America - The Official Thread

[ryzno]

It is really sad though. A guy just needs to make sure he isnt on camera, no witnesses, doesnt leave any ejaculate and bruises and he virtually can receive no consequence from it.

It's more than just semen. They also look for sweat or saliva, also skin/blood. I hope I don't come across as sexist but women do like to scratch during fights. Which can leave skin and/or blood under their nails.
On the flip side, some have been released from prison after modern DNA tests proved the accused were innocent.
The subject itself is a somewhat slippery slope if you know what I mean.

 

[Turbo]

Here's a list of things I've learnt from the self-proclaimed best president in American history, Donald Trump. Some of it has been said in interviews and speeches, others came from his Twitter. Seriously, I've learnt so much new credible info from this great man. Great guy, great guy! That I can tell you.

• France is no longer France.
• The Chinese government is attacking American farmers.
• Global warming is a hoax, because sometimes it can be frigid outside.
• Global warming was also invented by the Chinese to make US less competitive in manufacturing.
• Trump is the least racist person interviewed by any news station, ever.
• Trump's IQ is one of the highest ever recorded.
• Most black people in America admire Trump.
• If America gets any gentler or kinder, it will no longer exist.
• Mexico will pay for the border wall, since they are winning more than America.
• It was Bush's fault that he let 9/11 happen.
• Trump could've prevented 9/11, if stronger, harsher immigration laws were put into place.
• Women who have abortions deserve some form of punishment.
• The average Mexican immigrant is either a drug addict, rapist, or criminal in general.
• Trump invented the phrase "Make America Great Again" although Reagan used it in his presidential campaign.
• Saddam Hussein isn't as bad as we think he is, and he helped kill many terrorists.
• Trump's Gucci store is worth far more than Mitt Romney's entire net worth.
• John McCain is not a hero.
• The writer of the TV show Modern Family is very low IQ.
• It's been proven that the concept of shaking hands is horrible.
• Every woman who was ever on the Apprentice flirted with Trump, or secretly loved Trump.
• A man who thinks personality is more important than looks in a woman can only attract ugly women.
• People need a big ego, or else they're a loser.
• Trump's fingers are known to be exceptionally beautiful compared to the rest of his body.
• Mothers who breastfeed their children are nasty and disgusting.
• FBI favors Trump more than they've favored any other president, by far.
• No living man has more respect for intelligence and knowledge than Trump.
• Presidents who don't make much phone calls are bad presidents.
• The most credible of sources have confirmed Obama's birth certificate is fake, and he isn't US-born.
• Obama not being that good of a president is the reason why America won't see another black president in ages!
• Only 9% of all media tells the truth about Trump.
• Women who are flat chested can never be a 10.
• The worst thing a man can do is go bald.
• Jesus Christ is a loser.
• Vaccines cause autism, but only in large doses.
• Someone who burns the American flag deserves permanent loss of citizenship.
• Trump won the popular vote in actuality despite the fact that polls show Hillary did, because many illegals voted for her.
• Justin Trudeau wants Thanksgiving to be six weeks earlier.
• All negative polls are fake.
• Lyin' Ted Cruz used a photo of Melania in his advertisement without Trump's permission.
• Lyin' Ted Cruz's father had a pivotal role in JFK's death.
• Muslim Americans cheered when 9/11 happened.
• Justice Scalia's death was a murder.
• Vince Foster may not have actually committed suicide.
• Syrian refugees are just ISIS terrorists in disguise.
• ISIS terrorists showed up at Trumps' rally in Dayton, Ohio in 2016
• Scotland is not a part of the UK.
• Fox News is owned by a Saudi billionaire, who is related to Megyn Kelly.
• Trump's "grab her by the pussy" Hollywood tape is fake.
• Joe Scarborough killed a Trump intern.
• Obama wiretapped Trump's phone.
• Far fewer than 3,000 Puerto Ricans died in Hurricane Maria.

And that is all, for now.

 

[Johnnypenso]

https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/economic-boom-trump-global-economy/

Now it appears that the U.S. economy is accelerating, while the rest of the world is in neutral. Of course, this is just one of the ways Trump's critics have tried to explain away the current boom, or at least deny that Trump has anything to do with it. For example, there's been a rash of stories claiming that everything happening today is simply an extension of the economy under President Obama. As we've noted in this space, the only way to make that claim is to entirely ignore Obama's last year in office, when the economy, after years of historically sluggish growth, gave unmistakable signs of slowing down even more.

GDP growth was in decline in the last two quarters. The stock market had been flat for a year. The unemployment rate was stuck. Median family incomes were flat. The economy kept falling short of expectations. Back then, the very same people now crediting Obama for today's boom were telling the public that the country was in a "secular" period of slow growth. Time magazine wrote in 2016 that "the economic problems the U.S. continues to face …. may well be permanent drags on the modern economy." CBS News said in late 2016 that continued slow growth is "leading many economists to worry that the country has entered a prolonged period where any expansion will be weaker than it has been in the past."

Now, suddenly, unexpectedly, and impossibly (according to the experts), the economy has a renewed energy. Incomes are at record highs, unemployment is down. Rather than underperforming, as the economy did throughout Obama's eight years in office, growth is beating expectations. So, if the current boom isn't the result of Obama's policies (it isn't), and the U.S. isn't simply riding a global boom (it's not), then what explains current growth levels. Could be it be…..Trump? Nah, must be something else. Maybe it's time to consult the star charts.

https://theconservativetreehouse.co...ter-survey-usa-is-the-only-expanding-economy/

 

[Turbo]

No president in history has improved the US economy more than Donald John Trump! Remove that red tape! Undo everything Obama did, and voila, a booming Trump economy! Women's unemployment lowest in 18 years, black unemployment lowest ever! An Obama economy could never look like this! Did I also mention that no man on Earth makes better deals than Trump? We are beating China and Mexico step by step! Trump is god's gift to man, best president ever invented, putting America First, MAGA, and he's also a great guy! That I can tell you. Believe me. He should pat himself on the back.

