wing slush fund paid for with about $40 billion taxpayer dollars each year.

Despite the USA Senate's previous good-faith attempts to discover where all that money went, the USAID bureaucrats stalled and stalled. No one could find out how those billions were being spent, which was the whole point. What we had was an unaccountable federal agency spending billions with no oversight or accountability.

Enter Elon Musk and his DOGE boys. More importantly, enter their technical expertise allowing them to work around the dissembling bureaucrats and run a computer program that told them exactly where the money was going and where the money went should infuriate anyone with a conscience. Waste, fraud, and abuse don't begin to explain it.

So President Trump closed the corrupt agency, laid off thousands of unnecessary bureaucrats, and moved whatever was worth saving (including 600 or so employees) into the State Department. This move ensures 1) the small percentage of USAID money that makes sense keeps flowing, 2) someone is watching spending in the future, and 3) the spending aligns with the priorities of the elected United States PresidentRepublican or Democrat.

To sane and honest people this all makes sense. To the corrupt pigs with their noses in the taxpayer trough, people who probably cannot survive in the free market and count on federal corruption to keep them fat and warm, this is the apocalypse.

And naturally, any attempt to reduce any amount of federal spending is met with shrieks of horror from the regime media. To the surprise of no one, the shrieks of horror from Sunday night's 60 Minutes were acts of blatant misinformation.

The entire angle of the 60 Minutes clip below is a laughable attempt to turn public opinion against Trump and DOGE because those poor bureaucrats at USAID lost their oh-so-vital jobs. ".

[URL]https://x.com/60Minutes/status/1891278117915767216[/URL]

"Poor Kristina Drye and poor Adam Dubard are not USAID employees.

Granted, 60 Minutes doesn't identify them as USAID employees, but there is no question the interview is rigged to make it sound as if they were. And nowhere in that clip or in the CBS News write-up are we told who they really are.

Drye was a USAID contractor who wrote speeches for Samantha Power, who was appointed to run USAID by the Biden administration.

Oh, and here is video from last week of Drye admitting that when DOGE entered the agency, she removed books that she "felt would be incriminating. ".

[URL]https://x.com/BonillaJL/status/1886632977607598104[/URL]

"Same with Adam Dubard. He was a contractor, not a USAID employee. They both worked for a company that did partisan work funded by USAID, which was funded by taxpayers.

Maybe they can now add "crisis actors" to their resumes.

In other words, Drye and Dubard are not vital career bureaucrats who professionally oversaw how our money was spent to further American interests abroad. These are rabid left-wing partisans, and one is so filled with entitlement that she was comfortable admitting on video that she hid "incriminating" material during a legal financial audit.

For just a moment, let's pretend Drye and Dubard are who it is implied they are. So what? I've been laid off and fired more times than I can count. In the real world, what happened to USAID happens all the time. Never once have I received severance. That's how it goes. One day you have a job. Next day you don't. Why should so-called civil servants be immune from the real world? Boo hoo. Cry more. Think you're special? You're not. Like most Normal people I'm working today while government employees living off my tax dollars get the day off for Presidents' Day. And that's bullshit.

Between this and Face the Nation shrew Margaret Brennan blaming the Holocaust on all that free speech Germans enjoyed under Hitler, CBS had one helluva Sunday. ". -J. And.

And let's not forget it was CBS 60 minutes that edited / altered their Kamel Face interview because their preferred presidential candidate answered a simple question on American Israeli relegations with a gobbledegook word salad.

This is why nobody watches CBS News and one of the reasons Trump won. The folks are fed up with WOKE BS! Keep it up Kool-Aid drinkers. We love you. Hahaha.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2983564]When You love cars,[/QUOTE]Most people to do not love things. They love other people.

France cannot protect itself. That is why it is part of NATO. Audi is not produced buy the French. I do not know of a single French car manufacturer that would be consider quality. It that why you purchased an automobile designed and manufactured by a German Automotive Company?

Because the USA and China are becoming so powerful you only have to learn to speak Chinese in order to survive and thrive in France.

But Musk-o-Trump is saving billions mostly paid by Blue States and transferred to deadbeat Red States by firing American Working Men and Women who are now applying for billions in Unemployment Benefits.

Therefore, "Best Month in Four Years"! Right, MAGAs?

[B]Delta plane crashes on landing at Toronto airport, injuring at least 15.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/17/delta-flight-incident-toronto-airport.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE]The accident comes weeks after a fatal midair collision in January at Washington D.C.s Reagan International Airport, which killed all 64 people on an American Airlines regional jet and another three people on board an Army Black Hawk helicopter.

Separately, the FAA was recently hit by layoffs spearheaded by President Donald Trump and Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency, with several hundred air traffic controllers receiving firing notices over the weekend.[/QUOTE]The friggin' plane came in upside down and burning.

Like Trump's America.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983560]Me neither! But it's hard to have a reasonable debate and come to any kind of resolution, when the other side provides nothing but "opinions."


You should give your article another read. I think you may have misread your article, since BYD stopped producing pure ICE vehicles, since March, 2022.

In the article, the line the first of four offerings from the carmaker in the overall top 10 which includes internal-combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.is somewhat misleading to readers, since no "overall" chart of the top 10 vehicles, was provided. Just charts of the top 10-20 EVs.

BTW, what evidence or facts, do you have to backup your claims about PHEV less reliable than ICE, or should I just write it off as the same old gish gallop, MAGA disinformation?.[/QUOTE]Actually, you need to get what BYD is producing. [URL]https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/what-plug-hybrid-car-what-does-phev-mean[/URL].

A plug-in hybrid is a type of car that can run using a combustion engine like a normal car, or using an electric motor and battery like an electric car. Yep, it's two cars in one.

It's called a plug-in hybrid because you have to plug in a cable to charge the battery: this is what gives you a certain amount of zero-emissions range, for which you can drive around without using the engine and with nothing coming out of the tailpipe. Polar bears, rejoice!

Once the battery runs out, the engine seamlessly kicks in and you're back to driving a normal car again. So for short distances you've got all the benefits of driving an electric car without the drawback of having to worry about charging when you travel further afield.

So you do not get what PHEVs are.

[URL]https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a60731731/plug-in-hybrid-explainer/[/URL]

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the complexity of two commingling propulsion sources, more can go wrong, so PHEVs fare worse than their hybrid brethren in reliability metrics.

And back to my original link.

A total of 875,904 EVs, consisting of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), took to China's roads in June. This equated to a growth of 23% year on year. Plug-ins took a best-ever market share of 49.9% in the month, with BEVs alone accounting for 28% of new-car deliveries.

With PHEVs though, if people are using the battery mostly, there would be emissions saving, and I suspect most are.

And once again, you have to bring in the dickish MAGA gish gallop shit when honestly you do not know what the fuck you are talking about! It is every fucking post, Spidy. This is why I call you a Democratic douche. You are so fucking arrogant you think being a dumbshit Democratic douche means you are more intelligent.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983560]
But while the headlines in your article are scary, you MAGA naysayers and doomsayers, should take solace and think for a moment, at just how much worse it would be if solar, wind, EVs, BESS weren't around to chip in and do some of the heavy lifting.[/QUOTE]LOL. Most alternative energy is wind, and the red states produce way more alternative en [URL]https://www.fool.com/research/renewable-energy-by-state/ergy[/URL] than blue states.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983560]Yes, China leads the way and is the biggest consumer of coal at 56%, but some reports have China at peak coal in 2024. Not sure I believe the experts, but we'll see.[/QUOTE]Only way that happens is if they keep building NG pipelines.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983560]Instead of battle cries of "drill baby drill", the U.S. should be ramping up, not abandoning things like solar, wind, BESS, nuclear (w/caveat) and HVDC lines to upgrade the gird, along side gas and coal, as demand requires. Giving the U.S., a steady growth path to a cleaner grid and meeting increasing demands, while slowly weaning off on coal and gas, and decreasing the dependency on fossil fuels.[/QUOTE]When you look at trade deficits, increasing energy output is one way to compete. Our energy costs are much lower than other nations. The USA can be a net oil and gas and potentially energy exporter if energy companies are not messed with.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983560]BTW, this is exactly what China (and Biden's IRA/Chips and AI) is doing, with a good deal of success! But if the U.S. keeps under estimating China, in true "DeepSeek" fashion, with backwards thinking, it'll be curtains.[/QUOTE]Uh, Biden was president when the Chinese were making Deepseek, and Biden's goal of a private-public consortium of controlling AI blew up. If the USA allowed all companies to compete, the AI outcome would have been different. I am hoping it still will be. I am not sure what Musk is doing making a bid on open AI, but I trust him. I know you do not, but I do.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983560]But you MAGA yahoos need to stop putting all the gird woes and blame on EVs.[/QUOTE]The grid cannot handle all those EVs now. In China, EVs are cheaper to run.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983560]Gullible MAGA, needs to pay more attention to what your robber barons are doing and less on the avg. working Joe.[/QUOTE]LOL. This from the Democratic party pimping for Pfizer and the Covid vaccine? Unbelievable. The blue collar types have abandoned the Dems in droves.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2983724]Actually, you need to get what BYD is producing. [URL]https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/what-plug-hybrid-car-what-does-phev-mean[/URL].

A plug-in hybrid is a type of car that can run using a combustion engine...

So you do not get what PHEVs are.

[URL]https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a60731731/plug-in-hybrid-explainer/[/URL] [/QUOTE]

Thanks for the update on PHEVs! I can only imagine that was a nice refresher for you, but I'm well aware of what a PHEV is! And I don't need YOU or Car and Driver, to tell me the difference between a BEV, PHEV, HEV, or FCEV. But thanks anyways!

However, I do have a question for you! Do you even know, what is meant, when the term [b]EV[/b] is used?

[b]Clearly you don't![/b] Because according to your limited understanding of the article YOU provided (if you even read it at all?), [url]https://autovista24.autovistagroup.com/news/what-were-the-most-popular-evs-in-china-in-june/[/url], makes it's plainly obvious, you didn't have a clue as to the "categories" of EVs and the vehicles it encompasses.

YOUR article CLEARLY reads, [i][b]"What were the [u]most popular EVs[/u] in China in June?" [/b][/i] and ONLY showed charts and information on EVs, in several categories. Yet you manage to hallucinate, fuck-it-up and twist the article's reporting on EVs, into a rant about the biggest Chinese automaker still making huge ICE sales, when they'd stopped making ICE vehicles some two (2) years ago [i][b](...kkkk!).[/b][/i]

• Elvis 2008, do yourself a big favor, and before you try educating others, perhaps try educating yourself first!

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2983724]And once again, you have to bring in the dickish MAGA gish gallop shit when honestly you do not know what the fuck you are talking about! It is every fucking post, Spidy. This is why I call you a Democratic douche. You are so fucking arrogant you think being a dumbshit Democratic douche means you are more intelligent.[/QUOTE] [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2983724]Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the complexity of two commingling propulsion sources, more can go wrong, so PHEVs fare worse than their hybrid brethren in reliability metrics. [/QUOTE]
So once again, you're just spitballing and speculating, with that MAGA educated, gish gallop prowess of yours! But why guess, when I've already provided you, with the one of the most recent definitive studies on the subject matter?

Well allow me once again [b](for like the 3rd time)[/b], point you to the study out of the UK that examines (not 30, as I had previous wrote, but) [b]300 million vehicles[/b], spanning 17 years, [url]https://www.motor1.com/news/748745/evs-longetivity-uk-study/[/url] and concludes that [u]EVs are on par with ICE[/u], if not better in some cases, w/r to LONGEVITY.

[b]Perhaps you were confused by the term EV? [/b] Which, by the way, includes...you guessed it, PHEVs!

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2983710]Most people to do not love things. They love other people.

France cannot protect itself. That is why it is part of NATO. Audi is not produced buy the French. I do not know of a single French car manufacturer that would be consider quality. It that why you purchased an automobile designed and manufactured by a German Automotive Company?

Because the USA and China are becoming so powerful you only have to learn to speak Chinese in order to survive and thrive in France.[/QUOTE]Because You just don t know about cars. Best quality cars, Bugatti are built in France by french hands, not chinese robots. A Megane RS or a Alpine would fuck almost all American cars, even most powerful and for sure all chinese, when they are real sporty efficient cars. I choose Germans, even I drove legend RS500 Cosworth for more than 20 years, because more powerful than french cars, but not always better quality. Many Mercedes Benz used Renault engines. But better to know a bit. For car balance and grip, USA cars are far behind french cars and many Germans can t compete. Just better German engines when free speed culture in Germany. Good point is my beloved for my holidays Italy and also NL are increasing speed on motorway, when they found not more pollution with thermic cars. China just build connected little busses to move not far, not what I call quality cars. Moving far with plane pollute a lot, and risky with Boeing. I won t learn chinese, because not my standard for quality and I hate to waste my money and would feel shameful to support such no human rights government making big pollution, fucking our world with their pollution and low quality products. Only cheap.

[B]Elon Musk[/B] is a racist and [B]Trump[/B] has a history of being involved in racist policies denying housing to his fellow Americans. That being said:

There is plenty of Waste, Fraud and Abuse in the Government. I have no doubt. But if you are really trying to have an impact you would start in the Defense Department.

[QUOTE]The Packard Commission reported that there was "no rational system" governing defense procurement, and it concluded that it was not fraud and abuse that led to massive over-expenditures but rather "the truly costly problems are those of overcomplicated organization and rigid procedure[/QUOTE]People act like Trump / Musk Co-Presidency is doing something new. I will simply say that Musk and Trump must follow the law of the land. The moment either one of them does not and receives no sanctions for their actions, grab your guns and and your go bag because kinetic civil war will start and the first step towards dictatorship will have been taken in the United States of America.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2983547]So shameful USA new government: when USA never protected Ukraine, they now try to robb poor Ukrainians who are in misery. I really wish Ukraine and EU will refuse such robbery. Trump really has to BJ Putin to swallowing. Shame, shame, shame.[/QUOTE]I wish, even making a lot of noise for everything with his mafia Vance and Musk, but Trump may understand he is not king of the world, even he dreams about, so he should stop to BJ dictator Putin who attacked Ukraine and will have to face Canada, Mexico, Panama, China, EU, UK and Ukraine. Need big balls, when he more behave like a small size with women and criminal Putin who can t travel because of international law prosecution as criminal.

Nah, Bro. I do not love cars. I do not love things. I love people.

As for my knowledge about cars, why would I have knowledge about something that I don't use? So, everyone who has superior knowledge of vehicles over me I will stipulate to that. I actually have not operated a vehicle of any type for almost two years. I feel my mental health is better because I have stopped. [B]My flow is strong and my stack is so big I pay people to drive me around[/B]!

Why don't you own a Bugatti?

[URL]https://youtube.com/shorts/va1cm5NZPVM?si=ZaLFqkIjxC3rveQB[/URL]

[URL]https://youtube.com/shorts/675djomWhBY?si=esH961M_0EgPRDrx[/URL]

[B]ROTFLMAO![/B]

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2983802]Because You just don t know about cars. [b]Best quality cars, Bugatti are built in France by french hands[/b], not chinese robots. A Megane RS or an Alpine would fuck almost all American cars, even most powerful and for sure all chinese, when they are real sporty efficient cars. I choose Germans, even I drove legend RS500 Cosworth for more than 20 years, because more powerful than french cars, but not always better quality. Many Mercedes Benz used Renault engines. But better to know a bit. For car balance and grip, USA cars are far behind french cars and many Germans can t compete. Just better German engines when free speed culture in Germany. Good point is my beloved for my holidays Italy and also NL are increasing speed on motorway, when they found not more pollution with thermic cars. China just build connected little busses to move not far, not what I call quality cars. Moving far with plane pollute a lot, and risky with Boeing. I won t learn chinese, because not my standard for quality and I hate to waste my money and would feel shameful to support such no human rights government making big pollution, fucking our world with their pollution and low quality products. Only cheap.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983792]Yet you manage to hallucinate, fuck-it-up and twist the article's reporting on EVs, into a rant about the biggest Chinese automaker still making huge ICE sales, when they'd stopped making ICE vehicles some two (2) years ago[/QUOTE]LOL. Maybe if you keep saying that you will think it is true. The specs on the most popular BYD car are listed here: [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BYD_Song_L_DM-i[/URL]#Powertrain.

As you can see, there is a 1.5 liter internal combustion engine in this car. Say what? I thought you said BYD was not making combustion engines.

As for this.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2983724]Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the complexity of two commingling propulsion sources, more can go wrong, so PHEVs fare worse than their hybrid brethren in reliability metrics.[/QUOTE]That was taken directly from Car and Driver. So you pull the Democratic douche move of attacking me versus attacking the fact.

As for your study on reliability, hybrids historically have been less reliable than pure EVs or pure ICE cars.

And the hybrids not the pure EVs are dominating Chinese sales right now. And hybrids have combustion engines in them.

So to your point, Spidy, if EVs were so fucking great, why are the hydrids outselling them now? And if EVs were so fucking great, why did China start putting combustion engines in their electrical vehicles?

I cannot say this is a surprise given your binary thinking. EV, China, Biden good. Trump, ICE, USA bad.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr; 2983420] Not trying to go energy nerd on you, but Nuclear and Solar has been my interests ever since I learned that we could put a nuclear plant on a ship and could get sent to the bottom of the ocean. Still trying to figure out why we don't worry about the environmental impacts of that. My interests in solar occurred as a kid when I learned that how they power space vehicle electrical systems. [/QUOTE]

Hey, by all means, please do "geek out" on anything solar, wind, nuclear, or clean/dirty energy related. I don't mind at all and enjoy a good amateur "geeking" in this space, myself.

I really do like hearing/debating what other BMs views are, on our worlds energy problems and solutions. Personally, its a nice break from the American Fuhrer and the Repub admin clown show and shit show, currently on display!

BTW, thanks for sharing, those are great inspirational back-stories, with regards to, how you were introduced into the world of nuclear and solar energy. BTW, your setup in the Dominican Republic, sounds pretty good. Sure you have some interesting tales to tell about it. That would definitely be my off-grid vision for living in Brazil, depending on remote or poor gird reliability!

Abashedly, but unapologetically, its only been since Tesla popularize the EV and opened up the choices for powering a vehicle, virtually for free (if you had like rooftop solar), was when my interests first perked up. Anything to avoid the big oil companies [i][b](...kkkk!).[/b][/i] So my recent foray into learning about various aspects, that make up the U.S./worlds energy mixes, was more about being thrifty at first, and has since became slightly more political. So nothing quite as inspirational, but here I am nonetheless!

[QUOTE=SubCmdr; 2983420] Hydrogen sounds good until you look at the energy necessary to produce Green Hydrogen. [/QUOTE]
Yes, I definitely agree with your assessment of producing Green Hydrogen and definitely a topic for another day, as many still think hydrogen is a good use case for many forms of transportation. I do not.

I think, the next generation of batteries [i](solid state, Li-Sulfur, Silicon-Anode, Graphene...etc)[/i] will render the use of hydrogen, with people strictly sticking to the upper tiers of the of the Hydrogen Ladder. [url] https://cleantechnica.com/2021/09/01/cleantech-talk-chemical-engineer-paul-martin-reflects-on-liebreichs-hydrogen-ladder-hopium-part-1/[/url]

[QUOTE=SubCmdr; 2983420][b] In US Nuclear Plant News[/b]
Two articles below. I think it is a good start. I don't live in the United States of America. So I don't think I am in the position to debate the issues. But hard choices are going to have to be made in the future. The best to ways to provide a base input to the grid with the current technology available are Nuclear and Gas.

The United States of America is losing it's influence in the world. There is a lot of land mass available. As a society we need to be thinking about how to become self sufficient energy wise, now and into the future.

[url]https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/three-mile-island-nuclear-plant-gears-up-big-tech-reboot-2024-10-22/[/url]
[url]https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/09/26/1104516/three-mile-island-microsoft/[/url][/QUOTE]

Just so you know, my love/hate (or rather mixed feelings) for nuclear, SMRs and hydrogen (whether its grey, blue or green hydrogen, is a topic for another day), all come with a several harsh caveats. These sources of energy, I think, are more applicable or better suited, to specific instances, where the use case and circumstances, are clearly defined, as being more advantageous over solar, wind and BESS.

[u]My Nuclear/SMRs Caveats:[/u]
[LIST]High Upfront Costs: Cost overruns are very common, as much as x3 to 5x the initial cost.[/LIST][LIST]Long Build Times: As much up to 1.5x to 2x initial time estimates.[/LIST][LIST]Technical Expertise: Is there local talent to maintain the technical and regulatory aspects of a nuclear facility? Short-term and long-term?[/LIST][LIST]Waste Management: Disposal of nuclear waste, requires high level expertise and logistical challenges[/LIST][LIST]Public Perception: What are they, on nuclear energy? NIMBY or can they be overcome?[/LIST]Those caveats IMHO, makes nuclear and SMRs, a whole lot less desirable, as to what I would consideration as the first or second choice, as the least expensive, least complex or time sensitive and cleaner energy solution, for almost any place, anywhere in the world.

That said, I'm totally in agreement with restoring, refurbishing or upgrading any off-line, shut-down or decommissioned nuclear power plants/reactors, [i][b]providing it can be done with little to minimal tax-payers dollars.[/b][/i] If large amount of tax-payers dollars are involved, then ROI/Cost viability studies should be considered, alongside today's other cheaper, clean energy solutions.

I think its a great idea, for Microsoft and Constellation Energy (CEG) to champion the 3-Mile Island nuclear plant restore project. I'm surprised Microsoft isn't putting some of their money in the pot, on the upfront costs or shares in CEG, for the rebuild and then take a sweeter deal on the 20 year back-end. They've got the billions, they certainly can afford it, especially if the project is primarily for their benefit, why does CEG need govt dollars?

Unfortunately, as the article mentions, CEG were looking to get some of that Biden IRA money. So who knows, if they'll even get the funding to continue, if the American Futhrer, puts the kibosh on the IRA?

Finally, CEG are investing $1.6 billion and its unclear how the federal tax breaks will pan out for them or taxpayers and as I understand it, nuclear power plant reactor restores and/or refurbishing, suffer from the same affliction as new builds, outlined in my nuclear caveats above.

So while this may be, the very first nuclear plant/reactor brought back to life, from a decommissioning, its not the first attempt in the U.S. [b]The Crystal River (FL) plant in 2009[/b], that was shutdown and decommissioned, due to structural damage during a maintenance project, [i]should serve as a cautionary tale[/i]. Attempts to repair and refurbish the plant ($1.2 billion) were abandoned due to high costs and then had to be decommissioned again ($1.2 billion). Total cost $2.4 billion dollars.

Again as per my nuclear caveats, whether its a new build, refurbishing or restore, any nuclear project should not be taken lightly and is almost always guaranteed to have cost overruns. So the CEG and Microsoft, 3-Mile Island nuclear restore project, [i][b]may wanna double (2x), if not triple (3x) their project estimates.[/b][/i]

Trump's Pandemic Part 2 is probably coming at us, on steroids!

And, please, no more ill-informed bullshit about how "gee, that Covid pandemic would have happened no matter who was president. It just came out of nowhere"!

No. THIS happens because Repub Donald Trump is so-called president.

And without THIS happening, Trump's Pandemic and all the deaths, worldwide economic and global supply-chain collapse, millions upon millions of jobs wiped out, the business and school Closures, hyper-inflation and skyrocketing prices for everything that naturally followed doesn't happen either.

[B]CDC 'disease detectors' among hundreds fired as Trump administration ramps up agency cuts.
Administration officials last week informed CDC leaders of plans to cut up to 10% of its workforce as it targeted federal probationary employees.[/B]

[URL]https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog...oge-rcna192420[/URL]

[QUOTE]"We have come up with a new slogan for LLS: the disease detectors. If youre not testing, you dont know what disease is there, a current fellow, who was among those who received termination notices, told NBC News.

Termination emails, which were sent to LLS staff members Saturday evening, [b]cited poor performance as the reason for the firings, even though most of the dismissed employees have excellent performance reviews[/b], a midlevel CDC official said.

Multiple outlets reported that a larger sister program at CDC called[b] the Epidemic Intelligence Service, or EIS, known as the agencys disease detectives, was expected to be cut significantly, as well.[/b] As of Sunday, though, the two officials who spoke to NBC News had not heard of firings at EIS. One, a senior CDC official, said everyone who was going to be terminated had been notified by Sunday.

