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Based on your multiple lengthy postings in the last 12 hours, yes, you DO have all night.
And based on the multiple times you parrot a variety of my phrasings, I'd hazard a guess that you DO find my writing inspiring. Thanks for that, at least.
This whole "morality has no meaning in a business context" argument may very well be the point at which capitalism loses its way and needs to be replaced by some other system. Businesses are built and run by people. The people make the decisions. Therefore morality does and must apply...unless you want to pretend that business are created magically out of thin air and run my unemotional machines. Cheating your customers, paying your employees substandard wages, marketing products that are actually harmful to the end consumer -- these are all practices that are contrary to the interests of a business that intends to be in the game on an ongoing basis. The smartest thing that Henry Ford ever did was to realize that it was actually in his best interest to pay his employees well enough that they could afford to buy the very product they were making. Was it a moral decision? Yes. Was it a sound business decision? Yes again. The two do not necessarily have to be mutually exclusive. It's actually best for society as a whole for them to be linked.
You may or may not remember, back in the days of the old thread, @bondjames would get really irate any time someone attempted to ascribe to him a position that he did not actually hold. You, I mostly ignore. This one time I will not. Unless you can find a quote from me anywhere on this forum stating that I would like to throw such mud onto such a person (and you can't) then I and the rest of this forum can only conclude that you are a liar and a person of ill will.
Nonetheless, Merry Christmas to you. May the sweet baby Jesus open your mind and shut your mouth.
That is why I have high hopes (with some caution) for the incoming Administration and Cabinet. They are Government outsiders with business experience, but are now in a government and public servant role. They can see it from both sides and hopefully can properly incentivize people. That was a big part of the President Elect's conversation with the Tech CEOs apparently - to discuss how he can encourage them to bring the trillions of $$ they have stashed overseas back to the US and invest it here in ways to assist workers. Also, how to put in place better job retraining programs for the workers who their very technology displaces. Keep in mind that most of them are liberals and yet they, more than most through their products, are responsible for some of the unemployment in the US.
The President Elect has some experience working as a bellhop, waiter & cleaner in his hotel, so he has an idea of how the little guy feels:
And a Merry Christmas to you and everyone else on this forum and thread. In the spirit of the season, I agree with you and hope we can all get along without throwing mud (even if perhaps unintentionally) which may offend others, despite our sometimes passionate and different views. This should all just be a bit of fun at the end of the day imho - something to pass the time while we wait (infinitely it seems...) for Bond news. In that spirit, may I give you some light entertainment. He wasn't kidding - he does like to grab them and plant a kiss.
Experts who reviewed Comey's testimony concluded that the server was probably breached.
”Reading between the lines and following Comey's logic, it does sound as if the F.B.I. believes a compromise of Clinton's email is more likely than not," said Adam Segal, the author of Hacked World Order, who studies cyberissues at the Council on Foreign Relations. ”Sophisticated hackers would have known of the existence of the account, would have targeted it, and would not have been seen. ”
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/07/us/hillary-clintons-email-was-probably-hacked-experts-say.html
Comey himself said the following:
"The FBI director said the lack of direct evidence that Clinton’s server was successfully hacked by “any foreign power or other hostile actors” doesn’t mean it wasn’t. “Given the nature of the system and of the actors potentially involved, we assess that we would be unlikely to see such direct evidence,” Comey said. “We do assess that hostile actors gained access to the private commercial email accounts of people with whom Secretary Clinton was in regular contact from her personal account. We also assess that Secretary Clinton’s use of a personal email domain was both known by a large number of people and readily apparent. She also used her personal email extensively while outside the United States, including sending and receiving work-related emails in the territory of sophisticated adversaries. Given that combination of factors, we assess it is possible that hostile actors gained access to Secretary Clinton’s personal email account.”
http://www.factcheck.org/2016/07/a-guide-to-clintons-emails/
It may have been. Who knows. But nothing has surfaced...and you'd think something would have by now.
Saying something is "possible" is not the same thing as having proof. "Possible" doesn't feed the bulldog. You and I both know that. And so does Comey.
Comey's statements were for our (through Congress) consumption. They were the public statements.
If it did actually happen, the President probably knows about it.
Embarrassingly, more state electors revolted against Hillary Clinton (initially 7 revolted, but 3 were disqualified due to state rules which mandate that the electors follow their respective constituents, resulting in 4 becoming 'faithless') than against Donald Trump (2 revolted, both from Texas).