[B]"Even if EIS was spared, there are multiple other fellowships that were not, and that's a pipeline for the next generation of CDC leaders," the senior official said. "We're being cut off at the knees. It is going to cripple public health for decades."[/b][/QUOTE]Tuberculosis, HIV / AIDS, Ebola, Covid-25, something else new and terrific? What will Trump's Pandemic Part 2 be about this time? All of the above?

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2983879]LOL. Maybe if you keep saying that you will think it is true. The specs on the most popular BYD car are listed here: [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BYD_Song_L_DM-i[/URL]#Powertrain.

As you can see, there is a 1.5 liter internal combustion engine in this car. Say what? I thought you said BYD was not making combustion engines. [/QUOTE]

Do you really not know how to READ? Or just too lazy to educate yourself? Get a clue man!

In your Wiki page, the [b]BYD Song L DM-i,[/b] is classified as a plug-in hybrid, with a hybrid drivetrain...DUH!

BYD and all other websites, classify the Song L DM-i, as a PHEV. It would behoove you to do your homework, before spouting off at the mouth!
[url]https://carnewschina.com/2024/06/13/byd-song-l-dm-i-revealed-specs-in-china-as-its-ready-for-launch/[/url]
[url]https://db.carnewschina.com/byd/l-dm/2025/params[/url]

If it's a hybrid (HEV), PHEV it is classified as a sub category of EVs? Got it!

Wiki:
Powertrain: Petrol plug-in hybrid: 1.5 L BYD472QC I4 Atkinson cycle
Electric motor: Permanent magnet synchronous
Transmission: E-CVT
Hybrid drivetrain: Plug-in hybrid
Battery:
12.9 kWh BYD Blade LFP
18.3 kWh BYD Blade LFP
26.6 kWh BYD Blade LFP

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2983879]As for your study on reliability, hybrids historically have been less reliable than pure EVs or pure ICE cars.[/QUOTE] You sound like Sirioja, denying the hard cold FACTS, with lots annoying wrongheaded opinions, with nothing and no FACTS to back them up. You both should get together and try having a debate...I'll bring the popcorn! [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983880]Hey, by all means, please do "geek out" on anything solar, wind, nuclear, or clean/dirty energy related. I don't mind at all and enjoy a good amateur "geeking" in this space, myself.

I really do like hearing/debating what other BMs views are, on our worlds energy problems and solutions.

BTW, thanks for sharing, those are great inspirational back-stories, with regards to, how you were introduced into the world of nuclear and solar energy. BTW, your setup in the Dominican Republic, sounds pretty good. Sure you have some interesting tales to tell about it. That would definitely be my off-grid vision for living in Brazil, depending on remote or poor gird reliability!

Abashedly, but unapologetically, its only been since Tesla popularize the EV and opened up the choices for powering a vehicle, virtually for free (if you had like rooftop solar), was when my interests first perked up. Anything to avoid the big oil companies [i][b](...kkkk!).[/b][/i] So my recent foray into learning about various aspects, that make up the U.S./worlds energy mixes, was more about being thrifty at first, and has since became slightly more political. So nothing quite as inspirational, but here I am nonetheless!

Yes, I definitely agree with your assessment of producing Green Hydrogen and definitely a topic for another day, as many still think hydrogen is a good use case for many forms of transportation. I do not.

I think, the next generation of batteries [i](solid state, Li-Sulfur, Silicon-Anode, Graphene...etc)[/i] will render the use of hydrogen, with people strictly sticking to the upper tiers of the of the Hydrogen Ladder. [url] https://cleantechnica.com/2021/09/01/cleantech-talk-chemical-engineer-paul-martin-reflects-on-liebreichs-hydrogen-ladder-hopium-part-1/[/url][/QUOTE]You brought up many good points and laid out an excellent critical analysis to the problems with nuclear energy. I have no plans to dispute what it is you have to say about it. But, what is your solution for base input into the grid?

That was my point, that there are only two current ways to have reliable base input into the grid: Gas Fired Plants or Nuclear Plants. Otherwise you are back to coal and although the cheapest certainly not the best for the environment.

As the articles laid out the need for more energy is growing. The long game requires a look at what is actually sustainable. I don't believe that sustainability is in fossil fuels. Cold fusion has a long way to go. I still put my vote on Nuclear Power in the short term. Because it is not possible to power an electrical grid without a consistent base input of 40% of the grid output needs.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2983869]Nah, Bro. I do not love cars. I do not love things. I love people.

As for my knowledge about cars, why would I have knowledge about something that I don't use? So, everyone who has superior knowledge of vehicles over me I will stipulate to that. I actually have not operated a vehicle of any type for almost two years. I feel my mental health is better because I have stopped. [B]My flow is strong and my stack is so big I pay people to drive me around[/B]!

Why don't you own a Bugatti?

[URL]https://youtube.com/shorts/va1cm5NZPVM?si=ZaLFqkIjxC3rveQB[/URL]

[URL]https://youtube.com/shorts/675djomWhBY?si=esH961M_0EgPRDrx[/URL]

[B]ROTFLMAO![/B][/QUOTE]You really know nothing about cars and Bugatti price, too expensive for me, but far higher quality than chinese and USA, and french hands made. About asian quality, when Japan is above China, but japanese airbags TAKATA are dangerous and can kill. Dodge, Chrystler and Teslas use these airbags, better to go to service to check, before explosion projecting metal pieces.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2983804][B]Elon Musk[/B] is a racist and [B]Trump[/B] has a history of being involved in racist policies denying housing to his fellow Americans. That being said:

There is plenty of Waste, Fraud and Abuse in the Government. I have no doubt. But if you are really trying to have an impact you would start in the Defense Department.

People act like Trump / Musk Co-Presidency is doing something new. I will simply say that Musk and Trump must follow the law of the land. The moment either one of them does not and receives no sanctions for their actions, grab your guns and and your go bag because kinetic civil war will start and the first step towards dictatorship will have been taken in the United States of America.[/QUOTE]No, Musk is facist and stupid Trump is dangerous. Our world have to resist to him, except Putin he is ready to suck for business, and fucking Ukraine and Palestinians where no business, except robbering Ukraine.

Here's reason #74 and #75, why you just might want to consider, buying an EV (BEV / PHEV) over an ICE vehicle.

[B]Reason #74:[/B] If you just haven't quite yet figured out, that sitting in your snowed-covered ICE vehicle, waiting for it to warm up, in a blizzard or winter storm, probably isn't the best way to understand how carbon monoxide poisoning works...it's probably to late. [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

Jan 25th, 2025: Carbon monoxide poisoning suspected in deaths of man, 84, dog found in car stuck in snow. [URL]https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/carbon-monoxide-poisoning-1.7441783[/URL]

Feb 18th, 2025: Man found dead in snow-covered car with engine running ... When emergency services arrived, they found the 57-year-old man in cardiac arrest and his vehicle was reportedly stuck in a snow bank, blocking the vehicle's exhaust pipe. His death was confirmed in hospital. [URL]https://montreal.citynews.ca/2025/02/18/montreal-man-dead-accidental-carbon-monoxide-poisoning/[/URL].

[B]Reason #75:[/B] This reason is more EV/Battery adjacent. When all you really need, is a long power cord to your EV (V2L) or a portable battery power station.

Jan 7, 2025: Why the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning grows after a winter storm. It's a silent killer responsible for more than [I][b]500 deaths every year across the country.[/b][/I] [url]https://wtop.com/health-fitness/2025/01/why-the-risk-of-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-grows-after-a-winter-storm/[/url]

Feb 18th, 2025: Carbon monoxide poisoning likely caused deaths of two men in ice fishing tent ... the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning "likely resulting from a heating source used inside the tent," [URL]https://ca.news.yahoo.com/carbon-monoxide-poisoning-likely-caused-190516022.html[/URL].

Just saying, 2-more reasons you may wanna CONSIDER an EV/Batteries...Yes!

[QUOTE=Spidy;2984027]Here's reason #74 and #75, why you just might want to consider, buying an EV (BEV / PHEV) over an ICE vehicle.

[B]Reason #74:[/B] If you just haven't quite yet figured out, that sitting in your snowed-covered ICE vehicle, waiting for it to warm up, in a blizzard or winter storm, probably isn't the best way to understand how carbon monoxide poisoning works...it's probably to late. [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

Jan 25th, 2025: Carbon monoxide poisoning suspected in deaths of man, 84, dog found in car stuck in snow. [URL]https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/carbon-monoxide-poisoning-1.7441783[/URL]

Feb 18th, 2025: Man found dead in snow-covered car with engine running ... When emergency services arrived, they found the 57-year-old man in cardiac arrest and his vehicle was reportedly stuck in a snow bank, blocking the vehicle's exhaust pipe. His death was confirmed in hospital. [URL]https://montreal.citynews.ca/2025/02/18/montreal-man-dead-accidental-carbon-monoxide-poisoning/[/URL].

[B]Reason #75:[/B] This reason is more EV/Battery adjacent. When all you really need, is a long power cord to your EV (V2L) or a portable battery power station.

Jan 7, 2025: Why the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning grows after a winter storm. It's a silent killer responsible for more than [I][b]500 deaths every year across the country.[/b][/I] [url]https://wtop.com/health-fitness/2025/01/why-the-risk-of-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-grows-after-a-winter-storm/[/url]

Feb 18th, 2025: Carbon monoxide poisoning likely caused deaths of two men in ice fishing tent ... the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning "likely resulting from a heating source used inside the tent," [URL]https://ca.news.yahoo.com/carbon-monoxide-poisoning-likely-caused-190516022.html[/URL].

Just saying, 2-more reasons you may wanna CONSIDER an EV/Batteries...Yes![/QUOTE]So many thermic cars, best brands don't want to stop on 2035 . When batteries explode and it happens, impossible to stop fire. I feel more safe in a quality thermic than in a chinese EV, when I don t trust China.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr; 2983420] You brought up many good points and laid out an excellent critical analysis to the problems with nuclear energy. I have no plans to dispute what it is you have to say about it. But, what is your solution for base input into the grid?
…

As the articles laid out the need for more energy is growing. The long game requires a look at what is actually sustainable. I don't believe that sustainability is in fossil fuels. Cold fusion has a long way to go. I still put my vote on Nuclear Power in the short term. Because it is not possible to power an electrical grid without a consistent base input of 40% of the grid output needs. [/QUOTE]
I was afraid you were gonna to ask me this question! [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i] BTW, thanks for the kudos!

Truth is, I’m really enjoying the mental exercise, and have learnt a few more things along the way. But may have bitten off, more than I can chew, in my solution and its presentation….oops!

So your question really strikes at the heart of my long standing dilemma and my love/hate relationship with nuclear/SMRs. So while nuclear has its many issues (see my caveats), huge cost overruns, long build times, project delays, permitting, NIMBY…etc, when all is said and done, it does make for a compelling case, as a strong reliable and sustainable long-term clean energy solution for base load power…and therein lies the rub!

[u]Introduction to the Base Power (or Base Input) Solution:[/u]

Since I like your analysis, case study and proposal for the Dominican Republic (DR), entitled [i][b]“Power Generation in the Dominican Republic”[/b][/i] [url]ttp://www.internationalsexguide.nl/forum/showthread.php?611-General-Info&p=2956503&viewfull=1#post2956503[/url], I thought I’d kill two (2) birds with one stone and answer your question, in the style of your own case study on the DR and how I’d go about proposing a similar solution.

[u]Challenges for DR: [/u]

[b]Caveat:[/b] I don’t have expert inside knowledge of DR, or the bona fides, like you do, and have never been there, so please excuse any overreach or overstep, in areas, I may not be up to speed on, since my many of deductions on DR, will be based on Google searches and/or related to similar islands, with similar power challenges.

Is it fare to say, the DR face several energy challenges, like high electricity prices, the cost and reliance on imported fossil fuels and geo-topographical obstacles with their land and ocean geo-location, that make energy solutions for the island difficult ?

But also have several advantages, due to their geographical location as an island nation, situated in the Caribbean sunbelt, with a favorable environment for wind power.

[u]What is DR’s Current Energy Situation? Establish Baseline:[/u]

[b]Annual electricity consumption (2023)*:[/b] 22,193 GWh (Note: Your 20 billion watts is also correct and in the ballpark, as number varies +/- 2K GWh)
[b]Peak demand: [/b] 3,662 MW (megawatts)
[b]Annual Cost of Fossil Fuel in the DR:[/b] Between $2.55 - $3.47 billion { $1.84 to $2.76 billion (Oil/Coal) } + 0.71 billion (LNG) {…see notes…}
[b]DR’s Energy Mix:[/b] Heavy fossil fuels at 83.1% (oil: 12.3%, natural gas: 40.6%, coal: 30.2%) and some renewables at 16.9% (solar: 5.7%, wind: 4.3%, hydro: 6.1% and bio-fuels: 0.8%) *Note: Also in 2023, DR produced (24,580 GWh) more than they consumed (22,193 GWh).
[b]Base Load (or Baseload or Base Input) for DR:[/b] 2,197 MW (or 0.60 x 3,662 MW Peak Load).
[LIST][b]Note1: [/b] Annual Cost of Fuel Calc: Fossil fuels account for 83% DR’s electricity (22,193 GWh) in 2023, so that’s about 18,420 GWh (18.42 billion kWh). Using an average cost of 0.10–0.15 per kWh for fossil fuel-based electricity generation, equals about [i][b] $1.84 to $2.76 billion for fossil fuel electricity.[/b][/i]

The DR in 2023, imported approximately 1.47 million metric tons of LNG (Nat. Gas). The cost was about $707 million, depending on global LNG prices.[/LIST][LIST][b]Note2: [/b]The 40% SubCmdr used, seemed reasonable, but I was read countries with significant coal capacity may have a higher base load percentage, so I went with 60%.[/LIST]
[u]Recap of Nuclear Power Reactors/SMRs Pros and Cons:[/u]

Since, you’ve already made the case (and I agree), that a large nuclear plant/reactor won’t necessarily work for DR, it comes down to making the case to consider SMRs or something else?

[b]Nuclear Reactor Power Output:[/b] 1000 MW to 1600 MW (at $6K to $9K per kW )
[b]SMR Power Output:[/b] 50 MW to 300 MW (at $5K to $7K per kW )
[b]SMR Build Time Lines:[/b] For example, a 500 MW SMR build would take between 5 to 9 years.
[b]Pros: [/b] High Energy Output, Low Carbon Emissions, Energy Independence and Long-Term Cost Stability.
[b]Cons: [/b] Extremely High Costs (incl. cost overruns), Long Times for Builds (incl. large time overruns), Technical Expertise, Waste Management, Public Perception and sometimes Eco-Geo-Political Risks

[u]Base Load Calc and Cost for # of Nuclear Reactor (NR) and SMRs: [/u]

Base Load for DR is: 60% of peak load is 2,197 MW. Rounded up is 2200 MW

[b]Nuclear Reactor(s) Costs for Base Load: [/b] Most likely for a base load of 2,200 MW, consider two (2) reactors (ie. 2x 1,100 MW reactors, or 1 x 1,600 MW reactor and 1 x 600 MW reactor).

O Base Load of 2,200 MW, using NR Low-End Cost = (2,200,000kW × $6,000/kW) = $13.2 billion
O Base Load of 2,200 MW, using NR High-End Cost = (2,200,000kW × $9,000/kW) = $19.8 billion

[b]SMRs Costs for Base Load: [/b] Units of SMR can come in various sizes and apparently there is a difference in cost between a 100 MW and a 300 MW unit, both in terms of total cost and cost per kW. So while, on paper the cost calculation will be the same, the larger 300 MW units, will have a lower cost per kW and benefit from economies of scale, this will ONLY be realized during the manufacturing, construction and operation phases of implementation. So with that in mind, [b]I used 8 x 300 MW units.[/b]

The cost of SMRs is generally runs about $5-7K per kW. Since costs are rising, I’ll go with the middle of that range and $6K per kW ($6,000/kW).

O Cost per 300 MW SMR = (300,000 kW × $6,000/kW) = $1.8 billion for each
O Base Load Costs for 2200 MW, using SMRs = $14.4 billion (8 x 300MW SMRs x $1.8 billion). Note: With 8 x 300MW SMRs you get an extra 200 MW capacity.

[u]Additional Costs for NR/SMR:[/u]

[b]Site Preparation: [/b] Land acquisition, environmental studies, and site preparation can add $1–2 billion.
[b]Grid Integration: [/b] Upgrading the grid for the new load capacity, can cost $500 million to $1 billion.
[b]Regulatory and Licensing:[/b] Extensive regulatory approvals, can add another $500 million to $1 billion.
[b]Fuel/Waste Management:[/b] Initial fuel costs and long-term waste management can add yet another $1–2 billion over the reactor's lifetime.

[u] So what does all this mean and does the DR have a NR or SMR in its future? [/u]

SubCmdr, perhaps you can answer this question, better than I, if a NR or SMR could be still in DR’s future, because after crunching the numbers, it’s not as bad as I first thought. But before you answer, also take a look at the “Cautionary Tale”.

[b]Cautionary Tale:[/b] The only 3 SMRs currently in production and a fourth now being built in Argentina, went miles over budget. The SMR in China went over budget by 300%, the two (2) in Russia went over by 400% and the one in Argentina by 700% (Source: IEEFA, “SMRs: Still Too Expensive, Too Slow and Too Risky”)

The nearly $10 billion dollar SMR industry valuation, is a bit overvalued (to me) and has yet to prove themselves, in any sustainably or cost effective way, that would bring any great deal confidence, IMHO.

Look, if you cannot build “junior”, a reactor significantly smaller, less complex, with less manpower and with less materials, on time and on budget, than it’s “big brother”, doesn’t this just play into the hands of the naysayers, that say nuclear/SMRs, take too long, cost too much, too complex and are too risky?

[u]Conclusion for NRs and SMRs in DR: [/u]
Naturally, financing any big energy projects in the DR, is gonna require assistance from international partnerships (e.g., World Bank, IMF, NGOs…ect) for its critical to success. But the NR and SMR options for DR, look [b]insidiously[/b] interesting, considering DR spends like $2.55 - $3.47 billion annually, for importing 83.1% fossil fuels, in electrical energy.

However, while the SMR the industry, IMHO, isn’t mature enough yet, it still suffers from many of the afflictions of their nuclear reactor “big brothers”. For a country with DR’s economic output/GDP and access to funding, it’s far too early for them to be at the vanguard, of SMR nuclear tech.

I think, at this time the answer is still NO (for me anyways), but perhaps a tad bit softer, after crunching the numbers!


[u] So what does all this mean:[/u] So what now?

Sorry, but after doing a bit of a deep dive and establishing an energy cost baseline for DR and how to solve the base load problem, other than using NRs or SMRs, as clean energy sources, or go back to using fossil fuel plants, opened up my eyes, and caused me to take a step back and re-think and re-evaluate what I was looking to propose.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr; 2983420] That was my point, that there are only two current ways to have reliable base input into the grid: Gas Fired Plants or Nuclear Plants. Otherwise you are back to coal and although the cheapest certainly not the best for the environment. [/QUOTE]
Yes, you’re quite right! After my deep dive, I may NOT as I earlier thought, be able to provide, a solution that addresses this truth you’ve stated, about our current energy predicaments, and the lack of alternative options, we have for weaning off fossil fuel generated base load power plants.

I still have several things to checkout, but I will get back to you. Feel free, BTW, to ask questions about the numbers and proposal for NRs or SMRs in DR?

BTW, I’m still loving the brain tease!

I don't know why even the targets of pathological liar Donald Trump's lies use silly euphemisms for his blatantly obvious and easily debunked lies like "he is living in a disinformation space" or that he is merely promoting "alternate facts. ".

Donald Trump is a pathological liar who lies about everything; The terrific economies he inherited twice, his colossal economic mess he produced and handed Biden, what he is really up to now, the multiple wars that raged all during his first so-called presidential term that he did not lift a finger to end including the full-on USA Military combat War in Afghanistan he presided over for every day of his previous so-called presidency, the War Against America over which he led his violent mob of cop-killing insurrectionts into battle on American Soil, the proven reality of Russia Russia Russia, his Trump's Pandemic Part 1, everything.

And now this:

[B]Fact check: Trumps barrage of lies about Zelensky and Ukraine.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/19/politics/fact-check-trumps-lies-about-zelensky-and-ukraine/index.html[/URL]

[QUOTE]President Donald Trump is on a lying spree about Ukraine.

In remarks to reporters on Tuesday and in a social media post on Wednesday, Trump made numerous false claims about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Russian war on Ukraine some of which [b]echoed inaccurate talking points from Russian President Vladimir Putin.[/b][/QUOTE]Of course they do. It isn't an "echo" so much as it is Putin's actual voice being thrown over to his dummy's empty-head and mouth. Russia Russia Russia wasn't nearly enough Russia for Trump. Now he's moved on to Russia Russia Russia Russia.

Has this particular interlude gone so far into blatantly obvious pathological lies that even his fellow pathological liars in the Repub Party have run out of energy to keep up with the Gish Gallop firehose of Trump Lies and tapped out for a short break?

Amazingly enough, Pious Liar Mike Pence and other Fellow Repub Liars have actually pushed back on this one. Not hard. Just a little bit. But at least it shows evidence of a heretofore utterly missing spine somewhere among them for all of them to share.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2983895]If it's a hybrid (HEV), PHEV it is classified as a sub category of EVs? Got it![/QUOTE]No, I do not "got it". Calling a car an EV when it has a combustion engine and a gas tank is pretty fucking stupid. I know you did not make this up yourself but that is a political definition not a real one. As for your praising BYD for not making ICE cars when they have engines and cars with gas tanks is likewise stupid and quite frankly is BS Democratic douche save the planet bullshit.

The problem with you Democratic douches is you do not see how science is manipulated. Because an asshole like Fauci wormed his way into controlling all NIH grants, he could fund the POV that he wanted. The same goes with global warming, which was converted to climate change once the data did not show warming. If you were against global warming, you got no funding. Hence, all scientists were pro global warming. And the reason environment was so important is that is an excuse to have power over others. You are hurting us all with your polluting.

And the notion that man has control over climate is the oldest fucking scam in existence and yet we have all these fucking "scientists" who swear by it. Give me a fucking break!

Thing is there are tremendous health costs to people who live and work around carbon based energy production. It is not like anybody or MAGA Republicans likes that. It is just that for all those negatives, the positives far outweigh them.

Mining for Lithium is good but mining for crude is bad? WTF is that? Well, someone finally put a pen to paper and looked at it, and the best cars in terms of pollution were not EVs but PHEVs, [URL]https://illuminem.com/illuminemvoices/why-plugin-hybrids-are-better-for-climate-than-full-evs-today[/URL].

That really shocked me.

Thing is the batteries in PHEVs are 1/6 the size of those in EVs. The batteries were only good for going 20 to 50 miles but now they have PHEVs that are up to 80 miles per charge. That is HUGE. The study estimates that people will use gasoline 30% of the time. If you can get 80 miles per charge, I bet you could do even better than that.

But more importantly, and this is what you missed, you do not have to build a whole new fucking infrastructure. You can just plug a PHEV into your wall socket after you come home. You do not need to do a huge fucking upgrade with your existing home electrical system.

And if you are running low on electricity, you can rely on gasoline or just pull into a gas station if you are low on gas and fill up in 5 minutes.

Thing is Avis stuck me with an EV once and it stressed me out. First off, the AVIS guy had to show me how to put it in gear, but there were no instructions on where to go to power up, how much of a charge I had to leave on the vehicle, how to charge it up, and how to pay or how much it would be. I knew nothing, and it was stressful, and it would have been a hundred times more stressful if I had to travel a long distance, and I had zero interest in waiting an hour for a car to charge when on the road.

But with a PHEV, I can plug into any fucking outlet. That is easy. I can fill it up with gas if I am worried about a lack of juice or if I can go on the road. With a PHEV unlike an EV, the entire infrastructure that has been built up over a century is at my disposal.

So that left reliability and this really shocked me. In a UK survey of drivers, PHEVs required FEWER repairs than EVS or traditional combustion engines.

And Spidy, this is why you are such a fucking idiot. You come to this as if EVs are great and anyone who disagrees with you is just a MAGA knuckle dragging idiot, and we need alternative power, and we need to build out our infrastructure. Blah, blah, blah. I tried an EV. It sucked, and the AVIS attendant was telling me that AVIS planned on going 35% EV and indicated they were crazy for doing so. I was like, well, if they do that, I am not using AVIS. The renal car companies got the message, and they have pulled back on EV purchases as customers hate them.

In comparison, if AVIS has a PHEV, they can say your first 20 to 80 miles are free fuel wise but you have to return it full if you use the gasoline, I would be fuck yeah. Sign me up. I would seek out a PHEV.

I want a car with a little more juice than the BYD Song, and I looked up the BYD PHEV Han.

[URL]https://en.byd.com/news/byds-flagship-han-ev-series-officially-goes-on-sale/[/URL]

The four-wheel-drive high-performance version possesses an acceleration of 0 to 100 km / h (approximately 62 mph) in just 3. 9 seconds, making it China's fastest EV in production, while the DM (Dual Mode) plug-in hybrid model offers 0 to 100 km / h in 4. 7 seconds, making it the country's fastest hybrid sedan. The Han DM hybrid model comes with 50 miles of pure-electric cruising range and over 500 miles of integrated range.

The 4 WD high-performance version will sell at 279,500 (about $40,000) RMB. Besides, the PHEV version, Han DM, will sell at 219,800 yuan (about $31,400).

And if you look at the Han sales, the PHEV version is outselling the EV version 2:1, and the gap is widening every day.

It is $30 to 40,000, has 4 wheel drive, goes 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds, the car is more reliable than ICE or EVs, and most of the time I pay way less for fuel costs. Yeah, I would buy that fucking car yesterday. You do not need to do tax breaks for a car like that. You do not need to bring politics into it. This car sells itself. The only issue people have with it is that this car looks on the outside like a Honda Accord.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2984314]I don't know why even the targets of pathological liar Donald Trump's lies use silly euphemisms for his blatantly obvious and easily debunked lies like "he is living in a disinformation space" or that he is merely promoting "alternate facts. ".

Donald Trump is a pathological liar who lies about everything; The terrific economies he inherited twice, his colossal economic mess he produced and handed Biden, what he is really up to now, the multiple wars that raged all during his first so-called presidential term that he did not lift a finger to end including the full-on USA Military combat War in Afghanistan he presided over for every day of his previous so-called presidency, the War Against America over which he led his violent mob of cop-killing insurrectionts into battle on American Soil, the proven reality of Russia Russia Russia, his Trump's Pandemic Part 1, everything..[/QUOTE]Yeah, the whole Democratic playbook of Zelensky good and Putin bad is getting old. As for Zelensky.

He's in year 6 of his 5 year term.

Declared martial law Feb 2022 and has banned elections since then.

Banned 11 political parties.

Passed law in 2022 to censor journalists and combined all news into one gov't station.

Journalists investigating his corruption get conscripted and thrown on the front lines to die.

Zelensky's administration has card carrying Nazis in it, and one Jewish lawyer was on Tucker Carlson and saying Zelensky is throwing priests in jail. This lawyer was no Putin fan. In fact, Putin ordered his arrest. He and Trump are the only two with the balls to call out what Zelensky really is, a ruthless dictator.

So it is more like Putin bad and Zelensky is even worse.

And then there is Glenn Greenwald's take on things: There were all sorts of things that the United States knew that it could do that could provoke Russia to invade Ukraine. There were memos floating all around Washington for years saying, "These are the things that are the red lines for Moscow, not just for Putin but for everybody in Moscow, including his opponents and these are the things that if we do, we will force them to essentially invade eastern Ukraine."

The United States then proceeded to do all of them seemingly wanting Russia to invade Ukraine. In February 2022 they did that and the United States immediately announced, under the Biden administration, that we were going to fund this war, we were going to give Ukraine all the weapons and the money they needed to win.

So after had enough of the Covid scam, you Democratic douches pulled another scam to secure taxpayer money and started the Ukraine war.

If you were go to make a valid criticism of Trump, you could put to the huge budget deficits that he rung up, but Biden was fucking worse.

So while you advocated spending trillions on Covid with its 0.2% mortality and now this fucking stupid war, you kind of ignore the fact that we are $37 trillion in debt, racking up $2 trillion per year and are on the path to default. And while you Democratic douches bash Trump and Musk for cutting spending, which has to happen or it is inevitable we default on our debt, you have no plan outside of continuing to throw good money after bad.

Name one Democrat interested in cutting spending, Loony Tooms. You cannot.

If you actually brought out a candidate like Clinton who actually had a goal of a balanced budget, I might vote for them.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2984399]Yeah, the whole Democratic playbook of Zelensky good and Putin bad is getting old. As for Zelensky.

He's in year 6 of his 5 year term.

Declared martial law Feb 2022 and has banned elections since then.

Banned 11 political parties.

Passed law in 2022 to censor journalists and combined all news into one gov't station.

Journalists investigating his corruption get conscripted and thrown on the front lines to die.

Zelensky's administration has card carrying Nazis in it, and one Jewish lawyer was on Tucker Carlson and saying Zelensky is throwing priests in jail. This lawyer was no Putin fan. In fact, Putin ordered his arrest. He and Trump are the only two with the balls to call out what Zelensky really is, a ruthless dictator.

So it is more like Putin bad and Zelensky is even worse.

And then there is Glenn Greenwald's take on things: There were all sorts of things that the United States knew that it could do that could provoke Russia to invade Ukraine. There were memos floating all around Washington for years saying, "These are the things that are the red lines for Moscow, not just for Putin but for everybody in Moscow, including his opponents and these are the things that if we do, we will force them to essentially invade eastern Ukraine."

The United States then proceeded to do all of them seemingly wanting Russia to invade Ukraine. In February 2022 they did that and the United States immediately announced, under the Biden administration, that we were going to fund this war, we were going to give Ukraine all the weapons and the money they needed to win.

So after had enough of the Covid scam, you Democratic douches pulled another scam to secure taxpayer money and started the Ukraine war.

If you were go to make a valid criticism of Trump, you could put to the huge budget deficits that he rung up, but Biden was fucking worse.

So while you advocated spending trillions on Covid with its 0.2% mortality and now this fucking stupid war, you kind of ignore the fact that we are $37 trillion in debt, racking up $2 trillion per year and are on the path to default. And while you Democratic douches bash Trump and Musk for cutting spending, which has to happen or it is inevitable we default on our debt, you have no plan outside of continuing to throw good money after bad.

Name one Democrat interested in cutting spending, Loony Tooms. You cannot.

If you actually brought out a candidate like Clinton who actually had a goal of a balanced budget, I might vote for them.[/QUOTE]Since you apparently could not find a single link to substantiate so much as one word of your tall tales of woe or even supporting one of Trump's typical barrage of lies about Zelenskyy, Ukraine, Putin, Russia Russia Russia Russia or anything else, I'll just go ahead and post some regarding how historically unpopular Trump is at this stage of his presidency, how much Americans disapprove of him and the job he is doing on virtually every issue, his Cabinet, his policies, his real boss, everything:

[URL]https://news.gallup.com/poll/656891/trump-job-approval-rating-congress-jumps.aspx[/URL]

[QUOTE]Trumps ratings on several issues that his administration has targeted in the first weeks of his presidency are similar to his overall rating, including on immigration (46%), foreign affairs (44%), foreign trade (42%) and the economy (42%). Meanwhile, slightly fewer Americans, 40% each, approve of the presidents handling of the situations in Ukraine and in the Middle East between the Israelis and Palestinians, as fewer offer opinions of his performance on these two issues.[/QUOTE][URL]https://time.com/7259417/trump-poll-approval-inflation/[/URL]

[QUOTE]Gallup, which has tracked the opening approval ratings for American Presidents going back to Dwight Eisenhower, found Trumps approval rating dipped slightly from 47% in late January to 45% in mid-February. That is 15 points lower than the historical average of all other elected Presidents at this point in their first terms since 1953, according to Gallups polling.[/QUOTE][URL]https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/20/cnn-washington-post-polls-trump-approval-00205169[/URL]

[QUOTE]One reason for the erosion of support: a slight majority of respondents in both surveys said Trump has overstepped his presidential power in his attempts to reshape the federal government driven by tech billionaire Elon Musk. Many of Trumps most controversial early initiatives, including a sweeping spending freeze, have been blocked in court thus far, but the new administration has still made waves with layoffs of federal workers, cuts to federal contracts and a flood of executive orders.[/QUOTE][URL]https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/02/20/politics/cnn-poll-trump-approval[/URL]

[QUOTE]Trumps support also appears to be fading among some traditionally Democratic-leaning demographic groups with whom he made inroads in last years election. A January CNN poll found that 57% of 1834-year-olds, 50% of Hispanic adults and 30% of Black adults approved of the way he was handling the presidential transition. Now that Trump has taken office, his approval ratings with those groups stand at 41% among younger and Hispanic adults and 23% among Black adults.

Hispanic and Black adults are notably more likely than Whites to also say that Trump has handled the presidency in a way they did not expect (35% among Hispanic adults and 30% among Black adults compared with 20% among White adults), and to see that as a bad thing (29% among Hispanic people and 24% among Black people vs. 16% among White people).[/QUOTE]

There is a reason Trump's post-election relief rally has been one of the weakest and most tepid in history. And despite him inheriting and taking over another historically successful Dem Administration's Economy that was The Envy of the World.

For the 2nd time:

[B]Dow tumbles 500 points after weaker-than-expected consumer sentiment, UnitedHealth decline.[/B]

[URL]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/20/stock-market-today-live-updates.html?__source=androidappshare[/URL]

[QUOTE][b]The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell to 64.7 in January, a decline of 10% and a steeper drop than expected as consumers feared higher inflation ahead. The 5-year inflation outlook in the survey was 3.5%, the highest since 1995.[/b]

All of this is definitely creaking at the edges, and the data is also getting softer, said Tom Fitzpatrick, managing director at R.J. OBrien and Associates. Its still early (and being early is the same as wrong), but looking at these things and the way fixed income is trading is suggesting things are not as rosy as people thought.
.................
[B]Wall Street is waking up to the potential effect of tariffs on consumers[/b]

The recent slump in stocks could be tied to [b]Wall Street seriously considering the effect of tariffs and seeing consumers changing buying patterns as a result[/b], according to Harris Financial Group managing partner Jamie Cox.

[B]Its pretty clear that markets are waking up to the consumer impact of tariffs. While the tariffs themselves may never get implemented, consumers are voicing their opinions with major changes in buying behaviors and sentiment about the prospects of their implementation,[/b] Cox told CNBC.[/QUOTE]The reason? Trump. Trump's "all the right words" and the awareness that the Trillions he added to the USA Deficit from his one and only crap economic "stimulus" legislation in the four years of his previous term along with his failed Trade War with China and his Tariffs plunged our Agriculture and Manufactoring sectors into Recessions so deep he had to issue emergency welfare checks just to keep them afloat. Adding billions more to his deficits.

Oh, and this:

[B]Trumps cuts hit red states, triggering GOP pushback.[/B]

[URL]https://www.yahoo.com/news/republicans-rush-soften-trump-cuts-220000057.html[/URL]

[QUOTE]Republican lawmakers are pushing back against [b]sweeping cuts to the federal government launched by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, as their downsizing crusade begins to hit GOP constituents.[/b]

A growing number of GOP lawmakers are trying to intervene with the Trump administration and are weighing legislation to circumvent the changes. But with the Department of Government Efficiency and the Office of Management and Budget moving at a rapid clip and flouting federal law to carve up the government, [b]the lawmakers face monumental challenges in getting the White House to spare their constituents from the ax.[/b][/QUOTE]Hey, I hear MAGAs are in a panic to spin new definitions for the words "Best. Month. In. Four. Years. " So they can continue to give a Thumbs Up and props to those inane Russia Russia Russia Russia bot pop-ups on the Internet.

The only way the evil prevails is for good men to do nothing.

This man did something!

[URL]https://youtu.be/lXW_BHW_wM4?si=CTC0RkIK-XjZFkuP[/URL]

[B]The Musk/Trump Co-Presidencys objective is the cement power for the billionaire class under authoritarian rule that is un-democratic and weld unchecked power![/B]

[I]Fight the Power! We have to Fight the Power that be![/I] - [B]Public Enemy[/B].

[URL]https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-pushes-out-top-us-general-nominates-retired-three-star-2025-02-22/[/URL]

Trump fired a Black Four Star General as the top military official in the United States of America and replaced him with a White 3 Star General.

Elvis2008 you are welcome to explain this to me. I think the optics look bad and shows me and the entire country what Trump really wants to do is to make The United States of America * again!

[u]South Australia as a Case Study: [/u]

To show how DR could transition their base Load, intermittent and peaker power plants, with renewables, I used South Australia, as a case study example, to compare what they’ve done, successfully.

[u]Background Info on South Australia (SA): [/u]

The population in the state of South Australia, in 2024, is estimated to be approximately 1.8 million people. The Dominican Republic has 11.1 million people, and has approx. 6 times more people than South Australia.

South Australia, has around 984,321 sq.km (380,048 sq.mi) of land area. The Dominican Republic has around 48,671 sq.km (18,792 sq.mi) of land area. SA is approx. 20 times larger, in land area than the Dominican Republic.

South Australia is, at the frontline of the global energy transition, having transformed its energy system from 1% to over 69% renewable energy, in just over 20 years. Between June 2022 and June 2023, South Australia’s energy generation via renewables has been 72.3% compared to 36.3% nationally.

South Australia phased out coal in 2016, becoming the first mainland state to do so and hopes to have their grid as 100% renewables by 2027.

[u]South Australia’s Energy Demand Loads: [/u]

[b]SA’s Consumption & Demand[/b]
• Annual Electricity Consumption: 11,506 GWh (or 11.5 TWh)
• Typical Peak Demand: Is between Peak Demand: 3,084 MW (heat waves periods and 2,000 to 2,500 MW during cooler periods. The high was reached on Thursday 23 February 2023 @ 7:30pm).
• Base Load: Unknown, but with 73.4% renewables, it’s safe to say they have flipped the scales and now renewables run base loads and nat. gas is being as the intermittent/peak load energy source.

[b]Note #1:[/b] SA’s Annual consumption is only half that of the DR, for a population that is 6x smaller.
[b]Note #2 :[/b] SA’ Peak Demand is only about 580 MW more than the DR, for a population that is 6x smaller.

[u]South Australia’s Energy Mix: [/u]

[b]Renewables (2023) (73.4%, up from 69.0%)[/b]
• Solar: 26.5% (rooftop solar provided 17.7%, up from 16.5%, large-scale solar PV farms, providing another 8.8%. Note: over 40% of households have rooftop solar, stabilize the grid.)
• Wind: 46.9% (up from 44.6 in 2022, wind farms accounted for the largest portion to the grid, with major installations at Hornsdale, Lake Bonney, and Snowtown)
• BESS: 30% of Australia’s home batteries are in SA. Large-scale batteries like the Hornsdale Power Reserve (150 MW) and residential batteries (30,000+ installed) stabilize the grid and store excess renewable energy.

[b]Non-Renewables Sources and Imports (30%) [/b]
• Natural Gas: 25.4% (down from 29.5%, gas-fired plants are a diminishing but still critical backup)
• Interstate Imports: 2-5% (South Australia connects to the National Electricity Market (NEM) via interconnectors with Victoria (Heywood and Murraylink).

[u]Recap of the Dominican Republic’s Energy Mix: [/u]

• Annual Cost of Fossil Fuel, for generation of electricity: Between $2.55 - $3.47 billion
• Annual electricity consumption (2023)*: 22,193 GWh
• Peak demand: 3,662 MW (megawatts)
• DR’s Energy Mix: Heavy fossil fuels at 83.1% (oil: 12.3%, natural gas: 40.6%, coal: 30.2%) and some renewables at 16.9% (solar: 5.7%, wind: 4.3%, hydro: 6.1% and bio-fuels: 0.8%)
• Base Load (or Baseload or Base Input) for DR: 2,197 MW (or 0.60 x 3,662 MW Peak Load. Just a best effort guessimate)

[u]A Solution for the Dominican Republic (DR) Base Load and Beyond: [/u]

Okay, so here’s the deal, with how the DR, should be able to reach 100% renewables, for their base load electricity grid needs. My recommendation, is for DR to have like a renewables clean energy plan for the next 15-20 years.

A plan, which outlines their intentions, commitments and schedule, showing steady continual growth and build-outs of smaller manageable projects, of like [b]5% - 7% SWB worth of renewables, added annually to the grid. [/b]

Yeah, I know, not exactly the explosive, home run solution, you were perhaps looking for, but [i][b]the DR, need only take an additional 6-8 years, [/b][/i]if they followed a constant regiment of 5-7% SWB yearly implementations to reach your estimated 40% base load (or a few years later to reach 60%). Considering the DR, is already at 17% renewables.

Here is my summation of levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) in ranges, using approx. estimates from several sources for the years 2023 (or 2024), [i][b]in $/MWh,[/b][/i] for those energy technologies, I could find:

LCOE Ranges for Energy Technologies in 2023 (or 2024):
• Nuclear Reactor: $90–140+ (high upfront costs, delays)
• SMR: $60–90+ (early projects at upper end, targets lower with scale)
• Solar (utility-scale): $30–50 (lower with sun-rich regions, higher with storage)
• Onshore Wind: $35–55 (site-dependent, rises with transmission costs)
• Offshore Wind: $70–150+ (higher upfront/transmission costs, but improving with scale and tech)
• BESS (4-hour storage): $120–170 (lithium-ion, varies with duration/cycles)
• Pumped Hydro: $60–200 (site-specific, high upfront but low operating costs)
• LNG (gas peaker): $50–100 (import costs, volatile fuel prices, carbon costs add ~20–30/MWh)
• Coal: $60–100+ (import costs, older plants higher; carbon costs push to 80–150+)

Cost Ranges for Energy Hybrid Systems using 2023 (or 2024):
• Solar + BESS: $50–100/MWh (sun-rich regions with 4–8h storage).
• Wind + BESS: $60–120/MWh (onshore wind with 4–12h storage).

LCOE Sources for 2023 or 2024:
• International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA): [url] https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2024/Sep/IRENA_Renewable_power_generation_costs_in_2023.pdf [/url]
• Lazard's Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis: [url] https://www.lazard.com/media/xemfey0k/lazards-lcoeplus-june-2024-_vf.pdf [/url]
• U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): [url] https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/aeo/electricity_generation/pdf/AEO2023_LCOE_report.pdf [/url]
• The International Energy Agency (IEA): [url] https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/lcoe-and-value-adjusted-lcoe-for-solar-pv-plus-battery-storage-coal-and-natural-gas-in-selected-regions-in-the-stated-policies-scenario-2022-2030 [/url]

[u]Closing Arguments:[/u]

As I look around the world’s at those that are making the transition to a greener electrical grid, [i][b]I looked to see what is working,[/b][/i] what is cheap and less expensive, what is reliable and sustainable, and what is simple in design and complexity, requiring low maintenance and technical expertise to build, service and maintain. More often than not, it’s SOLAR, WIND and BESS (SWB), with some natural gas to round out the energy mix.

Remember it took the state of South Australia 20 years to go from 1% to 72.3% today. In a few more years, their grid, will be 100% renewables, with excess electricity, to either export it via interconnects or used to make green hydrogen.

And like SA, who have “flipped the switch” and “turn the tables” on their fossils fuels plants, being the ones that provide intermittent energy when needed (and soon to be phased out), is the right approach the DR should follow, to save millions of dollars (IMHO) and wean themselves off of fossil fuels.

So YES, I think DR, can absolutely establish and transition to 40% (or 60%) base load (and beyond), with 100% renewables. It will just take a small, but reasonable amount of time. But doable, considering DR has 6x the population of SA, but ONLY consumes twice (2x) as much annual electricity.

Note, I didn’t get into specifics, in terms of a cost/benefit analysis, but with the LCOEs provided, one can easily figure out, a half-dozen different cost scenarios. I suspect it’s going to be a mixture of SWB [i](with more WIND than SOLAR and even pumped hydro),[/i] given DR’s small land size and available space (that being 20x smaller than SA), lots of [u][i][b]offshore wind[/b][/i][/u] will need serious consideration.

Finally, I think this approach works best for DR, while the rest of the world (mostly the very rich nations), use their time and money to figure out, how viable and cost efficient, SMRs really are, as the industry becomes more mature.

They voted for him. Now let them get what they voted for! No sympathy here. FAFO (fuck around and find out)!

[URL]https://youtu.be/N23KVyaSoLw?si=KnsvsFjmK5yr6Q-P[/URL]

[QUOTE=Spidy;2984800][u]South Australia as a Case Study: [/u]

To show how DR could transition their base Load, intermittent and peaker power plants, with renewables, I used South Australia, as a case study example, to compare what theyve done, successfully.

[u]Background Info on South Australia (SA): [/u]

The population in the state of South Australia, in 2024, is estimated to be approximately 1.8 million people. The Dominican Republic has 11.1 million people, and has approx. 6 times more people than South Australia.

South Australia, has around 984,321 sq.km (380,048 sq.mi) of land area. The Dominican Republic has around 48,671 sq.km (18,792 sq.mi) of land area. SA is approx. 20 times larger, in land area than the Dominican Republic.

South Australia is, at the frontline of the global energy transition, having transformed its energy system from 1% to over 69% renewable energy, in just over 20 years. Between June 2022 and June 2023, South Australias energy generation via renewables has been 72.3% compared to 36.3% nationally.

South Australia phased out coal in 2016, becoming the first mainland state to do so and hopes to have their grid as 100% renewables by 2027.

[u]South Australias Energy Demand Loads: [/u]

[b]SAs Consumption & Demand[/b]
Annual Electricity Consumption: 11,506 GWh (or 11.5 TWh)
Typical Peak Demand: Is between Peak Demand: 3,084 MW (heat waves periods and 2,000 to 2,500 MW during cooler periods. The high was reached on Thursday 23 February 2023 @ 7:30pm).
Base Load: Unknown, but with 73.4% renewables, its safe to say they have flipped the scales and now renewables run base loads and nat. gas is being as the intermittent/peak load energy source.

[b]Note #1:[/b] SAs Annual consumption is only half that of the DR, for a population that is 6x smaller.
[b]Note #2 :[/b] SA Peak Demand is only about 580 MW more than the DR, for a population that is 6x smaller.

[u]South Australias Energy Mix: [/u]

[b]Renewables (2023) (73.4%, up from 69.0%)[/b]
Solar: 26.5% (rooftop solar provided 17.7%, up from 16.5%, large-scale solar PV farms, providing another 8.8%. Note: over 40% of households have rooftop solar, stabilize the grid.)
Wind: 46.9% (up from 44.6 in 2022, wind farms accounted for the largest portion to the grid, with major installations at Hornsdale, Lake Bonney, and Snowtown)
BESS: 30% of Australias home batteries are in SA. Large-scale batteries like the Hornsdale Power Reserve (150 MW) and residential batteries (30,000+ installed) stabilize the grid and store excess renewable energy.

[b]Non-Renewables Sources and Imports (30%) [/b]
Natural Gas: 25.4% (down from 29.5%, gas-fired plants are a diminishing but still critical backup)
Interstate Imports: 2-5% (South Australia connects to the National Electricity Market (NEM) via interconnectors with Victoria (Heywood and Murraylink).

[u]Recap of the Dominican Republics Energy Mix: [/u]

Annual Cost of Fossil Fuel, for generation of electricity: Between $2.55 - $3.47 billion
Annual electricity consumption (2023)*: 22,193 GWh
Peak demand: 3,662 MW (megawatts)
DRs Energy Mix: Heavy fossil fuels at 83.1% (oil: 12.3%, natural gas: 40.6%, coal: 30.2%) and some renewables at 16.9% (solar: 5.7%, wind: 4.3%, hydro: 6.1% and bio-fuels: 0.8%)
Base Load (or Baseload or Base Input) for DR: 2,197 MW (or 0.60 x 3,662 MW Peak Load. Just a best effort guessimate)

[u]A Solution for the Dominican Republic (DR) Base Load and Beyond: [/u]

Okay, so heres the deal, with how the DR, should be able to reach 100% renewables, for their base load electricity grid needs. My recommendation, is for DR to have like a renewables clean energy plan for the next 15-20 years.

A plan, which outlines their intentions, commitments and schedule, showing steady continual growth and build-outs of smaller manageable projects, of like [b]5% - 7% SWB worth of renewables, added annually to the grid. [/b]

Yeah, I know, not exactly the explosive, home run solution, you were perhaps looking for, but [i][b]the DR, need only take an additional 6-8 years, [/b][/i]if they followed a constant regiment of 5-7% SWB yearly implementations to reach your estimated 40% base load (or a few years later to reach 60%). Considering the DR, is already at 17% renewables.