President Elect Trump won 306 electoral college votes on November 8th to Hillary Clinton's 232. After today's vote, the numbers stand at 304 to 228 respectively.
"Donald Trump swept aside a last-ditch bid to block his ascension to the White House on Monday, officially claiming the title of president-elect with his Electoral College victory.
Trump's defeat of Hillary Clinton follows a desperate and unprecedented attempt by Democratic electors to foment a revolt by convincing Republican electors to vote against him, an effort that collapsed with little to show for it. Just two of the 306 Republican electors, both from Texas, ultimately cast a ballot against Trump."
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-electoral-college-win-democrats-infighting-232814
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/donald-trump-electoral-college-final-vote-official-president-elect-us-election-latest-a7485501.html
The RNC released a statement shortly after Mr. Trump's win:
In other news today, there were two devastating terrorist murders overseas.
1. The first was in Turkey, where the Russian Ambassador was assassinated on public television while making a speech at an Art Gallery. The assassin reportedly shouted "God is Great!" in Arabic and also screamed "Only death will take me away from here." The Turkish Security Services shortly granted him his wish, as he was shot dead in a skirmish.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the killing was designed to hurt ties with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the act was "undoubtedly a provocation aimed at disrupting the normalisation" of bilateral ties and the "peace process in Syria".
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38369962
If this killing was designed to drive a geopolitical wedge between the two countries, it is likely to fail miserably.
http://www.businessinsider.com/karlov-assassination-turkey-russia-relations-2016-12
2. The second took place in Berlin, where a lorry ploughed into a market killing twelve and wounding several others, in an heinous act very reminiscent of the Nice massacre from last year.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/19/berlin-truck-crashes-into-christmas-market
Given ISIL/ISIS/Daesh's modus operandi, Europe should be vigilant, as more violence is likely before the holiday season is over.
Is Donald Trump going to heavily invest in education? Both lower and higher education? Because I think that should be the pivotal question for the long-term future of the USA. Does Donald Trump has a long-term perspective on that? How will he make sure that bright and gifted kids in very poor suburbs, regardless of race and color, will get the same or perhaps even better chances than not-so-bright kids who were born in a gold-striped cradle? And are there enough fired colemine workers who can put aside their own worries a bit by asking themselves what Trump will actually do with their kids...education-wise? Does Trump recognize that, because of current educational standards, lots of talents are being ignored completely, thus not being employed for the future of the USA? What will he do about that, financially?
I think that should be a more important question here. If someone can give me an articulated, extensive and informative answer to these question, then that would be highly appreciated.
In the meanwhile, current president Obama is already doing such things. He is focusing on the long-term future of the USA:
http://www.ibtimes.com/what-will-obama-do-next-after-white-house-president-plans-influencing-future-leaders-2462529
He's a fairly lengthy article explaining exactly how Trump got support from 'good' people.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-nazi-propaganda-coordinate_us_58583b6fe4b08debb78a7d5c
Thanks for the message @chrisisall, but you haven't actually replied to the content of the entire message. Not to mention the questions.
Yes, there's this whole article about the history of Nazi's and what they can 'teach' us and how they can 'educate' us. But it isn't about what Trump will do with the educational long-term prospects of the young people of today.
I got a good chuckle out of that RNC statement. Republicans love to dish it out but can't take it. Marches on Washington for them (complete with racist signs) but not for anyone else. Power grabs for them (NC legislature and GWB executive orders) but not for anyone else. Constitution doesn't apply to them (SCOTUS appointments) but not for anyne else.
The ground swell is going to continue. Fact: more citizens of the United States vote Democrat and lean liberal then vote Republican and lean conservative. In six of the past seven general elections, the Democrat has won the popular vote decisively. So under those circumstances, in which the liberal voice is being muted by gerrymandering, outdated forms of governance, and voter suppression, you'd better believe there will be dissent over the next four years.
I know I'm going into "Do You Believe In Fortune Tellers" Land, but I think I have good reason to do so. No overstatement-for-effect here and no arguing for its own sake. I sincerely believe that if Donald Trump takes office as the 45th President of the United States, there will not be a 46th.