Here is my summation of levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) in ranges, using approx. estimates from several sources for the years 2023 (or 2024), [i][b]in $/MWh,[/b][/i] for those energy technologies, I could find:

LCOE Ranges for Energy Technologies in 2023 (or 2024):
Nuclear Reactor: $90140+ (high upfront costs, delays)
SMR: $6090+ (early projects at upper end, targets lower with scale)
Solar (utility-scale): $3050 (lower with sun-rich regions, higher with storage)
Onshore Wind: $3555 (site-dependent, rises with transmission costs)
Offshore Wind: $70150+ (higher upfront/transmission costs, but improving with scale and tech)
BESS (4-hour storage): $120170 (lithium-ion, varies with duration/cycles)
Pumped Hydro: $60200 (site-specific, high upfront but low operating costs)
LNG (gas peaker): $50100 (import costs, volatile fuel prices, carbon costs add ~2030/MWh)
Coal: $60100+ (import costs, older plants higher; carbon costs push to 80150+)

Cost Ranges for Energy Hybrid Systems using 2023 (or 2024):
Solar + BESS: $50100/MWh (sun-rich regions with 48h storage).
Wind + BESS: $60120/MWh (onshore wind with 412h storage).

LCOE Sources for 2023 or 2024:
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA): [url] https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2024/Sep/IRENA_Renewable_power_generation_costs_in_2023.pdf [/url]
Lazard's Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis: [url] https://www.lazard.com/media/xemfey0k/lazards-lcoeplus-june-2024-_vf.pdf [/url]
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): [url] https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/aeo/electricity_generation/pdf/AEO2023_LCOE_report.pdf [/url]
The International Energy Agency (IEA): [url] https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/lcoe-and-value-adjusted-lcoe-for-solar-pv-plus-battery-storage-coal-and-natural-gas-in-selected-regions-in-the-stated-policies-scenario-2022-2030 [/url]

[u]Closing Arguments:[/u]

As I look around the worlds at those that are making the transition to a greener electrical grid, [i][b]I looked to see what is working,[/b][/i] what is cheap and less expensive, what is reliable and sustainable, and what is simple in design and complexity, requiring low maintenance and technical expertise to build, service and maintain. More often than not, its SOLAR, WIND and BESS (SWB), with some natural gas to round out the energy mix.

Remember it took the state of South Australia 20 years to go from 1% to 72.3% today. In a few more years, their grid, will be 100% renewables, with excess electricity, to either export it via interconnects or used to make green hydrogen.

And like SA, who have flipped the switch and turn the tables on their fossils fuels plants, being the ones that provide intermittent energy when needed (and soon to be phased out), is the right approach the DR should follow, to save millions of dollars (IMHO) and wean themselves off of fossil fuels.

So YES, I think DR, can absolutely establish and transition to 40% (or 60%) base load (and beyond), with 100% renewables. It will just take a small, but reasonable amount of time. But doable, considering DR has 6x the population of SA, but ONLY consumes twice (2x) as much annual electricity.

Note, I didnt get into specifics, in terms of a cost/benefit analysis, but with the LCOEs provided, one can easily figure out, a half-dozen different cost scenarios. I suspect its going to be a mixture of SWB [i](with more WIND than SOLAR and even pumped hydro),[/i] given DRs small land size and available space (that being 20x smaller than SA), lots of [u][i][b]offshore wind[/b][/i][/u] will need serious consideration.

Finally, I think this approach works best for DR, while the rest of the world (mostly the very rich nations), use their time and money to figure out, how viable and cost efficient, SMRs really are, as the industry becomes more mature.[/QUOTE]If South Australia gets to 100% renewables by 2027, I'll kiss EihTooms' ass in the middle of Soi Cowboy at 10:00 PM on a Saturday night.

South Australia has the highest electricity prices in Australia, probably because it pushed renewables too hard. The wholesale price is almost twice Queensland's:

[URL]https://www.aer.gov.au/industry/wholesale/charts[/URL]

And in 2023, SA consumers were paying 0. 45 AUD per kilowatt hour, or $0. 30 USD per kilowatt hour.

[URL]https://www.bluettipower.com.au/blogs/home-backup/average-electricity-costs-per-kwh-by-state?srsltid=AfmBOoqqCxLyz1Vv4S9yV1PvVxbihb5LJZosQn1lp8-bELRHo-TfVGMz[/URL]

For comparison, in the Great State of Texas, I pay about $0. 13 USD per kilowatt hour.

And Texas, by the way, generates about 40% of its electricity from renewables and nuclear.

South Australia I believe has the largest onshore production of natural gas in Australia. Without that and natural gas fired power plants, SA would be reliant on coal for baseload electricity generation.

The Dominican Republic doesn't have natural gas reserves. It has to import LNG and fuel oil, which are expensive, or use coal, which is dirty and emits more carbon than natural gas. Now this admittedly is a good argument for renewables for intermittent supply in the DR, like what Texas does. But they're just not going to cost effectively supply all base load and peak load requirements.

The Dominican Republic during parts of the year has lots of cloud cover. A hell of a lot more than sunny SA.

Your cost numbers per MW hour above are screwed. Please note that $60100 per MW hour for coal would be $60.10 per kw hour. That's off by a factor of around 1000. The real number is around $60 per MW hour or $. 06 per kw hour.

And you're saying that the cost to generate electricity from coal is 20 X the cost from solar and 17 X the cost of wind? The cost of generating electricity with a conventional nuclear plant is 15 X more than with a small nuclear reactor? That's complete and total bollocks.

Then there's battery storage, which is essential in the tree hugger's pipe dream, which of course doesn't allow for base load electricity generation from nuclear. Cheerleaders for renewables understate the cost of storage. At some point the cost of battery storage may come down to where renewables can cost effectively supply base load electricity. But we're not there yet. And may never be in the USA (which admittedly doesn't preclude that from happening the DR) as long as the Democratic and Republican parties won't allow America to buy from China.

The biggest consideration for the DR is the cost. Californians can afford to pay out the ass for energy. People in the DR cannot. Leftist elites in the developed world should not try to force high priced renewable energy onto developing countries unless they are first willing to give up air conditioning. Because that's what they'd be doing to people in places like the DR and India who would have to pay prices for energy even higher than South Australians. Some will be lucky to afford electric lighting so their kids can study at night, let alone A/C.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2984786][URL]https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-pushes-out-top-us-general-nominates-retired-three-star-2025-02-22/[/URL]

Trump fired a Black Four Star General as the top military official in the United States of America and replaced him with a White 3 Star General.[/QUOTE]I know nothing about Brown. But this, from your link, is potentially telling:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had been skeptical of Brown before taking the helm of the Pentagon with a broad agenda that includes eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military.

In his most recent book, Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and military veteran, asked whether Brown would have gotten the job if he were not Black.

"Was it because of his skin color? Or his skill? We'll never know, but always doubt. Which on its face seems unfair to CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it doesn't really much matter," he wrote in his 2024 book "The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free. ".

Hegseth is a smart guy with an Ivy League education. However he did not have the experience to equip him to deal with a department that employs over 2 million people and spends over $800 billion per year. And he had a vendetta against DEI and women in the military. You had to wonder if he'd take that too far and get rid of good people. That's what may have happened here.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2984480]Since you apparently could not find a single link to substantiate so much as one word of your tall tales of woe[/QUOTE]Your demands for links have become tiresome. For example, more than once you've asked me to provide Google links for data I pulled from a proprietary database, that you could verify in seconds with a little initiative. OK, I'll help you out just this once. However, in the future please do your own fact checking.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2984399]Yeah, the whole Democratic playbook of Zelensky good and Putin bad is getting old. As for Zelensky.

He's in year 6 of his 5 year term.[/QUOTE]This is true. Zero Pinocchio's!

[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volodymyr_Zelenskyy[/URL]

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2984480]Declared martial law Feb 2022 and has banned elections since then.[/QUOTE]This is true, as to martial law. And elections are banned when martial law is in effect. Zero Pinocchio's!

[URL]https://www.rnbo.gov.ua/en/Diialnist/7035.html[/URL]

[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Ukrainian_presidential_election[/URL]

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2984480]Banned 11 political parties.[/QUOTE]This is true. Zero Pinocchio's!

[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_parties_in_Ukraine[/URL]

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2984480]Passed law in 2022 to censor journalists and combined all news into one gov't station.[/QUOTE]The first part of this statement, about the 2022 law, is true! The second part is not true as there are local stations broadcasting news.

One tenth of one Pinocchio!

[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_the_press_in_Ukraine[/URL]

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2984480]Journalists investigating his corruption get conscripted and thrown on the front lines to die.[/QUOTE]This is probably true! Men over the age of 25, including journalists investigating Zelensky, are conscripted. And most likely some have served on the front lines. In addition, journalists are arrested and incarcerated. See Wikipedia link above and

[URL]https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/ukraine/[/URL]

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2984480]Zelensky's administration has card carrying Nazis in it, and one Jewish lawyer was on Tucker Carlson and saying Zelensky is throwing priests in jail. This lawyer was no Putin fan. In fact, Putin ordered his arrest.[/QUOTE]This is probably true. It is not known whether Nazis still carry cards identifying themselves as Nazis. However please see the following link.

[URL]https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/ukraine-has-nazi-problem-vladimir-putin-s-denazification-claim-war-ncna1290946[/URL]

I am not an avid viewer of Tucker Carlson but Elvis would have seen what he said he saw.

Zero Pinocchio's!

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2984480]So it is more like Putin bad and Zelensky is even worse.

And then there is Glenn Greenwald's take on things: There were all sorts of things that the United States knew that it could do that could provoke Russia to invade Ukraine. There were memos floating all around Washington for years saying, "These are the things that are the red lines for Moscow, not just for Putin but for everybody in Moscow, including his opponents and these are the things that if we do, we will force them to essentially invade eastern Ukraine."

The United States then proceeded to do all of them seemingly wanting Russia to invade Ukraine. In February 2022 they did that and the United States immediately announced, under the Biden administration, that we were going to fund this war, we were going to give Ukraine all the weapons and the money they needed to win.

So after had enough of the Covid scam, you Democratic douches pulled another scam to secure taxpayer money and started the Ukraine war.

If you were go to make a valid criticism of Trump, you could put to the huge budget deficits that he rung up, but Biden was fucking worse.

So while you advocated spending trillions on Covid with its 0.2% mortality and now this fucking stupid war, you kind of ignore the fact that we are $37 trillion in debt, racking up $2 trillion per year and are on the path to default. And while you Democratic douches bash Trump and Musk for cutting spending, which has to happen or it is inevitable we default on our debt, you have no plan outside of continuing to throw good money after bad.

Name one Democrat interested in cutting spending, Loony Tooms. You cannot.

If you actually brought out a candidate like Clinton who actually had a goal of a balanced budget, I might vote for them.[/QUOTE]These are mostly opinions and not subject to fact-checking. The infection fatality ratio from COVID, while higher than 0. 2% at the start of the epidemic, probably is lower than that now. Elvis' number is as good as any. The gross federal debt is indeed $37 trillion, and the federal budget deficit, about $1.9 trillion, is indeed $2 trillion if rounded upwards.

Zero Pinocchio's!

And Elvis gets One Wise Man because of his willingness to vote for Bill Clinton, who helped Newt Gingrich balance the budget!

It should also be noted that two females that were in charge of services, The US Coast Guard and the US Navy were also fired. Along with the commanders of the Judge Advocate Generals.

Why exactly do you think Hegseth a smart guy? Because he has an Ivy League education. Why did Hegseth get the job? He faced allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement, and alcohol issues leading up to his committee confirmation. He was a Major. Please! Do you think I am smart guy? Do I have an Ivy league education (or equivalent. Think John Elway)? Do you question if I would gotten any jobs I held throughout my adult years because [B]I am black[/B]?

[B]At that level it is not about absolute confidence, it is about politics[/B]

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2984705][B]The Musk/Trump Co-Presidencys objective is the cement power for the billionaire class under authoritarian rule that is un-democratic and weld unchecked power![/B][/QUOTE]No room for blacks or women in the power structure under a Musk / Trump dictatorship. They want to take the United States of America back to theses days:

[B]In the U.S. Constitution, the Three-fifths Compromise is part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3[/B]:

[QUOTE]Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.[/QUOTE]Look around this thread and see who is a Trump Supporter. This is what they are supporting!

[QUOTE]Republican lawmakers are pushing back against sweeping cuts to the federal government launched by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, as their downsizing crusade begins to hit GOP constituents.

A growing number of GOP lawmakers are trying to intervene with the Trump administration and are weighing legislation to circumvent the changes. But with the Department of Government Efficiency and the Office of Management and Budget moving at a rapid clip and flouting federal law to carve up the government, the lawmakers face monumental challenges in getting the White House to spare their constituents from the ax.[/QUOTE]Historically, we have seen this play run before:

[QUOTE]Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in 1919 when he joined the German Workers' Party, which later became the Nazi Party. He quickly rose to prominence within the party and became its leader in 1921. During the 1920s, the Nazi Party remained on the political fringes, but gained significant support after the Great Depression began in 1929. Hitlers oratorical skills and the party's use of propaganda helped him to become extremely popular. On January 30, 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. After the Reichstag fire in February 1933, Hitler convinced Hindenburg to sign the Reichstag Fire Decree, which severely curtailed civil liberties and allowed for the persecution of political opponents. Hitler then proposed the Enabling Act, which gave him dictatorial powers and allowed him to pass laws without parliamentary oversight. By April 1933, Hitler held de facto dictatorial powers and ordered the construction of the first Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. Hitler's rise to power was completed in August 1934 when, after Hindenburg's death, he merged the chancellery with the presidency into the title of Fhrer.[/QUOTE][B]MAGA is a NAZI movement in the United States of America![/B]

I thought I was clear SubCmdr. Hegseth was a bad nominee, and based on what he wrote people should have known he'd preferentially fire women and anyone who could be accused of getting ahead because of DEI. In other words anyone who wasn't white.

His most important qualification for president in Trump's eyes was probably that he looks good on television.

Dummies don't get into Princeton. That doesn't mean he was qualified for the office. He wasn't.

So Secretary of State Mark Rubio is the token minority in the Cabinet. They can point to him and say, we are not anti-diversity.

[B]The revolution will not be televised Tiny 12. But when it comes I will let everyone know you are a good one![/B]

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2984834]I thought I was clear SubCmdr. Hegseth was a bad nominee, and based on what he wrote people should have known he'd preferentially fire women and anyone who could be accused of getting ahead because of DEI. In other words anyone who wasn't white.

His most important qualification for president in Trump's eyes was probably that he looks good on television.

Dummies don't get into Princeton. That doesn't mean he was qualified for the office. He wasn't.[/QUOTE]

Even Without knowing anything about Brown, I'm confident he's more qualified to be Secretary of Defense than the man who fired him.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2984822]These are mostly opinions and not subject to fact-checking. The infection fatality ratio from COVID, while higher than 0. 2% at the start of the epidemic, probably is lower than that now. Elvis' number is as good as any. The gross federal debt is indeed $37 trillion, and the federal budget deficit, about $1.9 trillion, is indeed $2 trillion if rounded upwards.

Zero Pinocchio's!

And Elvis gets One Wise Man because of his willingness to vote for Bill Clinton, who helped Newt Gingrich balance the budget![/QUOTE]Excellent post Tiny. I would love to think this puts Tooms in his place, but we know better right?

On the Covid infection, I would add two things. There was not sufficient tests available early on. Once testing was done on the general population versus the sick population, studies as early as April 2020 had rates as low as at 0. 3 and 0. 4%.

Thing is one of those studies had 500 people with 2 deaths. So the difference in that study between 0. 2 and 0.4% was one death.

In addition, doctors had to learn how to treat patients. The use of steroids and anticoagulants became standard practice. If monoclonal antibodies had been used more widely, the rate of Covid deaths may have been less than 0. 2%. In addition, doctors had to learn to keep Covid patients off ventilators as long as possible as 80% of the time a Covid patient was placed on a ventilator, they died.

The reason that I brought this up is that there is a new pandemic scare that I suspect is bullshit, [URL]https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/stocks-puke-after-china-reports-new-coronavirus-pandemic-potential-discovered[/URL].

So here is the scare sentence: The new virus is even closer related to MERS, a deadlier type of coronavirus that kills up to a third of people it infects.

The key sentences is at the end: HKU5-CoV viruses were first detected in bats in 2006, but the new data suggests HKU5-CoV-2 has a 'higher potential for interspecies infection' than others. However, the potential for HKU5-CoV-2 to spill over to humans 'remains to be investigated. '

The reason I think this is bullshit is Covid was designed in a lab to be as contagious is possible, and this virus then is likely way less contagioius. Also, the mortality rates on this new virus are likely also way overestimated as Covid was.

But yeah, great post, Tiny. Thing is that my post was not even about the facts but that Zelensky's image is taking a hit. When you want to deify someone, you do not mention their negatives. The idea that Tooms is floating, that Zelensky is flawless, is pretty absurd.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2984834]His most important qualification for president in Trump's eyes was probably that he looks good on television.[/QUOTE]I disagree Tiny. I think the uppermost qualification in Trump 47's mind is loyalty and the 2nd most important is capability. I was surprised by the Hegseth choice myself. I thought Trump would pick Mike Pompeo or somebody like him with stature and experience. Guess I was wrong, but I am willing to give Hegseth a chance. If he fucks up Trump will fire him in a nano second.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2984914]I disagree Tiny. I think the uppermost qualification in Trump 47's mind is loyalty and the 2nd most important is capability. I was surprised by the Hegseth choice myself. I thought Trump would pick Mike Pompeo or somebody like him with stature and experience. Guess I was wrong, but I am willing to give Hegseth a chance. If he fucks up Trump will fire him in a nano second.[/QUOTE]He certainly isn't qualified at all. [B]He is a racist and a sexist[/B]. Loyalty to the Musk / Trump Co-Presidency that is building a growing Nazi movement called MAGA in the United States of America anathema to the oath he took to defend the Constitution of the Untied States of America from all enemies forgien and domestic.

It is the domestic ones I worry about now. The Musk / Trump Co-Presidency is building personal loyalty to themselves in order to take over the all functions of the government in a dictatorship.

We have seen this play run before in history: [B]Reference made to Post #17283 written by me on 02/22/2025[/B].

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2984822]Your demands for links have become tiresome. For example, more than once you've asked me to provide Google links for data I pulled from a proprietary database, that you could verify in seconds with a little initiative. OK, I'll help you out just this once. However, in the future please do your own fact checking.

This is true. Zero Pinocchio's!

[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volodymyr_Zelenskyy[/URL]

This is true, as to martial law. And elections are banned when martial law is in effect. Zero Pinocchio's!

[URL]https://www.rnbo.gov.ua/en/Diialnist/7035.html[/URL]

[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Ukrainian_presidential_election[/URL]

This is true. Zero Pinocchio's!

[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_parties_in_Ukraine[/URL]

The first part of this statement, about the 2022 law, is true! The second part is not true as there are local stations broadcasting news.

One tenth of one Pinocchio!

[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_the_press_in_Ukraine[/URL]

This is probably true! Men over the age of 25, including journalists investigating Zelensky, are conscripted. And most likely some have served on the front lines. In addition, journalists are arrested and incarcerated. See Wikipedia link above and

[URL]https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/ukraine/[/URL]

This is probably true. It is not known whether Nazis still carry cards identifying themselves as Nazis. However please see the following link.

[URL]https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/ukraine-has-nazi-problem-vladimir-putin-s-denazification-claim-war-ncna1290946[/URL]

I am not an avid viewer of Tucker Carlson but Elvis would have seen what he said he saw.

Zero Pinocchio's!

These are mostly opinions and not subject to fact-checking. The infection fatality ratio from COVID, while higher than 0. 2% at the start of the epidemic, probably is lower than that now. Elvis' number is as good as any. The gross federal debt is indeed $37 trillion, and the federal budget deficit, about $1.9 trillion, is indeed $2 trillion if rounded upwards.

Zero Pinocchio's!

And Elvis gets One Wise Man because of his willingness to vote for Bill Clinton, who helped Newt Gingrich balance the budget![/QUOTE]In your very first link regarding Zellenskyy declaring martial law and suspending elections, this is the all-important context we see IN that link you provided but Elvis would not:

[QUOTE]Since the beginning of[b] russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine[/b], this is the 13th extension of martial law and mobilisation.[/QUOTE]See, this is why links matter. Oh, so sorry if providing context and substantiation is "tiresome" for the Trumpster MAGAs. Because they generally refute every lie Trumpster MAGAs need to spin.

I knew with 100% certainty that an ordinary link would provide the context that Elvis was avoiding like a vampire avoiding sunlight.

Without it, the liar was suggesting that Zellenskyy was somehow anti-democratic, maybe a Nazi dictator. FIVE Pinocchios. And FIVE for you too for supporting his Lie.

Oh look. It is simply that the country can not conduct a free, fair and legitimate election while Russa Russia Russia Russia is engaged in a [B]full-scale invasion of Ukraine[/B], nothing whatsoever to do with Zellenskyy being anti-democratic or a Nazi dictator. PUTIN is more responsible for suspending elections in Ukraine than Zellenskyy.

The rest of your links also illustrate why Elvis was lying with his out-of-context spin on it. And you too for defending him for it.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2984914]I disagree Tiny. I think the uppermost qualification in Trump 47's mind is loyalty and the 2nd most important is capability. I was surprised by the Hegseth choice myself. I thought Trump would pick Mike Pompeo or somebody like him with stature and experience. Guess I was wrong, but I am willing to give Hegseth a chance. If he fucks up Trump will fire him in a nano second.[/QUOTE]Hi Axel, The one potentially redeeming characteristic of Hegseth is that he may cut waste and inefficiency, and establish a path toward lower defense spending. But given Hegseth's writings and ramblings, SubCmdr has an excellent point. Add that to his inexperience and I don't think he was a good pick.

Nobody on the board is going to agree with this, but I wish Trump had come up with a really inspired choice for Defense Secretary, like Rand Paul. He and Tulsi Gabbard at National Intelligence would be quite the pair!

I do trust Trump, who's not a neoconservative, more on defense than Hegseth, who may be.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2984850]Excellent post Tiny...[/QUOTE]Thanks Elvis. Yes, not to be immodest, but I thought it was a masterpiece. And I had to sacrifice. I had to choose between writing that post, and the reply to Spidy, or going to Black Caviar or Soi Cowboy on my last night in Bangkok. Given I'm trying to finally embark on a life of monogamy, the choice was simpler than it sounds though.

I'm looking forward to reading up on the new virus. Packing up right now so it will have to wait for another day.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2984838][B]The revolution will not be televised Tiny 12. But when it comes I will let everyone know you are a good one![/B][/QUOTE]It won't matter SubCmdr. We'll be living on our island paradises, far away from the revolution. Living in style too. I'll have my dividend paying stocks, and your Bitcoin holdings will soar even more because of the political upheaval.

Hope you'll visit, [B] provided that [/B] you bring some fine looking Dominican wenches!

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2984974]
The rest of your links also illustrate why Elvis was lying with his out-of-context spin on it. And you too for defending him for it.[/QUOTE][URL]https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3bxbbb/why_didnt_britain_hold_elections_during_wwii/?rdt=37175[/URL]

Why didn't Britain hold elections during WWII?

It may seem like an obvious question but elections were held throughout the rest of the English speaking world; Canada, the USA, New Zealand and Australia.

Britain did hold elections during WWII. In 1945 they held an election that resulted in Clement Attlee being elected Prime Minister, replacing Churchill. There were also numerous elections to fill in empty seats in parliament during the war.

In Britain each sitting of parliament can last for 5 years at most before an election needs to take place. Parliament can be dissolved and elections called for earlier then every 5 years, but 5 years is the max. Parliament extended this 5 year limit during the war however.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2984974]Without it, the liar was suggesting that Zellenskyy was somehow anti-democratic, maybe a Nazi dictator. FIVE Pinocchios. And FIVE for you too for supporting his Lie.

Oh look. It is simply that the country can not conduct a free, fair and legitimate election while Russa Russia Russia Russia is engaged in a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, nothing whatsoever to do with Zellenskyy being anti-democratic or a Nazi dictator. PUTIN is more responsible for suspending elections in Ukraine than Zellenskyy.[/QUOTE]Nope, it is zero pinocchios because the leader who was at war with Russia and who did not have elections was (wait for it), Adolf Hitler.

A Democratic douche against free and fair elections? Gee, that is a shocker.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2985131][URL]https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3bxbbb/why_didnt_britain_hold_elections_during_wwii/?rdt=37175[/URL]

Why didn't Britain hold elections during WWII?

It may seem like an obvious question but elections were held throughout the rest of the English speaking world; Canada, the USA, New Zealand and Australia.

Britain did hold elections during WWII. In 1945 they held an election that resulted in Clement Attlee being elected Prime Minister, replacing Churchill. There were also numerous elections to fill in empty seats in parliament during the war.

In Britain each sitting of parliament can last for 5 years at most before an election needs to take place. Parliament can be dissolved and elections called for earlier then every 5 years, but 5 years is the max. Parliament extended this 5 year limit during the war however.

Nope, it is zero pinocchios because the leader who was at war with Russia and who did not have elections was (wait for it), Adolf Hitler.

A Democratic douche against free and fair elections? Gee, that is a shocker.[/QUOTE]Well, why you are citing Britain not conducting elections during the WWII bomb attacks, as some "proof" that Ukraine not conducting elections during their bomb attacks that Zellenskyy is an anti-democratic Nazi dictator is truly bewildering. Was Britain an anti-democratic Nazi dictatorship as well during WWII? Churchill? Is everybody an anti-democratic Nazi dictator now? I am sure President Musk's MAGAs would love for us to believe that. It paves the way for where President Musk and his assistant Trump would like to take us.

Moreover, other than a few stray Channel Islands, there was no [B]Full-Scale Invasion of Britain by Germany[/B] as there is in Ukraine by Russia Russia Russia Russia.

You know where else neither Germany nor Japan invaded during WWII? This may come as a surprise to you, not sure about Tiny, but neither USA, Canada, New Zealand nor Australia were invaded by anybody during WWII. Neither were their land masses ever bombed by anyone during WWII. How about that?

Maybe Tiny can pitch in and provide links that unravel whatever gobbledygook lie you're trying to spin with this one and thereby prove you wrong and me right again.

See, if only you had provided the same links Tiny provided when you tried to float your original out-of-context post full of lies, unsubstantiated opinions and half-truths you would have so richly deserved and earned enough Pinnochios from the start to fill a Trump rally on this point and might not have dragged poor Tiny into the Pinocchio mob with you.

LOL. It is hilarious that as hard as Tiny tried to apologize for and defend your other lies in that post, certainly harder than you tried, the best he could come up with was "the second part is not true", "probably true", "probably true" and the all-time classic "these are mostly opinions and therefore not subject to fact-checking. ".

LOL. Hey, no kidding. Some "masterpiece".

As usual, it is I who should be thanking Tiny or anyone else who provides at least one minimally credible link for the lies MAGAs live to spin because even those are sure to contain at least one critical qualifier and detail that blows their entire premise and lie out of the water.

When driving back from my 2 German girls I enjoyed for total 270 €, on Sunday morning I was disappointed not to go for more than 288 km / h, but I didn't see any BYD, Tesla following me, but I really wish I will go faster. Maybe because with 95 E10 , when no french E85 in Germany, so I was maybe less powerful. Have to try to improve, powered with E85.

[QUOTE=Tiny 12;2984811]If South Australia gets to 100% renewables by 2027, I'll kiss EihTooms' ass in the middle of Soi Cowboy at 10:00 PM on a Saturday night.

South Australia has the highest electricity prices in Australia, probably because it pushed renewables too hard. The wholesale price is almost twice Queensland's:

[URL]https://www.aer.gov.au/industry/wholesale/charts[/URL][/QUOTE] I think youre missing the bigger picture. Whether its 2027, 2028 or 2029, when they do meet their goal of %100 renewables, it will signal, a milestone and a monumental moment in Australian and world energy history and prove that you can have renewables as base load and beyond.

In my books, even if they are still at 3-5% LNG, being used as a peaker plant and part of their energy mix, for those rear summer peak demands moments, its still a huge WIN!

[QUOTE=Tiny 12;2984811]And in 2023, SA consumers were paying 0. 45 AUD per kilowatt hour, or $0. 30 USD per kilowatt hour.

[URL]https://www.bluettipower.com.au/blogs/home-backup/average-electricity-costs-per-kwh-by-state?srsltid=AfmBOoqqCxLyz1Vv4S9yV1PvVxbihb5LJZosQn1lp8-bELRHo-TfVGMz[/URL]

For comparison, in the Great State of Texas, I pay about $0. 13 USD per kilowatt hour.

And Texas, by the way, generates about 40% of its electricity from renewables and nuclear. [/QUOTE]

Not sure whats the deal is with Australian electricity prices in general, but Australia has for a long time ranked among the worlds top 10 countries with the highest residential electricity prices. So comparing it with Texas, isnt realistic.

Yeah, I remember, the winter storm, which struck Texas in Feb 2021. Where a seized up grid and frozen windmills, let wholesale electricity prices, spike up, to a ridiculous price of $9,000/MWh. Leaving residents, with electrical bills of $10-17K for just a few days worth of electricity. [i][b](...kkkk!).[/b][/i] So Texas is not without its hiccups!

Although, comparing SA with other Aussie states is fair, and their rates are the currently among highest in the country, when you take into account the cost/investment of transitioning to renewable energy, I would have thought, it'd be actually be higher than it is. Historically their rates have been higher then they are today. So while a bit high, it's only short term pain.

The higher rates, wont remain high, in the coming years. Couple that with their increased periods of negative rates, excess electricity sent to NEM and possible green hydrogen generation, theyll be more positive net gains to their flexible 100% renewable grid.

SA has turned the corner and are only using LNG as intermittent/peaker plant power sources. With regards to copycat state of Texas, nuclear is only 5-8%, and barely anything in the scheme things. While natural gas is still doing most of the heavy lifting, with wind, solar and batteries (SWB) as a very close second. It wont be long before copycat Texas follows places like SA and California, with SWB as the biggest part of their energy mix.

[QUOTE=Tiny 12;2984811]South Australia I believe has the largest onshore production of natural gas in Australia. Without that and natural gas fired power plants, SA would be reliant on coal for baseload electricity generation.[/QUOTE] SA, phased out coal in 2016, as I reported. Natural gas (LNG) is next!

[QUOTE=Tiny 12;2984811]The Dominican Republic doesn't have natural gas reserves. It has to import LNG and fuel oil, which are expensive, or use coal, which is dirty and emits more carbon than natural gas. Now this admittedly is a good argument for renewables for intermittent supply in the DR, like what Texas does. But they're just not going to cost effectively supply all base load and peak load requirements.

The Dominican Republic during parts of the year has lots of cloud cover. A hell of a lot more than sunny SA.[/QUOTE]Just repeating what I've already said doesn't do anything for your argument. Re-read my section on the [i]"Recap of the Dominican Republics Energy Mix:".[/i] And don't worry so much, today's solar will still generate a fair amount of power on those approx. 125-165 cloudy days in the DR. But again, from what I've gleaned about the DR, they'll need a mixture of solutions, from SWB, and maybe pumped hydro, offshore wind and offshore solar, perhaps.

[QUOTE=Tiny 12;2984811]Your cost numbers per MW hour above are screwed. Please note that $60100 per MW hour for coal would be $60.10 per kw hour. That's off by a factor of around 1000. The real number is around $60 per MW hour or $. 06 per kw hour.

And you're saying that the cost to generate electricity from coal is 20 X the cost from solar and 17 X the cost of wind? The cost of generating electricity with a conventional nuclear plant is 15 X more than with a small nuclear reactor? That's complete and total bollocks. [/QUOTE] What your looking at are LCOE project costs, in my report.

[QUOTE=Tiny 12;2984811]Then there's battery storage, which is essential in the tree hugger's pipe dream, which of course doesn't allow for base load electricity generation from nuclear. Cheerleaders for renewables understate the cost of storage. At some point the cost of battery storage may come down to where renewables can cost effectively supply base load electricity. But we're not there yet. And may never be in the USA (which admittedly doesn't preclude that from happening the DR) as long as the Democratic and Republican parties won't allow America to buy from China.[/QUOTE] [b]First,[/b] batteries are hardly ever paired with nuclear and suited with wind and solar. [b]Second,[/b] the cost for storage is dropping everyday, with alternatives like Na-Li batteries being even cheaper. [b]Third,[/b] when batteries are paired with S+W, the your LCOE, is better than buying them separately. [b]Fourth,[/b] consider, there are projects in the U.S. (Texas, Arizona) now bid $30-$40/MWh for solar + 4h storage (with subsidies) LCOE. Still w/o subsidies globally, your looking at LCOE of $70-$80/MWh SWB combos.

[b]Utility-Scale Solar, 2023 Edition: Empirical Trends in Deployment, Technology, Cost, Performance, PPA Pricing, and Value in the United States[/b]
[URL]https://emp.lbl.gov/publications/utility-scale-solar-2023-edition[/URL]

[QUOTE=Tiny 12;2984811]he biggest consideration for the DR is the cost. Californians can afford to pay out the ass for energy. People in the DR cannot. Leftist elites in the developed world should not try to force high priced renewable energy onto developing countries unless they are first willing to give up air conditioning. Because that's what they'd be doing to people in places like the DR and India who would have to pay prices for energy even higher than South Australians. Some will be lucky to afford electric lighting so their kids can study at night, let alone A/C.[/QUOTE] With an annual cost of [b]between $2.55 - $3.47 billion dollars[/b] to import and burn fossil fuels for electricity, is good enough reason to look for cheaper, sustainable alternatives.

I'm sure you love it, when your right-winger billionaire robber oil-n-gas barons, run roughshod over poor struggling emerging countries and would like nothing better than to see them continue to suckle on their oil rich nipples, for the next 15-20 years. But I don't think they can afford NOT to adopt a 15-20 plan, to tackle the ever increasing and rising costs of fossil fuels and provide energy independence for their secured future, if shown what's possible.

Hence way I think the SA's example will show many, what's possible!

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2985259]Well, why you are citing Britain not conducting elections during the WWII bomb attacks[/QUOTE]Maybe you need to read the 1st sentence in the 4th paragraph again, Britain did hold elections during WWII. And the 3rd sentence 4th paragraph, There were also numerous elections to fill in empty seats in parliament during the war.

And maybe you have heard of the cell phone and the internet?

[URL]https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/04/what-is-electronic-voting/[/URL]

Estonia was the first country in the world to use online voting in 2005. Last year, the European country held "the world's first mostly digital elections", with more electronic votes (51%) cast than paper votes (49%) for the first time.

In India, almost 1 million people will vote this year using e-voting machines at polling stations, according to Euronews.

Russia and Turkey are among other countries rolling out e-voting systems, while Norway and Mexico are allowing e-voting in this year's elections for citizens living abroad.

France has an online voting system, but this isn't used for national or local elections, according to data visualization specialist Statista.

Some areas of Switzerland are offering e-voting, reports news site SWI swissinfi. Ch.

End of link.

And as of now, Loony Tooms, Ukraine would have an election that is every Democratic douche's dream: one candidate, one party, and state run media.

Shame on USA with Trump lying about money sent to Ukraine, about 120 billions, less than what Europe sent, but now trying to rob 500 billions to poor Ukraine and sucking swallowing shameful dictator Putin, to make business with him, when he knows he lost for economics versus with far higher quality Europe and cheap China, with only his taxes to fight, so now trying to rob Ukraine. Just a shameful chicken robber, elected and representing USA, for so bad image. USA can t look great with so shameful Trump, twin with shameful Putin. I really wish Europe and Ukraine will resist to these 2 shameful.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2985330]Maybe you need to read the 1st sentence in the 4th paragraph again, Britain did hold elections during WWII. And the 3rd sentence 4th paragraph, There were also numerous elections to fill in empty seats in parliament during the war.

And maybe you have heard of the cell phone and the internet?

[URL]https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/04/what-is-electronic-voting/[/URL]

Estonia was the first country in the world to use online voting in 2005. Last year, the European country held "the world's first mostly digital elections", with more electronic votes (51%) cast than paper votes (49%) for the first time.

In India, almost 1 million people will vote this year using e-voting machines at polling stations, according to Euronews.

Russia and Turkey are among other countries rolling out e-voting systems, while Norway and Mexico are allowing e-voting in this year's elections for citizens living abroad.

France has an online voting system, but this isn't used for national or local elections, according to data visualization specialist Statista.

Some areas of Switzerland are offering e-voting, reports news site SWI swissinfi. Ch.

End of link.

And as of now, Loony Tooms, Ukraine would have an election that is every Democratic douche's dream: one candidate, one party, and state run media.[/QUOTE]Do you even understand what is stated in your own link?

It provides beatutiful substantiation, in context, for why Britain did not hold elections during WWII, when the country was being bombed by the Germans. Almost the exact same reason Ukraine has not held elections in Ukraine while Russia Russia Russia Russia is bombing Ukraine with the added bonus of experiencing a [B]Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine by Russia Russia Russia Russia[/B] that Britain was largely spared.

Come on, admit it; until you read my posts about this you have been so insulated inside the Winger MAGA mis- and dis-information bubble created by Russia Russia Russia Russia that you had no idea any part of Ukraine had been bombed by invading aggressor Russia Russia Russia Russia or that so much as a square meter of Ukraine had been invaded by Russia Russia Russia Russia, right?

Seriously. Admit it.

That is the only possible excuse for this truly bizarre MAGA lie you are desperately trying to float.

Tiny hasn't even come up with a link providing "opinions not subject to fact-checking" as proof that Ukraine has not once been struck by a bomb from Russia Russia Russia Russia or so much as had a single Russian soldier cross the borders into Ukraine in, oh, at least 3 years.

That is how far off you are from the truth.

And are you now seriiusly suggesting elections be held in Ukraine over the Internet the way they are only now trying to set up such systems in other countries that, oh lookie here, are NOT currently being bombed and experiencing a [B]Full-scale Invasion from Russia Russia Russia Russia[/B]?

Have you ever heard of "No Internet Available" or "No Wifi", "Please Try Again Later"? That can go on for days in some areas of USA today!

Sure, maybe Britain should have conducted elections over the telephone during WWII. I am sure there were intermittently working phone lines here and there throughout London, perhaps one working phone for every 6-7 Brits back then. Assuming the Germans didn't figure out what was going on and start targeting the telephone powerlines and interchanges throughout the country to drop a few bombs.

Ceratainly Russia Russia Russia Russia would never catch on about that Internet thingie. Even with President Elon Musk and his assistant Trump aiding and abetting them every bomb of the way. Ha.

Good lord.

The level of MAGA willful ignorance is just astonishing.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2985421]Shame on USA with Trump lying about money sent to Ukraine, about 120 billions, less than what Europe sent, but now trying to rob 500 billions to poor Ukraine and sucking swallowing shameful dictator Putin, to make business with him, when he knows he lost for economics versus with far higher quality Europe and cheap China, with only his taxes to fight, so now trying to rob Ukraine. Just a shameful chicken robber, elected and representing USA, for so bad image. USA can t look great with so shameful Trump, twin with shameful Putin. I really wish Europe and Ukraine will resist to these 2 shameful.[/QUOTE]So when are you going over to the Ukraine to volunteer your services fight for freedom? I am not going to hold my breath.

The truth is that it has been a bloodbath over there with no end in sight since the Russian invasion began under Joe Biden and this Russian invasion would never have happened in the 1st place if Trump had been President and not the brain addled Joey Biden.

I am very dubious as to whether Trump can actually pull off a real deal between Russia and the Ukraine, ie a lasting peace and an end to all hostilities, but he is thinking outside the box. The alternative is a continuance of the death and destruction for years & years & years. So, I am going to hold off my judgement of this until I see the results. Yes, it might be a no go and nothing comes of it, or it might be another Neville Chamberlain "peace in our times" piece of bull shit, or it just could be a lasting peace where Ukraine survives mostly intact and becomes a part of the European Economic Community (EEC). Who knows? But I am sure we will all find out pretty soon.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2984974]In your very first link regarding Zellenskyy declaring martial law and suspending elections, this is the all-important context we see IN that link you provided but Elvis would not:

See, this is why links matter. Oh, so sorry if providing context and substantiation is "tiresome" for the Trumpster MAGAs. Because they generally refute every lie Trumpster MAGAs need to spin.

I knew with 100% certainty that an ordinary link would provide the context that Elvis was avoiding like a vampire avoiding sunlight.

Without it, the liar was suggesting that Zellenskyy was somehow anti-democratic, maybe a Nazi dictator. FIVE Pinocchios. And FIVE for you too for supporting his Lie.

Oh look. It is simply that the country can not conduct a free, fair and legitimate election while Russa Russia Russia Russia is engaged in a [B]full-scale invasion of Ukraine[/B], nothing whatsoever to do with Zellenskyy being anti-democratic or a Nazi dictator. PUTIN is more responsible for suspending elections in Ukraine than Zellenskyy.

The rest of your links also illustrate why Elvis was lying with his out-of-context spin on it. And you too for defending him for it.[/QUOTE]When Trump doesn t respect USA constitution, Ukrainian constitution which is before Zelensky, tell: no election under war. Trump and Putin are just liar twins, when Putin is a international law criminal dictator and Trump sucking swallowing Putin to get new business with him and lying about money sent to Ukraine, when USA never protected USA, but he tries to rob Ukraine now.

Let's see if he can destroy the world in 1 year.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2984388]No, I do not "got it". Calling a car an EV when it has a combustion engine and a gas tank is pretty fucking stupid. I know you did not make this up yourself but that is a political definition not a real one. As for your praising BYD for not making ICE cars when they have engines and cars with gas tanks is likewise stupid and quite frankly is BS Democratic douche save the planet bullshit. [/QUOTE]

For you MAGA Luddites, still having trouble, keeping up the changing times and EV technology and terminology...listen up and pay attention!

Let me be clear, once again! When I (or any non-MAGA, with a lick of intelligence) talks about the classification of EVs and hybrids, [u][b]it means,[/b][/u] they fall under the broader classification of [b]"electrified vehicles"[/b], equipped with some form of electric propulsion.

[i][b]Got it...Good![/b][/i]

Oh, and BTW, when the term NEVs (or new energy vehicles) is used, this will refer to BEVs, PHEVs or FCEVs. If you have any further difficulties with auto vehicle nomenclature, may I suggest you take it up with whatever automotive governing bodies makes that call.

My apologies, if that was too much for MAGA Luddites to learn in one post! [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2984388]Mining for Lithium is good but mining for crude is bad? WTF is that? Well, someone finally put a pen to paper and looked at it, and the best cars in terms of pollution were not EVs but PHEVs, [URL]https://illuminem.com/illuminemvoices/why-plugin-hybrids-are-better-for-climate-than-full-evs-today[/URL].

That really shocked me.

Thing is the batteries in PHEVs are 1/6 the size of those in EVs. The batteries were only good for going 20 to 50 miles but now they have PHEVs that are up to 80 miles per charge. That is HUGE. The study estimates that people will use gasoline 30% of the time. If you can get 80 miles per charge, I bet you could do even better than that. [/QUOTE]
Hey, as much as that article was more of a Toyota propaganda piece, to sell more HEVs and PHEVs over BEVs, that's really fine and okay by me, if they can bamboozle enough buyers to believe them, like they're trying to do with their hydrogen cars (FCEVs) [i][b](...kkkk!).[/b][/i] Hey, the more EVs, the merrier, the smart consumers, will figure it out for themselves!

You should know, HEVs and PHEVs, are just gateway vehicles to BEVs anyways and are merely bicycles with training wheels. Soon enough, their owners will take-off the training wheels and graduate up to owning a BEV, once they see through all the bullshit about EVs, as they get better and cheaper every year.

[QUOTE=Sirioja;2985421]Shame on USA with Trump lying about money sent to Ukraine, about 120 billions, less than what Europe sent, but now trying to rob 500 billions to poor Ukraine and sucking swallowing shameful dictator Putin, to make business with him, when he knows he lost for economics versus with far higher quality Europe and cheap China, with only his taxes to fight, so now trying to rob Ukraine. Just a shameful chicken robber, elected and representing USA, for so bad image. USA can t look great with so shameful Trump, twin with shameful Putin. I really wish Europe and Ukraine will resist to these 2 shameful.[/QUOTE]That was an amazing moment, one of the most shameful in a long list of shameful Trump moments.

And I assume very, very few MAGAs will ever know about it. Or understand what happened even if they did ever hear about it on Fux News and the rest.

Or care even if they understood the full implications of it. If anything, love their America-hating lord and savior even more for it.

Which is exactly the premise on which con man Donald Trump operates. It is the reason he is a Repub and could never have run as a Dem. He operates on the premise that his supporters are astonishingly stupid and / or hate America as much if not more than he does.

Old fat con man Trump starts lying in public about the man who is sitting right there next to him. And since Trump has now abdicated the President of the United States' 80 plus year unchallenged position as The Leader of the Free World and has turned his job and the USA into a pathetic laughing stock of an anti-democratic wannabe dictatorship, Macron had ZERO qualms about sticking out his hand, grabbing that fat lying clown's arm and stopping his lie dead in its tracks, correcting him in mid sentence.

Fat lying Clown Trump seemed shocked by the move and then sat there like a snot-nosed 7 year old who just got his knuckles cracked with a ruler, rolling his eyes, but enduring it because he KNEW he was just busted on a huge, critically-important lie.

Then what is fat lying clown Trump's only way he can figure out to ease out of the most humiliating moment any POTUS in history has ever suffered in public on the world stage over such an all-important foreign policy matter and at the HAND of the now presumably real Leader of the Free World, the very man fat lying clown Trump was lying about?

He simply repeated the lie about the man!

What the hell else does he know about how to deal with any and every issue that his golfing is interrupted for him to deal with? LIE, of course.

And every World Leader on the Planet, even the ones from countries Trump would denigrate as "sh*thole countries", knew he was lying and watched him lying about it. Twice. And they now fully understand how shamefully, historically low the once-great USA has fallen in just one month.

For any real American patriot, it was nauseating to watch as well as for anyone else in the world who ever revered and looked up to America or at least the idea of America as a symbol and embodiment of whatever good might be achieved in this world.

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2985451]So when are you going over to the Ukraine to volunteer your services fight for freedom? I am not going to hold my breath.

The truth is that it has been a bloodbath over there with no end in sight since the Russian invasion began under Joe Biden and this Russian invasion would never have happened in the 1st place if Trump had been President and not the brain addled Joey Biden.

I am very dubious as to whether Trump can actually pull off a real deal between Russia and the Ukraine, ie a lasting peace and an end to all hostilities, but he is thinking outside the box. The alternative is a continuance of the death and destruction for years & years & years. So, I am going to hold off my judgement of this until I see the results. Yes, it might be a no go and nothing comes of it, or it might be another Neville Chamberlain "peace in our times" piece of bull shit, or it just could be a lasting peace where Ukraine survives mostly intact and becomes a part of the European Economic Community (EEC). Who knows? But I am sure we will all find out pretty soon.[/QUOTE]Great post. I'm more hopeful than you are Axel, that an end to death and destruction is in sight. Trump, while being firm, improved relations with Russia and North Korea by developing a relationship with their leaders. I suspect you're right, the war in Ukraine wouldn't have kicked off under a Trump presidency. From memory, North Korea ceased medium and long range ballistic missile tests after Trump improved relations, only to start them up again under Biden. I may have problems with Trump's tariffs and what he tried to pull after the 2020 election. But he did a great job with Russia and North Korea.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2985319]I think youre missing the bigger picture. Whether its 2027, 2028 or 2029, when they do meet their goal of %100 renewables, it will signal, a milestone and a monumental moment in Australian and world energy history and prove that you can have renewables as base load and beyond.

In my books, even if they are still at 3-5% LNG, being used as a peaker plant and part of their energy mix, for those rear summer peak demands moments, its still a huge WIN!



Not sure whats the deal is with Australian electricity prices in general, but Australia has for a long time ranked among the worlds top 10 countries with the highest residential electricity prices. So comparing it with Texas, isnt realistic.

Yeah, I remember, the winter storm, which struck Texas in Feb 2021. Where a seized up grid and frozen windmills, let wholesale electricity prices, spike up, to a ridiculous price of $9,000/MWh. Leaving residents, with electrical bills of $10-17K for just a few days worth of electricity. [i][b](...kkkk!).[/b][/i] So Texas is not without its hiccups!