I'll already mentioned my own experience as a soothsayer: predicted in 1971 that Ronald Reagan would be the President of the US in 1984 as an off-hand intro to a high school project. I'm telling you now in all sincerity: the reason I've been resisting Donald Trump's presidency so fervently is because I firmly believe that no good can come from giving this egotistical con man the rudder of the ship of state. Apocalypse awaits and if you can't see it, well, I can and I do.
How and why that happens, as I say, my crystal ball gets a little cloudy. As I see it, there are four future paths ahead of us (although some combination of these paths is certainly possible.) They are:
1) Complete ecological collapse. Coastal cities like NY, Washington DC, SF, LA and the like flooded as the polar ice caps continue to shrink. Etc. But Trump doesn't believe in climate change so of course there's no danger here... Percentage of possibility: almost total. Without enlightened minds working against it, climate change is not a mere possibiliy, it's a certainty.
2) World War lll. Russia enlists the aid of the USA against Chinese ambition and so long to civilization as we know it. Islamic terrorism ain't nothing against the global overkill these three countries possess. Percentage of possibility: I'll give this one 35% but I'm just guessing here.
3) Civil War in the USA. Once California secedes she is joined by the other Blue states. This can go peacefully or not, it's up to the Orange Overlord. But believe it: California will not accept our votes being significantly less important than those in Montana. Substantial reform of the electoral system is required or we're out of here. And we take the 5th largest economy in the entire world with us. Possibly more NY state joins the growing Pacific Coast republic. I'll give this one 50/50 depending on which side of the bed Herr Trump wakes up on when he gets the word that the secession has followed the path of Brexit and his own election: unlikely, unwise, but a coming reality.
4) Fascist takeover of the entire awful, crooked system we've currently got once Trump realizes he can't have his way in all things. He's obviously not going to put his economic empire into any sort of blind trust -- his kids are going to be running that as well as sitting in on many important administration meetings. Look at how much of Russia's wealth has ended up in Putin's hands, and extrapolate from there. The Press won't be able to say a word against it, lying bastards that they are, they'll soon be put out of business. The Republican Party themselves won't lift a finger to stop him -- their failure to use the Electoral College as the founding fathers intended show that all they really care about is power for themselves. Now you get to see how effectively those weak, blubbering liberals have kept the radical left boxed in. The dissent we've seen under the limited democracy we've had up until now won't hold a candle to what you've got coming. Percentage of possibilty: I'll say 70%.
As the saying goes: be careful what you ask for because you just may get it. Now you've almost got a Trump presidency and I hope to God I'm wrong in my predictions but I honestly don't think that's the case.
Now -- here's how you can prove this Casandra wrong: I've shown you my methods, Watson -- use them. @bondjames, I challenged you a few days back. What will be my Christmas gift to you all here on this thread? Observe my past actions, take note of my past promises, and deduce. Project the future from what you've observed of the past. I've given you some very substantial hints recently. (Actually, I thought I'd already given it away but you went barking up the wrong tree and lost the scent entirely.) Show me that you can predict the future, just as I already have, and I will believe your hopes of good to come from this brave new administration. I promise to give this President of yours (not mine!) my full support in his efforts if you can show me some small ability in personal assessment. I doubt you can do it, you may be fairly intelligent in some ways but so far as I can tell, not much so in one other crucial area: the ability to accurately judge people's characters and project their future actions from their past activities. From what I've seen of Trump I call him a blowhard and a greedy bastard, and did so long before this election. You've been in long conversation with me, you ought to know me better than I know a man I've never spoken with. What say you, @bj? Christmas is only a few days away -- much closer than the visions just given you by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come...
@BondJames? Since you are so into this topic...could you provide me with a clear policy agenda from Mr Trump that could answer my earlier questions about education?
@BeatlesSansEarmuffs, if I understand you correctly, your contention is that President Elect Trump will be the last president of the United States. That seems a bit radical to me. In the same post, you also seem to advocate for California’s secession. I’m afraid it’s difficult to sympathize with your fears when you appear to be a part of the problem. If you and others had an issue with the Electoral College, the time to make hay out of it was before the election, and not afterwards. I’ve already posted my thoughts on why the system exists as it does, and I’m sure you realize why it’s in place as well. I happen to agree with it, although I don’t think it’s perfect (no system is). President Elect Trump would have campaigned more aggressively in California if the election was to be decided on popular vote. If California truly feels that it’s better off as a Sanctuary State and on its own, then that’s their decision. I put this possibility at 0% (most Californians are pretty sharp and will realize they are ‘stronger together’, to quote a poor slogan, after a bit of self reflection).