Although, comparing SA with other Aussie states is fair, and their rates are the currently among highest in the country, when you take into account the cost/investment of transitioning to renewable energy, I would have thought, it'd be actually be higher than it is. Historically their rates have been higher then they are today. So while a bit high, it's only short term pain.

The higher rates, wont remain high, in the coming years. Couple that with their increased periods of negative rates, excess electricity sent to NEM and possible green hydrogen generation, theyll be more positive net gains to their flexible 100% renewable grid.

SA has turned the corner and are only using LNG as intermittent/peaker plant power sources. With regards to copycat state of Texas, nuclear is only 5-8%, and barely anything in the scheme things. While natural gas is still doing most of the heavy lifting, with wind, solar and batteries (SWB) as a very close second. It wont be long before copycat Texas follows places like SA and California, with SWB as the biggest part of their energy mix.

SA, phased out coal in 2016, as I reported. Natural gas (LNG) is next!

Just repeating what I've already said doesn't do anything for your argument. Re-read my section on the [i]"Recap of the Dominican Republics Energy Mix:".[/i] And don't worry so much, today's solar will still generate a fair amount of power on those approx. 125-165 cloudy days in the DR. But again, from what I've gleaned about the DR, they'll need a mixture of solutions, from SWB, and maybe pumped hydro, offshore wind and offshore solar, perhaps.

What your looking at are LCOE project costs, in my report.

[b]First,[/b] batteries are hardly ever paired with nuclear and suited with wind and solar. [b]Second,[/b] the cost for storage is dropping everyday, with alternatives like Na-Li batteries being even cheaper. [b]Third,[/b] when batteries are paired with S+W, the your LCOE, is better than buying them separately. [b]Fourth,[/b] consider, there are projects in the U.S. (Texas, Arizona) now bid $30-$40/MWh for solar + 4h storage (with subsidies) LCOE. Still w/o subsidies globally, your looking at LCOE of $70-$80/MWh SWB combos.

[b]Utility-Scale Solar, 2023 Edition: Empirical Trends in Deployment, Technology, Cost, Performance, PPA Pricing, and Value in the United States[/b]
[URL]https://emp.lbl.gov/publications/utility-scale-solar-2023-edition[/URL]

With an annual cost of [b]between $2.55 - $3.47 billion dollars[/b] to import and burn fossil fuels for electricity, is good enough reason to look for cheaper, sustainable alternatives.

I'm sure you love it, when your right-winger billionaire robber oil-n-gas barons, run roughshod over poor struggling emerging countries and would like nothing better than to see them continue to suckle on their oil rich nipples, for the next 15-20 years. But I don't think they can afford NOT to adopt a 15-20 plan, to tackle the ever increasing and rising costs of fossil fuels and provide energy independence for their secured future, if shown what's possible.

Hence way I think the SA's example will show many, what's possible![/QUOTE]Spidy, you could simply say you made a mistake, and draw my attention to your much more realistic, revised LCOE numbers. It's only by a fluke that I noticed you apparently got the moderator to change your original post, to change the LCOE's per megawatt hour.

Again, I believe South Australia has the largest onshore natural gas production on the continent. I haven't checked that in a while though. The natural gas they use to generate power would be transported by pipeline from the Moomba Gas Plant in northern South Australia to Adelaide, and maybe they get a little pipeline gas from Victoria. The cost of generating electricity from natural gas transported by pipeline, especially with new combined cycle plants, is much cheaper than using LNG. Your post conveniently omitted LCOE ranges for combined cycle natural gas power plants.

No doubt South Australia may by 2027 produce more electricity from renewables than it consumes. The state has some very sunny and windy places. It will however export the excess electricity, and continue to generate a substantial part of its electricity with reliable natural gas.

And if the state mandates "no more electricity from natural gas", then no doubt South Australia may, say, generate electricity from renewables in excess of its consumption, while importing, say, 25% of its needs from Victoria, produced there by coal fired power plants.

While I won't make any wager involving kissing EihTooms ass in 2050, given that unfortunately he will have either passed away or have a disgusting looking ass by then, I would bet that SA will still be consuming natural gas in 2050.

As to your cost estimates for electricity with 4 to 12 hour battery storage, I suspect they're low. And also suspect there are periods much longer then 12 hours in the DR when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow much. The DR doesn't have the ability to import electricity from a neighboring country, like SA does from Victoria.

As to your next-to-last paragraph, if renewables were the be all and end all, then why are they still constructing coal fired plants in India, China and many other countries? The air quality in cities in those countries sucks big time, and would benefit from less coal. But because of the economic reality they continue with coal. Are people in those countries stupid?

You've got things reversed. If the rich world somehow imposes renewable energy on developing countries without paying for it, people are going to suffer worse lives than they would otherwise. So called "robber oil and gas barons" are not imposing their will on poor countries. Rather, economic reality causes them to make the choices they do. That reality will result in greater consumption of renewables, but the world is not going to abandon fossil fuels for a long while.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2984786][URL]https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-pushes-out-top-us-general-nominates-retired-three-star-2025-02-22/[/URL]

Trump fired a Black Four Star General as the top military official in the United States of America and replaced him with a White 3 Star General.[/QUOTE]The pro-Trump Wall Street Journal Editorial Board agrees with you. An excerpt from what they wrote a couple of days ago:

As Commander in Chief, President Trump has the power to fire and promote military advisers as he chooses. The question that occurs after his Friday evening purge of Pentagon leaders is whether he wants personal loyalty or honest military counsel.

Mr. Trump and Defense chief Pete Hegseth relieved six officers of duty, including chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). Other Presidents have sacked military leaders, notably Barack Obama's decision to dismiss Stanley McChrystal after a magazine reported that he had made critical comments about Mr. Obama.

Such dismissals usually come with a specific reason or performance failure. Messrs. Trump and Hegseth offered no reason for Friday's purge, except for a general assertion that they will make choices based only on merit and war-fighting ability.

In that case firing CQ Brown as chairman of the joint chiefs is unfortunate. Air Force Gen. Brown's legacy includes his 2020 document "Accelerate Change or Lose," warning that air dominance isn't an American birthright and the force would have to change quickly or risk defeat in the next war.

He understands the challenge from China and has thought about how to defeat it, arguing for more modern equipment and embracing new tech. He didn't get as far as the Air Force needs but at least he was pushing. He also cut a low political profile as chairman, a welcome improvement over his press-hungry predecessor, Gen. Mark Milley.

[URL]https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-sweeps-out-bidens-officers-his-purge-of-generals-targets-dei-but-there-is-a-bigger-issue-09b1e02e?mod=Searchresults_pos4&page=1[/URL]

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2985423]
The level of MAGA willful ignorance is just astonishing.[/QUOTE]So what do you propose? Send USA Or NATO troops to Ukraine? Get into a nuclear war? Because those are the only ways Russia gives up the territory it's occupying. At least Trump is promoting peace, instead of war "to the last Ukrainian. ".

[QUOTE=AxelHeyst;2985451]So when are you going over to the Ukraine to volunteer your services fight for freedom? I am not going to hold my breath.

The truth is that it has been a bloodbath over there with no end in sight since the Russian invasion began under Joe Biden and this Russian invasion would never have happened in the 1st place if Trump had been President and not the brain addled Joey Biden.

I am very dubious as to whether Trump can actually pull off a real deal between Russia and the Ukraine, ie a lasting peace and an end to all hostilities, but he is thinking outside the box. The alternative is a continuance of the death and destruction for years & years & years. So, I am going to hold off my judgement of this until I see the results. Yes, it might be a no go and nothing comes of it, or it might be another Neville Chamberlain "peace in our times" piece of bull shit, or it just could be a lasting peace where Ukraine survives mostly intact and becomes a part of the European Economic Community (EEC). Who knows? But I am sure we will all find out pretty soon.[/QUOTE]Trump is friend with Putin who has photos of him with prostitutes, and USA didn't protect Ukraine. I agree too many deaths, but Ukraine don t have to accept to be robbed lands by Putin and values by Trump, when both are liar and chicken robbers. We all know Putin is a shameful dictator, but also so bad image for USA.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2985423]Do you even understand what is stated in your own link?

It provides beatutiful substantiation, in context, for why Britain did not hold elections during WWII, when the country was being bombed by the Germans. Almost the exact same reason Ukraine has not held elections in Ukraine while Russia Russia Russia Russia is bombing Ukraine with the added bonus of experiencing a Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine by Russia Russia Russia Russia that Britain was largely spared.[/QUOTE]Since you did not get the election point, the UK still had elections, I guess it just goes over your head that Churchill did not ban the free press not did he dissolve the other political parties. In addition, it may have gone over your head that the Russians have brought up Zelensky not being a duly elected president. They would likely agree to not bomb for a day if asked if Ukraine did likewise.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2985423]Come on, admit it; until you read my posts about this you have been so insulated inside the Winger MAGA mis- and dis-information bubble created by Russia Russia Russia Russia that you had no idea any part of Ukraine had been bombed by invading aggressor Russia Russia Russia Russia or that so much as a square meter of Ukraine had been invaded by Russia Russia Russia Russia, right?[/QUOTE]Loony Tooms, those things that you hear in your brain are not my thoughts, they are voices. You really need to get treated for schizophrenia.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2985491]For you MAGA Luddites, still having trouble, keeping up the changing times and EV technology and terminology...listen up and pay attention!

Let me be clear, once again! When I (or any non-MAGA, with a lick of intelligence) talks about the classification of EVs and hybrids, it means, they fall under the broader classification of "electrified vehicles", equipped with some form of electric propulsion. ![/QUOTE]So when someone gets a car with a combustion engine and an electrical power train, you and the other leftoids take credit for saving the planet when the person uses the combustion engine 90+% of the time and dole out tax subsidies at the same rate as someone using a pure electrical vehicle? And that is your version of intelligence? Yeah, that sounds about right.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2985491]You should know hybrids are just gateway vehicles to electrical vehicles anyways and are merely bicycles with training wheels. Soon enough, their owners will take-off the training wheels and graduate up to owning a electric vehicle, once they see through all the bullshit. [/QUOTE]These are sales of BYD's car, the Han.

Year China.

Han hybrid Han EV Total.

2020 11,783 28,773 40,556.

2021 30,476 87,189 117,665.

2022 128,524 143,938 272,462.

2023 121,859 105,887 227,746.

2024 141,284 87,429 228,713.

This data just so happens to be the opposite of what you are saying Spidy.

And is this just the Han? Uh no.

[URL]https://www.carscoops.com/2023/11/demand-for-chinese-phevs-and-extended-range-hybrids-is-growing-faster-than-bevs/[/URL]

It's little surprise then that sales of hybrids grew by 72% during the January-September 2023. To put these figures into perspective, electrical vehicles sales in sale have 'only' grown by 14% this year. Last I checked, 72 is greater than 14.

As for why, there is the cost: In most markets, hybrids are sold at a premium over ordinary internal combustion engine vehicles but that's not the case in China. In fact, some hybrids are cheaper than standard gasoline models and upwards of 23% cheaper than battery-electric vehicles.

Uh, Spidy, why are people going to spend 23% more on a car? Because you say so?

If you are taking solace in Bloomberg Finanical though, Spidy, I would not. Sure they project "battery-electrics still account for the bulk of global plug-in vehicle sales, but the hybrid share is higher than in last year's outlook, and they stay around for longer, peaking at 10% of the global vehicle market in 2030 before falling back as battery prices drop further. " Source: [URL]https://about.bnef.com/blog/tracking-the-revival-of-plug-in-hybrids[/URL].

What they failed to project is the tremendous continued decline in the price of hybrids. In the graph on their report, hybrids are more expensive than pure electric vehicles and within just the last two years, that trend has totally changed.

So as for now as a leftoid, you got "emission free" electrical vehicles running on gasoline with batteries charged by coal plants. That is not good. Your only case for clean air is if people use the batteries more often than gasoline.

And things do not look good there either, from Bloomberg, For private car buyers, studies found a range of 26% to 54% of all kilometers driven in PHEVs were done in electric mode. For company cars, the story is much worse, with the electric drivetrain accounting for just 11% to 24% of total mileage.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2985517]That was an amazing moment, one of the most shameful in a long list of shameful Trump moments.

And I assume very, very few MAGAs will ever know about it. Or understand what happened even if they did ever hear about it on Fux News and the rest.

Or care even if they understood the full implications of it. If anything, love their America-hating lord and savior even more for it.

Which is exactly the premise on which con man Donald Trump operates. It is the reason he is a Repub and could never have run as a Dem. He operates on the premise that his supporters are astonishingly stupid and / or hate America as much if not more than he does.

Old fat con man Trump starts lying in public about the man who is sitting right there next to him. And since Trump has now abdicated the President of the United States' 80 plus year unchallenged position as The Leader of the Free World and has turned his job and the USA into a pathetic laughing stock of an anti-democratic wannabe dictatorship, Macron had ZERO qualms about sticking out his hand, grabbing that fat lying clown's arm and stopping his lie dead in its tracks, correcting him in mid sentence.

Fat lying Clown Trump seemed shocked by the move and then sat there like a snot-nosed 7 year old who just got his knuckles cracked with a ruler, rolling his eyes, but enduring it because he KNEW he was just busted on a huge, critically-important lie.

Then what is fat lying clown Trump's only way he can figure out to ease out of the most humiliating moment any POTUS in history has ever suffered in public on the world stage over such an all-important foreign policy matter and at the HAND of the now presumably real Leader of the Free World, the very man fat lying clown Trump was lying about?

He simply repeated the lie about the man!

What the hell else does he know about how to deal with any and every issue that his golfing is interrupted for him to deal with? LIE, of course.

And every World Leader on the Planet, even the ones from countries Trump would denigrate as "sh*thole countries", knew he was lying and watched him lying about it. Twice. And they now fully understand how shamefully, historically low the once-great USA has fallen in just one month.

For any real American patriot, it was nauseating to watch as well as for anyone else in the world who ever revered and looked up to America or at least the idea of America as a symbol and embodiment of whatever good might be achieved in this world.[/QUOTE]Politicians lie a lot. Trump lies more than most politicians. Get over it.

If he helps end this stupid war then maybe, just maybe, he'll get the Nobel Peace Prize! Wouldn't that be the cat's meow!

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985531]So what do you propose? Send USA Or NATO troops to Ukraine? Get into a nuclear war? Because those are the only ways Russia gives up the territory it's occupying. At least Trump is promoting peace, instead of war "to the last Ukrainian. ".[/QUOTE]If someone walks up to me and tells me I am going to fuck you in the ass. I am going to tell them the only way you are going to fuck me the ass is after you have killed me.

The United States of America has no moral standing to decide if a man should bend over and take it or fight to the death. It's easy to type on a keyboard. Who among us have stood against an armed opponent that intends to cause you death or serious bodily harm?

[B]Why are you willing to tell another man he should bend over and take it[/B]?

If the [B]Ukraine[/B] wants to continue to fight and all we are doing is shipping arms because we have no [I]boots on the ground[/I] exactly what is the problem?

Your arguments have not won me over. But I am newly converted EV fan. Why? Because I got picked up in a BYD for a Bolt Trip here in Pattaya, Thailand. The vehicle was amazing! It was like a [I]magic carpet ride[/I]. So quiet. I has a great conversation with the driver. She has a charging station in her house and it takes about 6 hours to charge her vehicle each night. She says that if she has a long trip to let's say Bangkok, she will have to hit a charging station for about 1 hour. Torque is sublime. The power came on smooth and study with no increase in interior noise as the vehicle sped up. Fit and finish was remarkable. I would buy one just from the ride in it. In my opinion the days of ICEs are numbered.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2985491]For you MAGA Luddites, still having trouble, keeping up the changing times and EV technology and terminology...listen up and pay attention!

Let me be clear, once again! When I (or any non-MAGA, with a lick of intelligence) talks about the classification of EVs and hybrids, [u][b]it means,[/b][/u] they fall under the broader classification of [b]"electrified vehicles"[/b], equipped with some form of electric propulsion.

[i][b]Got it...Good![/b][/i]

Oh, and BTW, when the term NEVs (or new energy vehicles) is used, this will refer to BEVs, PHEVs or FCEVs. If you have any further difficulties with auto vehicle nomenclature, may I suggest you take it up with whatever automotive governing bodies makes that call.

My apologies, if that was too much for MAGA Luddites to learn in one post! [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]


Hey, as much as that article was more of a Toyota propaganda piece, to sell more HEVs and PHEVs over BEVs, that's really fine and okay by me, if they can bamboozle enough buyers to believe them, like they're trying to do with their hydrogen cars (FCEVs) [i][b](...kkkk!).[/b][/i] Hey, the more EVs, the merrier, the smart consumers, will figure it out for themselves!

You should know, HEVs and PHEVs, are just gateway vehicles to BEVs anyways and are merely bicycles with training wheels. Soon enough, their owners will take-off the training wheels and graduate up to owning a BEV, once they see through all the bullshit about EVs, as they get better and cheaper every year.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985571]Politicians lie a lot. Trump lies more than most politicians. Get over it.

If he helps end this stupid war then maybe, just maybe, he'll get the Nobel Peace Prize! Wouldn't that be the cat's meow![/QUOTE]I got over Repub politicians lying in order to further their War Against America during Reagan's 1st term.

Still, I do think it is a wee bit newsy and worth a mention that the current POTUS just sided with Russia Russia Russia Russia, Xi, Kim and a whole bunch of anti-democratic dictators and against Western Democratic Allies on an issue of who invaded who in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Yeah, he'll get the Nobel Peace Prize for preemptively surrendering everything to a murderous dictator on behalf of the country he invaded after Newd Grinbitch wins the Nobel Prize in Economics for doing everything in his power to thwart and reverse the Great Dem / Clinton Economic Recovery, Expansion and Trajectory to a Balanced and Surplus Budget without a single Repub vote for it that began months if not a year before Grinbitch or any other Repub controlled so much as a committe much less a house in Congress.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985531]So what do you propose? Send USA Or NATO troops to Ukraine? Get into a nuclear war? Because those are the only ways Russia gives up the territory it's occupying. At least Trump is promoting peace, instead of war "to the last Ukrainian. ".[/QUOTE]So your and fat lying clown Trump's only conceivable solution to the end of Russia's aggression and a settlement in the war is to have him and his idiotic Secreatary of Defense start out by giving Russia Russia Russia Russia everything Putin wants, concede nothing to the country he invaded, demand that country give up their mineral resources to fat lying clown Trump and just shut up about the former Leader of the Free World characterizing him, the target and victim of the invasion, as a "dictator" and the one who started the war?

Brilliant. Why didn't Biden think of that? What a magnificent negotiator that fat clown liar Trump is!

Because, most certainly when one does that there is no way a murderous dictator thug like Putin would ever think of moving his juggernaut of world dominance one inch beyond Ukraine. Just as it never occurred to him to move one inch beyond Georgia after he invaded them under GW Bush.

Russia was not going to continue that war forever. Those troops were barely hanging on to any resolve to continue with only the prospect that Putin's #1 Useful Fat Lying Clown in the Western World, Trump, might squeak out another razor-thin win last November as a hope.

And even Trump-glorified God's like Putin don't live forever.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985571]Politicians lie a lot. Trump lies more than most politicians. Get over it.

If he helps end this stupid war then maybe, just maybe, he'll get the Nobel Peace Prize! Wouldn't that be the cat's meow![/QUOTE]Trump does' t care about war and deaths and he doesn't protect Ukraine, but want to rob them and make business with his friend Putin, when he knows he lose for business versus better quality Europe and cheap China, so he just tries to find money elsewhere, robbering poor Ukraine, lying about money given, to ask more. A liar chicken robber for USA image in front of the world who know now. I wish Ukraine who defend their lands and freedom will resist to be robbed by shameful twins.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985571]Politicians lie a lot. Trump lies more than most politicians. Get over it.[/QUOTE]I do not think you can say people with dementia can lie nor can people who are asleep, so I think it is safe to say that Biden lied less than Trump.

Of course, if the Democrats elected Biden who was pretty much brain dead, maybe they can use AI and special effects imagery and elect someone who IS actually dead next time. I was thinking about the recently deceased Democratic presidents to choose from and lord knows I would pick a dead JFK over a live Kamala any day.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985519]Great post. I'm more hopeful than you are Axel, that an end to death and destruction is in sight. Trump, while being firm, improved relations with Russia and North Korea by developing a relationship with their leaders. I suspect you're right, the war in Ukraine wouldn't have kicked off under a Trump presidency. From memory, North Korea ceased medium and long range ballistic missile tests after Trump improved relations, only to start them up again under Biden. I may have problems with Trump's tariffs and what he tried to pull after the 2020 election. But he did a great job with Russia and North Korea.[/QUOTE]Yeah right Trump accomplished a lot with Russia and North Korea. LOL.

Those two nations are still and will always be run be dictators who poison or murder anyone who questions their "leadership. " Does that sound like American values to you? Reagan must be spinning in his grave!

[QUOTE=KeviKev68;2985627]Yeah right Trump accomplshed a lot with Russia and North Korea. LOL.

Those two nations are still and will always be run be dictators who poison or murder anyone who questions their "leadership. " Does that sound like American values to you? Reagan must be spinning in his grave![/QUOTE]Trump appeases Russia, North Korea and China while stabbing Ukraine and the rest of Europe in the back along with Canada, Mexico and any other American allies he can find.

This is not "peacemaking". This is switching sides from the side promoting peaceful relations, democracy and democratic values to the side of bullying, murderous, anti-democratic, imperialist, authoritarian thugs.

I think the appropriate words are Scammers and Liars:

[B]DOGE Secretly Changes Its Website After Being Caught in Huge Lies[/B]

[URL]https://www.yahoo.com/news/doge-secretly-changes-website-being-203001406.html[/URL]

[QUOTE]DOGE deleted the top five highest savings claims on its wall of receipts leaderboard after various news outlets pointed out multiple errors in its calculations, The New York Times David Fahrenthold reported Tuesday.

The savings, deleted with no explanation from DOGE or the White House, include: a $232 million cut to the Social Security Administration that actually amounted to only $560,000; an $8 billion cut at Immigration and Customs Enforcement that was actually only $8 million; and three $655 million cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development that ended up being a measly $18 million. These mistakes all seem to be completely avoidable human errors.

The bottom of DOGEs savings list reads: Scoreboard normalized to agency size and budget.

"This is a preliminary leaderboard, and there will likely be some initial mistakes in the relative rankings.

DOGE had claimed earlier this week that it has saved $65 billion thanks to all of its cuts. Its website still boasts this number, despite the recently deleted claims.[/QUOTE][B]Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by Musks DOGE are expected to produce no savings.[/B]

[URL]https://apnews.com/article/doge-federal-contracts-canceled-musk-trump-cuts-a65976a725412934ad686389889db0df[/URL]

[QUOTE]Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that President Donald Trumps administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program arent expected to save the government any money, the administrations own data shows.

The Department of Government Efficiency, run by Trump adviser Elon Musk, published an updated list Monday of nearly 2,300 contracts that agencies terminated in recent weeks across the federal government. Data published on DOGEs Wall of Receipts shows that more than one-third of the contract cancellations, 794 in all, are expected to yield no savings.

Thats usually because the total value of the contracts has already been fully obligated, which means the government has a legal requirement to spend the funds for the goods or services it purchased and in many cases has already done so.

"Its like confiscating used ammunition after its been shot when theres nothing left in it. It doesnt accomplish any policy objective, said Charles Tiefer, a retired University of Baltimore law professor and expert on government contracting law. Their terminating so many contracts pointlessly obviously doesnt accomplish anything for saving money.[/QUOTE]President Musk might be the richest really stupid man that ever lived or ever will live.

The end result of this is so predictable:

Rather than saving American tax-payers money it will only create chaos, confusion, uncertainty, wipe out jobs that generate revenue, trigger $Billions in wrongful termination lawsuits and court costs and skyrocket Trump's deficits even higher.

Or, what MAGAs and their Russian bot script-writers call, "The Best Month In Four Years"!

[QUOTE=KeviKev68;2985627]Yeah right Trump accomplshed a lot with Russia and North Korea. LOL.

Those two nations are still and will always be run be dictators who poison or murder anyone who questions their "leadership. " Does that sound like American values to you? Reagan must be spinning in his grave![/QUOTE]LOL, does anyone remember how he defeated North Korea in 2018?

[QUOTE]President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that the North Korean regime no longer poses a nuclear threat following his summit with Kim Jong Un, even though the meeting produced no verifiable proof that the rogue regime will discontinue its nuclear program.

Just landed - a long trip, but [b]everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office, Trump tweeted as he arrived back in Washington. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea.[/b]

Trump also said that his meeting with Kim was an interesting and very positive experience and that North Korea has great potential for the future!

Trump also said in a separate tweet that North Korea is no longer the US biggest and most dangerous problem, telling [b]Americans and the rest of the world they can sleep well tonight![/b][/QUOTE]And how he fell in love with one of the bloodiest dictators on earth?

[QUOTE]"I was really being tough - and so was he. And we would go back and forth," Trump told a rally in West Virginia. "And then we fell in love, okay? No, really - he wrote me beautiful letters, and they're great letters," he said.[/QUOTE]And how he sold down his long-term ally down the river?

[QUOTE]After returning to the White House Wednesday, Trump also defended his decision to halt the joint military exercises with South Korea, which he called war games a term used by Pyongyang arguing on Twitter that the US will save a fortune.

After returning to the White House Wednesday, Trump also defended his decision to halt the joint military exercises with South Korea, which he called war games a term used by Pyongyang arguing on Twitter that the US will save a fortune.[/QUOTE][URL]https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/13/politics/trump-north-korea-nuclear-threat/index.html[/URL]

[URL]https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/13/politics/trump-north-korea-nuclear-threat/index.html[/URL]

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985526]As to your next-to-last paragraph, if renewables were the be all and end all, then why are they still constructing coal fired plants in India, China and many other countries? The air quality in cities in those countries sucks big time, and would benefit from less coal. But because of the economic reality they continue with coal. Are people in those countries stupid?

You've got things reversed. If the rich world somehow imposes renewable energy on developing countries without paying for it, people are going to suffer worse lives than they would otherwise. So called "robber oil and gas barons" are not imposing their will on poor countries. Rather, economic reality causes them to make the choices they do. That reality will result in greater consumption of renewables, but the world is not going to abandon fossil fuels for a long while.[/QUOTE]Yeah, the problem with Democratic douches is how snide and arrogant they are. To me, if you show people cool and affordable things they will get them on their own. When an EV is shoved down your throat by a rental car company, people like myself rebel, [URL]https://www.loopit.co/en-us/blog/rental-car-companies-breaking-up-evs-subscription-rekindle-spark[/URL]. So rental car companies are turned off of EVs because their customers are.

Now when I post links, I know people do not click on them, but Tiny, trust me, you will want to see this. This is the most luxurious vehicle I have ever seen, and it is $55 to $60,000. As someone said, if it had a toilet, you would not need a house. [URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEEhBFe03gY[/URL].

And we do not have this in the USA? Why? Why do Russia and China have this and we do not? Aren't we supposed to be so much better than them at everything?

I do not want an EV. I want this Li L9 PHEV SUV! Are you fucking kidding me?

I was thinking about plugging this thing in to your outlet, but if you are in Texas, you could buy solar panel with a battery storage unit for a few thousand, and 90% of your driving would be free. If you need to road trip, the thing has 900 miles of range per tank of gas and has 4 WD.

If EVs are better, why did they need a subsidy? Why do we need to upgrade the infrastructure of fueling on the road and in our homes for EVs? That makes no sense when a vehicle like this is ready to go right now and works on our existing infrastructure.

So we got these subsidies on EVs and tariffs on the Li L9. How fucked up is that?

I think almost every family in America would buy this SUV at this price point if they could. It is the coolest vehicle I have ever seen in my life.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985526]Spidy, you could simply say you made a mistake, and draw my attention to your much more realistic, revised LCOE numbers. It's only by a fluke that [b]I noticed you apparently got the moderator to change your original post,[/b] to change the LCOE's per megawatt hour. [/QUOTE]Tiny 12, yet ANOTHER backhanded way for you to come up with, just to say you were WRONG! [I][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/I].

Your problem and the trouble with you is, that you never take the time, needed to read and understand what I've posted. But instead you blindly rush in and interject your arrogance, to what you think is right. And time and time again, your narcissistic arrogance, has been shut down. Fine, by me, if you have brain farts and want to keep tripping over your tongue!

But, before you go making wild false accusations, allow me to educate you on how Admin edits work. As any ISGer worth their salt knows, that [U]when Admin changes a post, they'll have a stamped note at the end of the post indicating they've made a change.[/U].

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985526]Again, I believe South Australia has the largest onshore natural gas production on the continent. I haven't checked that in a while though. The natural gas they use to generate power would be transported by pipeline from the Moomba Gas Plant in northern South Australia to Adelaide, and maybe they get a little pipeline gas from Victoria. The cost of generating electricity from natural gas transported by pipeline, especially with new combined cycle plants, is much cheaper than using LNG. Your post conveniently omitted LCOE ranges for combined cycle natural gas power plants. ...

As to your cost estimates for electricity with 4 to 12 hour battery storage, I suspect they're low. And also suspect there are periods much longer then 12 hours in the DR when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow much. The DR doesn't have the ability to import electricity from a neighboring country, like SA does from Victoria. [/QUOTE]Again if you'd bothered to read, what I posted, you'll note [B]the links[/B] of LCOE's in the section, [B][i]"LCOE Sources for 2023 or 2024:"[/i][/B], are NOT MY estimates and all came from U.S. and International energy agencies. So take it up with them smart ass!

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985526]No doubt South Australia may by 2027 produce more electricity from renewables than it consumes. The state has some very sunny and windy places. It will however export the excess electricity, and continue to generate a substantial part of its electricity with reliable natural gas.

And if the state mandates "no more electricity from natural gas", then no doubt South Australia may, say, generate electricity from renewables in excess of its consumption, while importing, say, 25% of its needs from Victoria, produced there by coal fired power plants.[/QUOTE]Hey you're allowed to doubt whatever the fuck you want, I'll give you that!

But I've provided evidence that says otherwise. So try providing, a better set of arguments than your weakass doubts and maybe then we'll have a debate, on whether SA is producing more electricity and negative electricity prices, than what [I][b]"your doubts" [/b][/I] are telling you.

Ahh!...This is really getting tedious! Once again if you had REALLY READ, what I wrote, you'll note where I included, [I][b]"South Australia's Energy Mix: [/b][/I] (here: [URL]http://www.internationalsexguide.nl/forum/showthread.php?2467-American-Politics&p=2984800&viewfull=1#post2984800[/URL]).

[U]So no need for wild speculation of 25%.[/U] Currently SA, only takes a tiny 2-5% from Victoria through NEM. SA, is consistently YoY, growing out their grid with renewables, hence less and less reliance on coal, nat. Gas and NEM.

If you're going to wildly speculate, like you love to do, provide better facts, data or evidence.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985526]As to your next-to-last paragraph, if renewables were the be all and end all, then why are they still constructing coal fired plants in India, China and many other countries? The air quality in cities in those countries sucks big time, and would benefit from less coal. But because of the economic reality they continue with coal. Are people in those countries stupid? [/QUOTE]Can't speak to India, but the air quality in most large Chinese cites, is on par or better per capita, than most USA cities like N.Y.

You should also note, that not only the air, but the noise pollution, in many of the large Chinese cities, is better than that of the U.S.

The coal argument is a fair one, but it is losing it's effectiveness, as many reports have China being at peak coal in 2024 and leveling off and declining going forward. Not sure I believe the pundits, either, but we'll see.

Now again, the coal argument is IMHO, weak, because you can hardly blame countries like China, India and others for [B]using what they have in abundance[/B] to power their industries. Besides, isn't that exactly what the USA Is doing with an abundance of natural gas (LNG and coal), under the wrongheaded Pickens Plan, to reduce American dependence on imported oil?

After all, Tiny 12, the USA And Europe, have had decades long head start, of unfettered polluting with coal, decades prior to any such 2015 Paris Agreements.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985526]You've got things reversed. If the rich world somehow imposes renewable energy on developing countries without paying for it, people are going to suffer worse lives than they would otherwise. So called "robber oil and gas barons" are not imposing their will on poor countries. Rather, economic reality causes them to make the choices they do. That reality will result in greater consumption of renewables, but the world is not going to abandon fossil fuels for a long while.[/QUOTE]I reject your premises!

The way I see it, the DR are already spending [I](or should I say, flushing down the toilet) [b]$2.55 - $3.47 billion annually,[/b][/I] to the oil and gas robber barons, to run their electricity grid.

Although, what I am saying is, that if the DR, wishes to move pass their currently reliance on fossil fuels and toward energy security, they should find a way to divert about 5% of their imported fossil fuel costs each year, to fund the build out of more renewables. Slowly over time, they'll reach a better energy mix of more renewables, less fossil fuels and more importantly, energy independence and increasingly less money to the robber barons.

Frankly, if developing countries, like DR aren't currently doing this by now, they should be. I believe India, is rightly so, fast following in China's electrification footsteps, but have a long way to go. SA and many places in Australia as a whole, are tracking well, w/r to meeting their renewables goals.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2985572]If someone walks up to me and tells me I am going to fuck you in the ass. I am going to tell them the only way you are going to fuck me the ass is after you have killed me.

The United States of America has no moral standing to decide if a man should bend over and take it or fight to the death. It's easy to type on a keyboard. Who among us have stood against an armed opponent that intends to cause you death or serious bodily harm?

[B]Why are you willing to tell another man he should bend over and take it[/B]?

If the [B]Ukraine[/B] wants to continue to fight and all we are doing is shipping arms because we have no [I]boots on the ground[/I] exactly what is the problem?[/QUOTE]The problem is this man is a Russophile, which is a mental disease as vicious and incurable as the MAGA cult.

Remember when we all believed that the Russian Armed Forces was the second army in the world?

The truth is with Ukraine willing to fight, we had a hell of a bargain weakening our mortal enemy without sacrificing a single American life -- to the point that Russia was fast becoming incapable to threaten anyone with their conventional weapons. Almost 1 million of their troops are dead or wounded, most of their tanks and other vehicles are decimated, their economy is circling the drain. They had maybe a year of life left in them.

And then, when they were almost done -- this had to happen. Fucking Trump!

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2985553]Since you did not get the election point, the UK still had elections, I guess it just goes over your head that Churchill did not ban the free press not did he dissolve the other political parties. In addition, it may have gone over your head that the Russians have brought up Zelensky not being a duly elected president. They would likely agree to not bomb for a day if asked if Ukraine did likewise.

Loony Tooms, those things that you hear in your brain are not my thoughts, they are voices. You really need to get treated for schizophrenia.[/QUOTE]When you read the words, "Russia Russia Russia Russia is not only [B]bombing Ukraine [/B]but has engaged in a [B]full-scale invasion of Ukraine[/B] while that was not the case in WWII for Britain, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia," at what point do the voices in your head tell you, ah, Ukraine not conducting regularly scheduled elections during all of that is ironclad evidence that Zellenskyy is an anti-democratic Nazi dictator?

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2985573]Your arguments have not won me over. But I am newly converted EV fan. Why? Because I got picked up in a BYD for a Bolt Trip here in Pattaya, Thailand. The vehicle was amazing! It was like a [I]magic carpet ride[/I]. So quiet. I has a great conversation with the driver. She has a charging station in her house and it takes about 6 hours to charge her vehicle each night. She says that if she has a long trip to let's say Bangkok, she will have to hit a charging station for about 1 hour. Torque is sublime. The power came on smooth and study with no increase in interior noise as the vehicle sped up. Fit and finish was remarkable. I would buy one just from the ride in it. In my opinion the days of ICEs are numbered.[/QUOTE]But Pattaya to Bangkok is never a long distance, when I drive sometimes 3000 kms on a week end and through high mountains, which would need to charge 10 times or more, and which EV speed on long distance on great German autobahns, where I don t see them. In Europe, we don t sleep at 60 miles. Car is not a hotel room, but You judge balance, grip, engine, power, making quality, when You are able to play with dynamics and EVs won t be performing, because too heavy and batteries can t work to go fast, or empty after less than 100 kms and not even impressive speeding.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2985573]Your arguments have not won me over. But I am newly converted EV fan. Why? Because I got picked up in a BYD for a Bolt Trip here in Pattaya, Thailand. The vehicle was amazing! It was like a [I]magic carpet ride[/I]. So quiet. I has a great conversation with the driver. She has a charging station in her house and it takes about 6 hours to charge her vehicle each night. She says that if she has a long trip to let's say Bangkok, she will have to hit a charging station for about 1 hour. Torque is sublime. The power came on smooth and study with no increase in interior noise as the vehicle sped up. Fit and finish was remarkable. I would buy one just from the ride in it. [/QUOTE]

Glad to see you enjoyed the ride! I wonder which BYD (BEV/PHEV) it was?

[b]Again, I'm not really trying to sale anyone on EVs,[/b] although I do think, they are the better choice. I simply ask people to consider the facts and reasons, and then judge for themselves and make up their own minds. Reasons to NOT own an EV, have mostly diminished and the reason to own an EV, are becoming more compelling.

Both you and I, have said and explained to certain Luddites, everyone has their own practical reasons for buy/owning a vehicle, whether it be an EV or an ICE.

But, I can see how it looks and how I come across, when I represent and advocate for EVs. But it's hard to dismiss the trends (that Toyota and big oil-n-gas, don't won't you to see), when improvements in EV technology, battery warranties, reliability, eco-benefits and the ability to generate your own (virtually) FREE ELECTRICITY, are clear reasons why you should consider an EV.

[b]BYD crowned Thailands 2024 EV sales and surpassed Toyota in Singapore[/b]
[URL]https://carnewschina.com/2025/01/23/byd-crowned-thailands-2024-ev-sales-and-surpassed-toyota-in-singapore/[/URL]

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2985573] In my opinion the days of ICEs are numbered.[/QUOTE] Agreed! In the biggest car markets in the world (China, U.S., Germany, U.K., Norway, Aussie, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand...etc), EV are steadily taking market share from ICE. Although in the U.S. this might take some time.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2985644]If EVs are better, why did they need a subsidy?[/QUOTE] If big oil and gas companies are still making billions year-over-year, why do they still need gov't subsidies? Or big pharma for that matter? Now, that makes no sense!

If DOGE really wanted to rid us of gov't waste, they'd should axe the billions going to big oil-n-gas, big pharma and big military contractors, still suckling like greedy little pigs, from the milk sack of gov't tits.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2985644]Why do we need to upgrade the infrastructure of fueling on the road and in our homes for EVs? That makes no sense when a vehicle like this is ready to go right now and works on our existing infrastructure.[/QUOTE] Fair point, but the distribution, transportation and storage of fossil fuels is just so INEFFICIENT and can't compete with the delivery, convenience and ubiquitous nature of electricity. Regardless, the U.S. grid still needs upgrading...and an opportunity is a terrible thing to waste. BTW, it takes less than 14-days to build like a 10-port charging station and about 9-12 months for an ICE station (...you do the math).

Having said that, HEVs and PHEVs are fine and a "necessary evil", for those still looking (or perhaps never) transitioning to a BEV.

W/R to infrastructure, again take a look around the world at who's being successful, in the transition to electrification (ie. China, Norway, Denmark, Australia, the U.K. and some parts of the U.S.)

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2985644]So we got these subsidies on EVs and tariffs on the Li L9. How fucked up is that? [/QUOTE] And who do you think is to blame for this? [i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2985644]I think almost every family in America would buy this SUV at this price point if they could. It is the coolest vehicle I have ever seen in my life[/QUOTE]IMHO, there are even cooler vehicles, like the Zeekr Mix minivan...FWIW.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2985687]Glad to see you enjoyed the ride! I wonder which BYD (BEV/PHEV) it was?

[b]Again, I'm not really trying to sale anyone on EVs,[/b] although I do think, they are the better choice. I simply ask people to consider the facts and reasons, and then judge for themselves and make up their own minds. Reasons to NOT own an EV, have mostly diminished and the reason to own an EV, are becoming more compelling.

Both you and I, have said and explained to certain Luddites, everyone has their own practical reasons for buy/owning a vehicle, whether it be an EV or an ICE.

But, I can see how it looks and how I come across, when I represent and advocate for EVs. But it's hard to dismiss the trends (that Toyota and big oil-n-gas, don't won't you to see), when improvements in EV technology, battery warranties, reliability, eco-benefits and the ability to generate your own (virtually) FREE ELECTRICITY, are clear reasons why you should consider an EV.

[b]BYD crowned Thailands 2024 EV sales and surpassed Toyota in Singapore[/b]
[URL]https://carnewschina.com/2025/01/23/byd-crowned-thailands-2024-ev-sales-and-surpassed-toyota-in-singapore/[/URL].[/QUOTE]Many European brands return to thermic, because they know, at least in Europe and pretty sure also in USA, people prefer thermic than EV.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2984800]
LCOE Ranges for Energy Technologies in 2023 (or 2024):
Nuclear Reactor: $90140+ (high upfront costs, delays)
SMR: $6090+ (early projects at upper end, targets lower with scale)
Solar (utility-scale): $3050 (lower with sun-rich regions, higher with storage)
Onshore Wind: $3555 (site-dependent, rises with transmission costs)
Offshore Wind: $70150+ (higher upfront/transmission costs, but improving with scale and tech)
BESS (4-hour storage): $120170 (lithium-ion, varies with duration/cycles)
Pumped Hydro: $60200 (site-specific, high upfront but low operating costs)
LNG (gas peaker): $50100 (import costs, volatile fuel prices, carbon costs add ~2030/MWh)
Coal: $60100+ (import costs, older plants higher; carbon costs push to 80150+)

Cost Ranges for Energy Hybrid Systems using 2023 (or 2024):
Solar + BESS: $50100/MWh (sun-rich regions with 48h storage).
Wind + BESS: $60120/MWh (onshore wind with 412h storage).
[/QUOTE]I owe you an apology. The spelling corrector on ISG removed the hyphens in your LCOE ranges when I quoted you. See above. As such I thought your numbers were off by over 500 X, as I was looking at the quote and not the original post.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2985644]Yeah, the problem with Democratic douches is how snide and arrogant they are. To me, if you show people cool and affordable things they will get them on their own. When an EV is shoved down your throat by a rental car company, people like myself rebel, [URL]https://www.loopit.co/en-us/blog/rental-car-companies-breaking-up-evs-subscription-rekindle-spark[/URL]. So rental car companies are turned off of EVs because their customers are.

Now when I post links, I know people do not click on them, but Tiny, trust me, you will want to see this. This is the most luxurious vehicle I have ever seen, and it is $55 to $60,000. As someone said, if it had a toilet, you would not need a house. [URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEEhBFe03gY[/URL].

And we do not have this in the USA? Why? Why do Russia and China have this and we do not? Aren't we supposed to be so much better than them at everything?

I do not want an EV. I want this Li L9 PHEV SUV! Are you fucking kidding me?

I was thinking about plugging this thing in to your outlet, but if you are in Texas, you could buy solar panel with a battery storage unit for a few thousand, and 90% of your driving would be free. If you need to road trip, the thing has 900 miles of range per tank of gas and has 4 WD.

If EVs are better, why did they need a subsidy? Why do we need to upgrade the infrastructure of fueling on the road and in our homes for EVs? That makes no sense when a vehicle like this is ready to go right now and works on our existing infrastructure.

So we got these subsidies on EVs and tariffs on the Li L9. How fucked up is that?

I think almost every family in America would buy this SUV at this price point if they could. It is the coolest vehicle I have ever seen in my life.[/QUOTE]Elvis, the reason you don't see them is because Biden slapped a 100% duty on Chinese electric vehicles, including this plug in hybrid. That's what the AI blurb in Google says anyway.

The Biden administration wants to encourage the use of electric vehicles and solar cells, so it slaps huge tariffs on the most competitive products out there. And then passes the Inflation Reduction Act, with over $1 Trillion in green subsidies (according to Goldman Sachs) instead. Democratic Party politicians think money grows on trees. They stick it to American taxpayers and consumers. Yes, as you say, how fucked up is that.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2985697]If big oil and gas companies are still making billions year-over-year, why do they still need gov't subsidies? Or big pharma for that matter? Now, that makes no sense!

If DOGE really wanted to rid us of gov't waste, they'd should axe the billions going to big oil-n-gas, big pharma and big military contractors, still suckling like greedy little pigs, from the milk sack of gov't tits.[/QUOTE]The oil and gas subsidies at first glance look like the deductions any business takes. I rechecked that, and not only did I confirm that, but I am reminded of the windfall profits tax. Google and Microsoft can make money without a windfall profit but oil and gas cannot?

Then you have the gasoline tax for the roads but if you create your own electricity via say solar, you do not pay taxes. And you get this subsidy while buying an EV that you do not get when buying a ICE car. If we all buy EVs, we are going to have pay taxes elsewhere to maintain the roads.

I do not know what it is about me but I can tell what is going to be popular based on what I like. I hated my EV experience. I will say that when I got a Tela Uber and no doubt it was cool but then Elon Musk said, "It takes an hour to charge on the road but you just get a cup of coffee and a Danish and wait" and I am like I do not want that. If I got a Tesla, it would be a second luxury car which hardly helps the environment. And as cool as that Geely Zeekr is, it is still an EV.

Any kid who gets in that Li SUV is going to ask his parents why they do not have one like it. And then a parent asks about it and I say, "Yeah, unless I am going on a long trip, I do not pay for fuel anymore. I just use that solar charger I bought for $2000 (or whatever)". So you put a pen to paper and are like and realize that you save $5000 per year in fuel costs, and the vehicle pays for itself in 10 years, and it has a 5 year, 60,000 mile warranty, and the parents are sold.

[QUOTE=Spidy;2985697]And who do you think is to blame for this?[/QUOTE]Well, you seem to want to blame Republicans but there is this which Tiny alluded to:

[URL]https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/14/joe-biden-tariff-chinese-made-electric-vehicles[/URL]

Biden announces 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles.

Trump did his tariffs too but that is not the core issue. Both parties are kissing the ass of car companies in the swing states in the Midwest. What has not happened has been real leadership.

Clinton did NAFTA and gave China most favored status despite getting shit from his own party. Elon Musk said he could compete with anyone with a level playing field, and Tesla is competitive in China. Maybe China can build the assembly factories here and preserve the blue collar jobs because it seems like the white collar cost savings are what really matter. And then can you limit the number of imports and increase it slowly year by year.

Thing is American companies have partnerships in China, and they are already competing there. They can have a slot of the number of cars imported as well.

This is one of those deals where the minority, USA car manufacturers, are getting paid while the majority suffer. That is when the finger pointing needs to stop. Big business wants to use partisan politics to stop progress.

Until the GLP1 drugs for weight loss, I do not think big pharma had a new product with wide spread appeal worth a shit in the last 30 years. So the key to bring down costs is reimportation of generic drugs and the head of the FDA tried to say he could not allow that because he is liable, but he really is not. Like everyone in government, he has fucking immunity.

In the generic space, there is considerable variation in product and in the USA, you get what the pharmacist gives you. There is no mystery if most medications work. So in Mexico, you have the ultimate quality control and buy the brands you like. With ED meds, the generic brand name Kamagra is the best generic Viagra and Taladista is the best generic Cialis, and it is not just me saying that.

So reimportation of drugs takes real leadership to get done, and we are not seeing it. As long as the drug companies can play the partisan games, this will not happen.

I call you guys Democratic douches because of how rigid you are. In fact, what gets me is how you advocate for things that do not benefit you all. But I know that Democrats want to pay less for prescription drugs and many would buy a Li L9 if they could. Do you know that about MAGA people?

[QUOTE=Spidy;2985656]Can't speak to India, but the air quality in most large Chinese cites, is on par or better per capita, than most USA cities like N.Y.

You should also note, that not only the air, but the noise pollution, in many of the large Chinese cities, is better than that of the U.S.[/QUOTE]That is not true. [URL]https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/01/23/air-pollution-chinese-and-american-cities-in-comparison-infographic/[/URL].

[QUOTE=Spidy;2985656]Now again, the coal argument is IMHO, weak, because you can hardly blame countries like China, India and others for [B]using what they have in abundance[/B] to power their industries. Besides, isn't that exactly what the USA Is doing with an abundance of natural gas (LNG and coal), under the wrongheaded Pickens Plan, to reduce American dependence on imported oil?[/QUOTE]Yeah, you are missing the point on natural gas. It is a waste product from oil production and is flared off instead of being used. The worst of it is going on in Siberia. This is where I get angry at climate change weirdos. They do not get that. They have this dumb natural gas bad and carbon fuel bad approach.