Your ecological concerns are warranted. I’m no expert on the fine details of the science, but I do believe that humans are affecting the environment negatively. As I noted in an earlier post, I can however understand why those who are out of work, on food stamps, and without prospects aren’t too concerned about Climate Change. At the end of the day, Maslow’s Hierarchy applies, and some people have more pressing concerns, like how to put food on the table and take care of their dependents. Jobs are one of this Administration’s top stated goals, and that is why they were elected. I believe they are credible on this subject, and they will work to achieve results. As I said in the old thread before it was closed down, “It’s the Economy Stupid!”.
The fact that President Elect Trump has a close advisor (his daughter) who has some interest in the climate change discussion is a positive, but I realize some of his Cabinet Appointees have a history on the matter which may concern advocates. Bottom line: Climate Change cannot take precedence over jobs – I’ve said that before and I stand by it. Those who are concerned about this have to bring solutions that create jobs while saving the planet, like Mr. Gates and Mr. DiCaprio have apparently done. Be practical and you will be heard. Otherwise, you will be ignored. I put the possibility of an ecological catastrophe in the next four years at 0%. After that, who knows?
Your concerns about WW3 are warranted, but we’ve always had that problem since Nuclear Weapons came into existence. Hopefully the threat of ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ keeps everyone from the brink. Having said that, local skirmishes and confrontations on a smaller scale via proxies (Syria, Ukraine, Taiwan etc.) are quite likely. I can’t put a % likelihood on this scenario.
I put the chance of a fascist takeover at 0%. There are enough checks and balances in the system to ensure that this doesn’t become a reality. President Elect Trump doesn’t agree with the Republican faithful on a lot of matters, and I can expect as a deal maker, that he will only try to work with them on items on which they agree. Items where they disagree are unlikely to pass muster. He knows the incoming Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer much better than he knows Paul Ryan or any of the Republican grandees. I expect him to be able to work with both sides of the aisle where needed to further the public’s interest. Having said that, this is a Republican Administration with a businessman in charge, so it's logical to conclude that the policies will lean conservative, with less Government meddling, and with a priority on efficiency.
Regarding your Christmas gift for all of us – I’m afraid that I’m at a complete loss as to what you have in mind. Based on some of the demoralizing comments that you have been expressing lately, I am concerned that you might be considering something permanent, and I certainly hope that I’m wrong.
I only ask that some who seem to be continually predicting the end of the world as we know it take an opportunity to step back, have a few drinks, enjoy the festive season, and calm down. I hope you can agree that fear is the biggest enemy of hope. It must be overcome or it could become all consuming.
With respect to my predictive capabilities: I’m certainly no Shaman, but I seem to recall being more optimistic about Mr. Trump’s chances when he was being written off on the old thread, so perhaps I’m not totally wrong on everything about the future.
At the end of the day we have had an election, and a victor under the rules that everyone agreed to abide by. That person is President Elect Trump. He must be given an opportunity to govern. There is a large portion of the country that voted for him, that have high hopes for him, and that want him to succeed. I wanted the best for President Obama, and I want the best for President Elect Trump as well. I hope that he can be given that courtesy which he deserves, and then we can see where it takes us. I'm frankly shocked at this continual b!tc!n% I see here. The current president has spoken eloquently about the partisan divide, but he has not been able to heal it.
The next president, outsider as he is, may do better than you think at bridging the differences. After all, a major criticism from many in his own party during the election cycle was that he wasn’t sufficiently conservative on key issues. He has a fine needle to thread to keep his fringe happy while also reaching out to the centre on other matters. He is not a great orator like his predecessor, but he is a doer. Perhaps that is what the country needs now. I wish him well.
The biggest risks in my view are as follows:
-Mr. Trump is a risk taker. He seems to have no fear. While these are admirable qualities- and while I also understand what he's trying to do geopolitically on the China/Russia/EU front - I hope he exercises caution on global affairs due to unintended consequences. Mr. Putin and the Chinese have proven to be logical, but not every state actor is.
-There are questions being raised now about the American electoral system and the legitimacy of the President. This is a concern for democracy.