[URL]https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-25-mn-16837-story.html[/URL]

When cosmonauts look down from their space station at Earth, they say the brightest spot they see is not a metropolis in America or Europe. It is the oil fields of Western Siberia, where thousands of wells flare off the natural gas they produce in giant wasteful torches. A single flare at the Portovaya LNG facility in Russia is estimated to produce more black carbon than the entire country of Finland.

So of all the immediate steps that can be taken to reduce pollution, natural gas pipelines to China and India would be #1 on my list. It is just the climate change weirdos are not going to go along with that when in reality the switch from coal to natural gas is pretty much the reason carbon emissions in the USA are down.

In Texas, we have enough sun and wind to to compete with natural gas but there is no way that is the case in the Northeastern part of the country. What kills me is we are still flaring gas off in the USA. IMO all that should be used for electricity or as fuel. What pisses me off about natural gas is that you can by a $1000 conversion pact in Mexico and use natural gas to drive a vehicle but that same conversion is like $10,000 in the USA.

The stupidest fucking thing I have seen is gasoline vehicles in West Texas next to gas wells being flared. Why aren't they using that natural gas as fuel? Talk about unnecessary pollution. How fucking dumb is that?

I do not get the fucking bullshit that we are going to allow Russian oil to continue to be shipped but the world will come to an end if Europe or Asia is dependent on Russian gas. Both Biden and Trump have been stupid on this.

You cannot be serious about climate change and ignore what is going in on Siberia and demonize the fuck out of Putin. You just can't. Russia is not Libya or Iraq. It is too important to the world economy and the environment. China is making deals with Russia right and left, and you know what? The Li L9 is for sale in Russia too.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2985675]When you read the words, "Russia Russia Russia Russia is not only [B]bombing Ukraine [/B]but has engaged in a [B]full-scale invasion of Ukraine[/B] while that was not the case in WWII for Britain, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia," at what point do the voices in your head tell you, ah, Ukraine not conducting regularly scheduled elections during all of that is ironclad evidence that Zellenskyy is an anti-democratic Nazi dictator?[/QUOTE]And then there are little things like the fact that the war-time Britain DID NOT hold elections for the head of state, which is exactly what Putin, Trump and Elvis are insisting on.

[B]In Great Britain, the prime minister is chosen by the leader of the political party that holds the largest number of seats in the House of Commons[/B]

Some people up in here need to learn the forms of government that exist outside the United States of America. Has anyone looked into the fairness of elections in China and Russia?

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2985763]The oil and gas subsidies at first glance look like the deductions any business takes. I rechecked that, and not only did I confirm that, but I am reminded of the windfall profits tax. Google and Microsoft can make money without a windfall profit but oil and gas cannot?[/QUOTE]Yes, the oil and gas industry receives very little in direct subsidies. This is greenie / leftist propaganda.

Accelerated depreciation would be the industry's biggest tax break, and is available to other businesses. Oil companies can write off intangible drilling costs in the year incurred instead depreciating them. This affects the timing of when the companies pay tax, but not the amount paid over the long term. Companies with R&D expenses receive similar treatment in other industries. The only tax break unique to the oil and gas industry is percentage depletion, and only small oil and gas companies receive it. It should be done away with IMO.

While there's no longer a Windfall Profits Tax, most oil producing states levy a severance tax. The amount collected from the severance tax, which is not levied on most other businesses, exceeds the tax benefit the industry receives from percentage depletion. Finally, on leases issued by the feds and the states (mostly western states), the government receives a royalty.

Then there are gasoline taxes, which amount to a pretty penny in some states. And oil companies involved in international operations are frequently not allowed to use all of their foreign income taxes paid as tax credits on their USA Tax returns.

Add it all up, and the industry as a whole receives minimal direct subsidies, and pays higher taxes than average.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2985763]Then you have the gasoline tax for the roads but if you create your own electricity via say solar, you do not pay taxes. And you get this subsidy while buying an EV that you do not get when buying a ICE car. If we all buy EVs, we are going to have pay taxes elsewhere to maintain the roads.[/QUOTE]Very true.

And some great thoughts in the rest of your post, about tariffs, manufacturing autos in the USA versus China, and competition in pharmaceuticals.

[QUOTE=Xpartan;2985800]And then there are little things like the fact that the war-time Britain DID NOT hold elections for the head of state, which is exactly what Putin, Trump and Elvis are insisting on.[/QUOTE]I don't know which "journalists" and what kind of reportage of potential military intel and troop movements Zellenskyy has justifiably been trying to restrict or contain on the ground during the full-fledged war raging on Ukraine from the country right next door.

But what is so different about a Russia State or Nazi Dictatorship control of the media than this, even during a time of total Peace and Prosperity with no USA Military maneuvers anywhere on the Earth but especially not in the USA as Trump inherited from Biden?

[B]Outcry as White House starts dictating which journalists can access Trump.
Fox News correspondent among those to decry move that journalists say will tear at independence of a free press[/B]

[URL]https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/26/white-house-journalists-trump[/URL]

[QUOTE]The Trump administration announced it will take control of the White House press pool, stripping the independent White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) of its longstanding role in deciding which journalists have access to the president in intimate settings.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2985772]That is not true. [URL]https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/01/23/air-pollution-chinese-and-american-cities-in-comparison-infographic/[/URL].

Yeah, you are missing the point on natural gas. It is a waste product from oil production and is flared off instead of being used. The worst of it is going on in Siberia. This is where I get angry at climate change weirdos. They do not get that. They have this dumb natural gas bad and carbon fuel bad approach.

[URL]https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-25-mn-16837-story.html[/URL]

When cosmonauts look down from their space station at Earth, they say the brightest spot they see is not a metropolis in America or Europe. It is the oil fields of Western Siberia, where thousands of wells flare off the natural gas they produce in giant wasteful torches. A single flare at the Portovaya LNG facility in Russia is estimated to produce more black carbon than the entire country of Finland.

So of all the immediate steps that can be taken to reduce pollution, natural gas pipelines to China and India would be #1 on my list. It is just the climate change weirdos are not going to go along with that when in reality the switch from coal to natural gas is pretty much the reason carbon emissions in the USA are down.

In Texas, we have enough sun and wind to to compete with natural gas but there is no way that is the case in the Northeastern part of the country. What kills me is we are still flaring gas off in the USA. IMO all that should be used for electricity or as fuel. What pisses me off about natural gas is that you can by a $1000 conversion pact in Mexico and use natural gas to drive a vehicle but that same conversion is like $10,000 in the USA.

The stupidest fucking thing I have seen is gasoline vehicles in West Texas next to gas wells being flared. Why aren't they using that natural gas as fuel? Talk about unnecessary pollution. How fucking dumb is that?

I do not get the fucking bullshit that we are going to allow Russian oil to continue to be shipped but the world will come to an end if Europe or Asia is dependent on Russian gas. Both Biden and Trump have been stupid on this.

You cannot be serious about climate change and ignore what is going in on Siberia and demonize the fuck out of Putin. You just can't. Russia is not Libya or Iraq. It is too important to the world economy and the environment. China is making deals with Russia right and left, and you know what? The Li L9 is for sale in Russia too.[/QUOTE]Haha! Yeah, take a look at this list of the top 500 most polluted cities by particulate matter concentration. Three hundred and ninety-seven (397) of them are in China. None are in the USA. I was in China not long ago, and came back home through a large Texas city. There is no comparison in air quality.

[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-polluted_cities_by_particulate_matter_concentration[/URL]

Yes, natural gas replacing coal for power generation is the biggest reason USA Carbon emissions have come down so much. Greenies don't understand that perfect is the enemy of good. Like our fellow contributor's recent posts on South Australia. If South Australia turns around tomorrow and bans natural gas, which from memory from his post accounts for about 25% of the state's electricity generation, then SA will end up buying more electricity generated from coal from other states. And carbon emissions will go up. As you know, this is what happened in Europe when Russian gas supplies were lost -- it had to burn a lot more coal, and carbon emissions went up.

I agree about the flaring. Yeah, it should be permitted while a well is being completed, or if necessary for safety or maintenance. But not for month after month. If you drive down Interstate 20 at night through West Texas, you won't see as much of it now as in years past. The problem is that there's a lack of pipeline capacity. As a result, the price of gas in West Texas is frequently negative. Oil producers have to pay to produce associated gas, if they want to produce the oil. No wonder they want to flare gas. This is rapidly being remedied, in West Texas at least. A couple of major gas pipelines are scheduled to go on stream soon, or may already have.

And correct, flaring is a much bigger problem in places like Russia and the Middle East. We're increasingly getting on top of methane leaks in the USA too. That's something else the greenies don't understand. It's the developing world that will determine how much carbon is emitted going forward, countries like China and India. We won't have much say in it, as their emissions will dwarf ours.

If the President of Ukraine is truly a dictator, when why does't Trump like him?

There are plenty of examples in the world of dictators that Trump likes!

At times like these, it is always best to have a blithering, incoherent known goofball conspiracy theory liar appointed by a blithering incoherent 30,000 plus documented liar of a so-called potus in charge:

[B]Texas child who was not vaccinated has died of measles, a first for the US in a decade.[/B]

[URL]https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9[/URL]

[QUOTE]LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) A child who wasnt vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in rural West Texas, state officials said Wednesday, the first U.S. death from the highly contagious but preventable respiratory disease since 2015.

The school-aged child had been hospitalized and died Tuesday night amid the widespread outbreak, Texas largest in nearly 30 years. Since it began last month, a rash of 124 cases has erupted across nine counties.
..........
[B]In federal response, RFK Jr. appears to misstate several facts[/b]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nations top health official and a vaccine critic, said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of the Health and Human Services is watching cases and dismissed the Texas outbreak as not unusual.

He appeared to misstate a number of facts, including a claim that most who had been hospitalized were there only for quarantine. Dr. Lara Johnson at Covenant contested that characterization.

We dont hospitalize patients for quarantine purposes, said Johnson, the chief medical officer.

Kennedy also seemed to misspeak in saying two people had died of measles. A spokesman Andrew Nixon, for the Department of Health and Human Services later clarified that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified only one death.[/QUOTE]So, while he was he wrong about there being two reported deaths instead of one, he was therefore trying to shrug off TWO deaths in a decade as "not unusual".

Be prepared for the worst, most incoherent communications imaginable about whatever Trump's Pandemic Part 2 he is again pulling all the stops to lay the groundwork for in order to usher in and, consequently, is quite likely to occur sometime over the next four years.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2985845]Haha! Yeah, take a look at this list of the top 500 most polluted cities by particulate matter concentration. Three hundred and ninety-seven (397) of them are in China. None are in the USA. I was in China not long ago, and came back home through a large Texas city. There is no comparison in air quality.

[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-polluted_cities_by_particulate_matter_concentration[/URL]

Yes, natural gas replacing coal for power generation is the biggest reason USA Carbon emissions have come down so much. Greenies don't understand that perfect is the enemy of good. Like our fellow contributor's recent posts on South Australia. If South Australia turns around tomorrow and bans natural gas, which from memory from his post accounts for about 25% of the state's electricity generation, then SA will end up buying more electricity generated from coal from other states. And carbon emissions will go up. As you know, this is what happened in Europe when Russian gas supplies were lost -- it had to burn a lot more coal, and carbon emissions went up.

I agree about the flaring. Yeah, it should be permitted while a well is being completed, or if necessary for safety or maintenance. But not for month after month. If you drive down Interstate 20 at night through West Texas, you won't see as much of it now as in years past. The problem is that there's a lack of pipeline capacity. As a result, the price of gas in West Texas is frequently negative. Oil producers have to pay to produce associated gas, if they want to produce the oil. No wonder they want to flare gas. This is rapidly being remedied, in West Texas at least. A couple of major gas pipelines are scheduled to go on stream soon, or may already have. .[/QUOTE]China despite their EVs and USA are 2 biggest polluting, fucking our planet, and crazy Trump wants to increase pollution, just criminal, killing people from bad air, hurricanes, fires, rivers, sea.

The 45% approval rate from two independent polls.

57% say he's exceeded his authority.

A whopping 34% approval for Musk with only 26% approving his massacre of the government programs.

63% don't like his "marauders" having access to government databases.

I'm starting seeing jail sentences in some people futures. Perhaps, not Trump's and Musk's, as our justice system seems to be decisively impotent in front of the rich and powerful, but some of their lesser minions are going to get quite a hungover after the feast. Just wait.

[URL]https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/trump-is-the-most-unpopular-president-in-more-than-70-years-sorry-maga-opinion/ar-AA1zOER0[/URL]

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2985854]At times like these, it is always best to have a blithering, incoherent known goofball conspiracy theory liar appointed by a blithering incoherent 30,000 plus documented liar of a so-called potus in charge:

[B]Texas child who was not vaccinated has died of measles, a first for the US in a decade.[/B]

[URL]https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9[/URL]

So, while he was he wrong about there being two reported deaths instead of one, he was therefore trying to shrug off TWO deaths in a decade as "not unusual".

Be prepared for the worst, most incoherent communications imaginable about whatever Trump's Pandemic Part 2 he is again pulling all the stops to lay the groundwork for in order to usher in and, consequently, is quite likely to occur sometime over the next four years.[/QUOTE]Man, it must be hard being a Democratic douche these days. Here you are pouncing on RFK Jr. A Democrat and being supportive of big Pharma over, wait for it!, one death. Fuck the millions who were harmed by the Covid vaccine and the potential tie in with vaccines and autism and the millions of Americans suffering from that and the explosion of auto immune diseases among the American people. And of course in the binary Toomsian world of Republican bad, Democrat good, we now have the repeat of the idiotic vaccines good, antivaxx bad.

Are you ready to repeat the bird brained mantra with regards to vaccines and withholding treatment that you did with Covid? Yeah, let's withhold medical treatment from the unvaccinated! Let sick people die! That will teach them!

In actuality, measles is probably the one vaccine along with polio that probably should be mandatory. And some of the more astute doctors are thinking about making that stand alone instead of mixing it in with mumps and rubella. The MMR vaccine has been the only studied and found NOT to be linked with autism.

It is fucking insane as to how many vaccines are being given to kids, [URL]https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11288-childhood-immunization-schedule[/URL], and the vaccines still have aluminum in them. Yes, we took out the mercury but we added a new poison.

"It's not safe to delay vaccines or to follow another schedule you might find online or through friends. The vaccine schedule that pediatricians across the USA Use (which we describe here) has the backing of careful medical science. ".

Of course, we heard the same bullshit with Covid.

And RFK Jr. Is the Democrat who ran for the 2024 nomination and had to quit once he saw how rigged the primaries were and how your party chose the guy without the working brain. That was a great job there and after you realized Biden was demented, you all chose the woman who was not demented but just really dumb. It would seem impossible to have a candidate with less mental capacity than Biden, but somehow you all managed to pull it off.

The problem with being a modern Democratic douche is you have no principles. Trump is on the verge of peace in Ukraine, and there is all this griping. He gets back the hostages held in Gaza and all we hear about is how terrible his plan is for Gaza. Then you have the climate change weirdos freaking out about cars in the USA while India and China are polluting like hell, and Russia has been forced to burn off more gas than ever after Biden blew up Nordstream. Hell, when Trump and Musk tackle the deficit and try to see that the USA does not go into default, Democrats are like, We want waste! We want default! We want vaccines! We love big pharma! We love censorship! We love the deep state! We love war! And fuck those children with autism and autoimmune diseases!

How long can the Democratic douches hold on? The defections have been ongoing: RFK Jr. , Tulsi Gabbard, Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Anderson, Matt Taibbi, Walter Kirn, Glenn Greenwald to name a few. And what is the derogatory term for these people who looked at the pro vaccine, pro censorship, pro deep state, pro big pharma, and anti Democracy methods of the current Democratic party? Ah yes, they are bothsiders. Elections? We do not need no stinkin' elections.

Man, it is getting harder than ever to be a Democrat. I almost, almost feel sorry for you guys.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2985853]If the President of Ukraine is truly a dictator, when why does't Trump like him?

There are plenty of examples in the world of dictators that Trump likes![/QUOTE]You are right.

This just in:

Trump the Cowardly Liar back-pedals like a big, fat, lying clown pussy on him calling Zellenskyy a dictator when confronted about it by his own hand-picked, utterly compliant and subservient Nazi Dictator-style press corp:

[B]Donald Trump Denies Calling Volodymyr Zelenskyy A 'Dictator' Days After Calling Him A 'Dictator'.
Feb. 27, 2025[/B]

[URL]https://uk.news.yahoo.com/donald-trump-denies-calling-volodymyr-192122510.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAL3MyBR_rYrzTmh_f1UGFaVRI-cExPvIvcggnY2xdATx2cGUWicgKYhtvqTCoxtjyDyFoR351PVDIFKPkI4Vy0zg1GLHAnRspSly8lYJ4h-Jt-Ur6nzWNqIMNUakkIkKwZWLdoNL7H1T5ehHalQp5Dzm6SxwMKBaEvSqCX5GQcgc[/URL]

[QUOTE]Donald Trump has denied calling Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator - barely a week after calling him a dictator.

The US president stunned reporters with the bare-faced lie as he sat alongside Keir Starmer in the White House.

Trump attacked Zelenskyy in a tirade on his Truth Social account last week.

He said: He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden like a fiddle. [B]A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy[/b] better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.

[B]But asked by a reporter in the Oval Office if he still thinks Zelenskyy is a dictator, Trump replied: "Did I say that? I cant believe I said that. Next question."[/b][/QUOTE]See video in the link.

But the far more important question is; now that his America-hating lord and savior cult leader has so publicly back-pedaled on his huge lie, will Elvis follow suit as slavishly lemming-like as he follows his America-hating cult leader Trump on every other point?

Or, more realistically, when will Elvis follow his previous lie about this with an even bigger lie that "he can't believe he said that" just as his America-hating, dictator-loving cult leader Donald Trump did?

See chart below for the typical stock market decline today as Trump was stationed in front of a microphone talking, talking, talking, blathering and slobbering out one embarrassing lie after another, a colossal lie about how terrible the Biden and Obama economies were vs his "greatest economy in the history of the world", a shockingly stupid lie about who pays tariffs, an array of bewildering, incoherent lies about what is happening under Trump's current spectacular mishandling of the Envy of the World Economy he inherited from Biden-Harris and on and on.

Stock Market due diligence simply does not include falling for the same blithering, blathering, incoherent lies that MAGAs slurp up with a big spoon in a determination to do as much serious harm to themselves and everyone else as possible.

To re-cap on the state of the USA Stock Market as measured by the S&P 500 Index for market watchers like Trump used to be back when he was far more shrewdly simply coasting on the terrific economic trajectories he inherited from Obama-Biden and not DOING anything to effect the economy:

It is up a mere 1. 35% since the November 5th election almost 4 months ago.

It is DOWN 2. 25% since Trump's Inauguration day about 6 weeks ago.

Seriously, has Trump said or done anything in the past 3-4 months that would inspire a serious investor, home purchaser, entrepreneur or "job creator" to invest in anything, buy anything, expand a business or hire rather than fire anyone? Much less to fly anywhere.

And speaking of flying anywhere; That is also unless the prospect of a Trump's Pandemic Part 2 combination of drug-resistant HIV / AIDS, Ebola and Child-Killing Measles works to inspire such a thing.

Again, otherwise known by MAGAs and their Russian bot script-writers as, "The Greatest First Month in the History of Presidential Terms".

Uh-huh.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2985853]If the President of Ukraine is truly a dictator, when why does't Trump like him?

There are plenty of examples in the world of dictators that Trump likes![/QUOTE]Who told Zelensky is a dictator? When Putin is. Trump friends are criminal Netanyahou and Putin, both international law prosecuted.

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2985772]That is not true. [URL]https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/01/23/air-pollution-chinese-and-american-cities-in-comparison-infographic/[/URL][/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Tiny;2985845]Haha! Yeah, take a look at this list of the top 500 most polluted cities by particulate matter concentration. Three hundred and ninety-seven (397) of them are in China. None are in the USA. I was in China not long ago, and came back home through a large Texas city. There is no comparison in air quality.

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-polluted_cities_by_particulate_matter_concentration[/url][/QUOTE]

Funny, how your article on air pollution/quality index (AQI), is like 10 years old. BTW, I was only comparing the largest cities.

Annoyingly, any current and/or up-to-date AQI informational comparisons (in 2023/2024) of current AQI, in China's larger cities, is unavailable and or very spotty at best. However, most older data points, do indicate that Beijing vs. New York, for example, had NY's AQI, as being 3x better. But oddly had Beijing on par with NY for noise pollution...go figure!

So, while I was incorrect in my opinions on China's air quality, it is interesting to note, that many journalists and video bloggers with boots-on-the-ground, on recent 2024/2025 scouting trips to China's largest cities (Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Shenzhen), swear up and down, they feel the air/noise quality and pollution is cleaner and better than back home...go figure!

If China has reached peek coal (in 2024), the AQI might be is something worth watching, if my assumption of this inverse correlation, makes any sense?

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2985772]Yeah, you are missing the point on natural gas. It is a waste product from oil production and is flared off instead of being used. The worst of it is going on in Siberia. This is where I get angry at climate change weirdos. They do not get that. They have this dumb natural gas bad and carbon fuel bad approach.

[URL]https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-25-mn-16837-story.html[/URL]

When cosmonauts look down from their space station at Earth, they say the brightest spot they see is not a metropolis in America or Europe. It is the oil fields of Western Siberia, where thousands of wells flare off the natural gas they produce in giant wasteful torches. A single flare at the Portovaya LNG facility in Russia is estimated to produce more black carbon than the entire country of Finland.
...

In Texas, we have enough sun and wind to to compete with natural gas but there is no way that is the case in the Northeastern part of the country. What kills me is we are still flaring gas off in the USA. IMO all that should be used for electricity or as fuel. What pisses me off about natural gas is that you can by a $1000 conversion pact in Mexico and use natural gas to drive a vehicle but that same conversion is like $10,000 in the USA.

The stupidest fucking thing I have seen is gasoline vehicles in West Texas next to gas wells being flared. Why aren't they using that natural gas as fuel? Talk about unnecessary pollution. How fucking dumb is that?[/QUOTE]

On the contrary, you fail to even understand the point I was making and your 32 year old article, only serves to prove my point.

Again, allow me to reiterate, that the production, transmission, storage and consumption of fossil fuels, has the majority of it, being burnt off as waste heat, and is the very definition of INEFFICIENT and can't compete with ELECTRICITY. Take for example, something like 60-65% of an ICE vehicle's fuel, is burnt off, as waste heat and/or CO2 emissions, in the operation of the vehicle.

If you didn't understand, I was actually talking about the myriad of ways fossil fuel waste heat energy is lost, when getting fossil fuels from "the ground" at [b]point A,[/b] to "the consumption" use case end [b]point B.[/b] But I think, a thank you is in order, as your 32 year news piece, ONLY make mys point, w/r to just how inefficient the industry is...so "Thank You!" for that!

When natural gas is produced as a byproduct of oil drilling, [b]it is called associated gas.[/b] In the U.S., the percentage of natural gas that is associated gas, varies by region and over time, and is only estimated to be around 30-40% of total natural gas production.

Yes, flaring is a waste of energy resources and a major climate issue. So while not perfect and a VERY INEFFICIENT use of resources, it persists due to economic, technical, and regulatory challenges. The reducing of flaring, does however, require the oil companies to have better infrastructure and spend the capital (if they truly wanted to), in order to capture any or more associated gas for use, instead of flaring it.

Just don't rant and appeal to your illogical MAGA gullible sensibilities, and tell me flaring releases CO2, which is better than methane...[i][b](...kkkk!)[/b][/i]

[QUOTE=Elvis 2008;2985772]So of all the immediate steps that can be taken to reduce pollution, natural gas pipelines to China and India would be #1 on my list. It is just the climate change weirdos are not going to go along with that when in reality the switch from coal to natural gas is pretty much the reason carbon emissions in the USA are down.[/QUOTE]
Don't worry about China, like Norway, their decarbonization efforts are are doing just fine, and I'll be sure to revisit that AQI challenge, in several years from now. Although, I think India has a long way to go, its the U.S. decarbonization efforts you should be concerned and worried about...under your American Fuhrer, it's a fucking DISASTER!