-Racial tensions remain widespread, as are police violence. I hope that progress can be made on this front quickly, as it's a unnecessary cancer from within that must be extinguished.
-Terrorism and the threat of an attack remains a major concern.
-Global risks are very high. The EU could easily collapse on this president's watch, and the risk of an internal problem in China (including a banking collapse) is also very high, although unreported.
-The risk of a housing crash and/or currency collapse in a few Western countries is also high.
@Gustav_Graves, it's difficult to discuss education policy when the Administration is still pulling together its team and refining its plans. These will require congressional discussions and fleshing out. I am including below a link to the respective section in the President Elect's campaign site which outlines overall overall aims. He is 'school choice', supports a voucher program, and favours 'charter schools'. He is also not in favour of Common Core:
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/education
Here are a few of my comments on the subject from earlier in this thread (some were in response to you):
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/comment/673071/#Comment_673071
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/17390/the-trump-era-jan-20-2017-xxxx-political-discussion-including-foreign-impacts/p2
If the results are not abided by and continually questioned, then it may sadly come to that. Anarchy.
Then I must conclude that you actually do put the possibility of a fascist takeover at greater than 0%. :-?
The Fascism is here and has been all along, and to think it will stop short or not get worse with Trump is incredibly naive. This is not name-calling here- I just have to say it; you are one of the most well-educated & least insightful peeps I've ever discussed s**t with. If I had an emotional investment here I'd find you quite maddening. And before someone throws the ad-hominem accusation at me, this is me saying I can't discuss anything with someone who's always correct no matter what & recognizes no incremental gradations or subtle shades of gray in transitional periods.
Look, I realize that there is militarization of police and an increasing suppression of descent. That's been going on for some time. What about Occupy Wall Street? Obama shut that down before it went anywhere even though it was nonviolent (if a bit unsanitary), and anyone who thinks it wasn't a coordinated shut down across Western countries at the White House's behest is dreaming.
Protest is fine and I encourage it. Violent protest is not fine, and if it goes there, then I don't have a problem with a forceful takedown in the public safety interest. Only if this continues. I'm hoping that the stages of grief proceed quickly to their natural conclusion of acceptance sooner rather than later.
=))
Am I maddened? :-j
Amused would now be the more precise technical term for my emotional & psychological frame of mind regarding my opinion of your hilariously self-serving opinions...
Be well, and enhance your calm on this joy joy day! :D
Yesterday, we got into a car accident in San Francisco (we are all fine). The driver (Uber of course) then got out of his car and tried to intimidate us, cussing us in very explicit language and calling us "stupid". He kept repeating that he "was American and knows the laws" while us ( immigrants) need to learn how to drive when we come to "his" country. When I asked him not to use this language in front of my three year old son in the car, he doubled on the insults. We are of course very upset by the whole incident, not only because of the monetary damage and insurance hassles, but also because in my 20 years of being in this country, we have never experienced this hatred and acrimony. We are legal immigrants and American citizens for a while. We are both scientists with many contributions to this society, including educating a large number of students as university professors. We were scared for our safety and that of our son and of course when we called the police, they refused to come telling us to exchange information and sort it out.
We are planning to go to police station today and file a report. We also filed a complaint with Uber. But now I am thinking that this guy has our information including where we live from copy of driver license. What if he harasses or hurts us or our son? He was obviously unhinged, and accident was his responsibility since he tried to change lanes without looking and hit us. So what if he gets more unhinged by the rise in his insurance or disciplinary action from his employer (Uber)? What can we do to make sure we are safe? This incident has shaken us to the core.
This is indicative of behavior that has been on the rise in the Trump Era. I'm only trying to make you aware of what's coming down. Sorry and Happy Holidays.
I am 100% convinced you would dig ditches and throw mud on Miss Universe. The Miss Universe contest is associated with honorable President-Elect, ergo your excitable ditch-digging self would in most highest probability be compelled to toss the messiest of mud at innocent, unsuspecting helpless Miss Universe candidates.
In fact evidence of such behaviour does seem to exist.
@earmuffs and ditch-digging compatriots, mere days after election
Innocent Miss Universe contestants suddenly covered in mud! Co-incidence I think not.
the horror! for shame!
Shudder. Such ill. Such will.
Sweet Baby Jesus indeed! :-O