 

[Rallywagon]

Mean while in the reality that 90+% of americans live in.
https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/workers-at-u-s-steel-vote-to-authorize-strike/
"Incessant demands for benefit cuts by the profitable U.S. Steel Company forced its Steelworkers members to approve a strike authorization, the union said.

And a similar strike OK could follow at the nation’s other huge steelmaker, ArcelorMittal.

U.S. Steel’s 16,000 workers “made a number of sacrifices over the past several years – including three years with a wage freeze – to put this company back on track,” said union President Leo Gerard. “Now that U.S. Steel is expecting to make a profit of nearly $2 billion this year, it is time for the workers to share in the success U.S. Steel is seeing."

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/13/business/economy/wages-workers-profits.html
"
Corporate profits have rarely swept up a bigger share of the nation’s wealth, and workers have rarely shared a smaller one.

The lopsided split is especially pronounced given how low the official unemployment rate has sunk. Throughout the recession and much of its aftermath, when many Americans were grateful to receive a paycheck instead of a pink slip, jobs and raises were in short supply. Now, complaints of labor shortages are as common as tweets. For the first time in a long while, workers have some leverage to push for more.

Yet many are far from making up all the lost ground. Hourly earnings have moved forward at a crawl, with higher prices giving workers less buying power than they had last summer. Last-minute scheduling, no-poaching and noncompete clauses, and the use of independent contractors are popular tactics that put workers at a disadvantage. Threats to move operations overseas, where labor is cheaper, continue to loom."

And I can do that all day. Thats what happens when you think good stocks and high corporate income means anything more than rich people making more money. It's what happens when you think trickle down actually happens when you give cut taxes to the wealthy and then put the burden on the shoulders of the middle and lower classes. It's beyond ignorant in my opinion to think a bunch of frugal fat cats that made their fortunes clutching every dime they have are going to be willing and gleeful about giving anything they don't have to. Corporations get money hand over fists in tax breaks, incentives and loopholes and dont even have the decency to pay a living wage that would keep their employees off welfare.
The economy is a sham, the idea that average americans are doing better is BS and you only need to look at the top welfare states to see what the reds economic policies get you.

 

[Imari]

It is really sad though. A guy just needs to make sure he isnt on camera, no witnesses, doesnt leave any ejaculate and bruises and he virtually can receive no consequence from it.

That's true of any crime, though. If you can make sure that there's no evidence, then you're pretty much scot free. Of course, in practice this is a lot harder than it sounds.

Is there another way that accusations of crime should be treated? Perhaps we should start using guilty until proven innocent, then the burden would be on the potential rapist to prove that they didn't do it. I'm sure that would work well.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Mean while in the reality that 90+% of americans live in.
https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/workers-at-u-s-steel-vote-to-authorize-strike/
"Incessant demands for benefit cuts by the profitable U.S. Steel Company forced its Steelworkers members to approve a strike authorization, the union said.

And a similar strike OK could follow at the nation’s other huge steelmaker, ArcelorMittal.

U.S. Steel’s 16,000 workers “made a number of sacrifices over the past several years – including three years with a wage freeze – to put this company back on track,” said union President Leo Gerard. “Now that U.S. Steel is expecting to make a profit of nearly $2 billion this year, it is time for the workers to share in the success U.S. Steel is seeing."

US Steel lost money in 7 of 9 years from 2009-2017. Total losses over $5.5 Billion. 2013-2015 alone they lost $3.2 Billion. Makes for a good story though.

 

[Rallywagon]

US Steel lost money in 7 of 9 years from 2009-2017. Total losses over $5.5 Billion. 2013-2015 alone they lost $3.2 Billion. Makes for a good story though.

Looking at that, they were making profits by second quarter 2017. How long do you suppose employees should "hold out" now that the company is making 2 billion in profits?

 

[TenEightyOne]

US Steel lost money in 7 of 9 years from 2009-2017. Total losses over $5.5 Billion. 2013-2015 alone they lost $3.2 Billion. Makes for a good story though.

Looking at that, they were making profits by second quarter 2017. How long do you suppose employees should "hold out" now that the company is making 2 billion in profits?

Definitely in profit.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Looking at that, they were making profits by second quarter 2017. How long do you suppose employees should "hold out" now that the company is making 2 billion in profits?

They'd have to make more than $5 billion just to be even over 10 years. How long did they wait while losing money to ask for a wage freeze?

 

[TenEightyOne]

They'd have to make more than $5 billion just to be even over 10 years. How long did they wait while losing money to ask for a wage freeze?

The company's been through its losses, amortized its debts and demonstrated an asset growth of over 2000%. They're no longer carrying former debts or losses so "breaking even" isn't a factor. What is a factor is that their return to fiscal health was aided by the workers protecting company viability through wage cuts/freezes. It seems high time that they were at least presented with a plan for sensible payback - they could have stuck out early on and just let the company implode.

 

[Rallywagon]

In related, but sunnier news, it seems Amazon and probably more directly, Bezos has decided to raise the starting wages at Amazon to 15 an hour. The pay increase will cover every one below 15 effective November 1. Seems all the social media backlash turned a Bezos cheek. He is also advocating for a hike in the federal minimum wage and asks other large corps to do the same.

http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/us-...ising-minimum-wage-to-15-for-all-us-employees

 

[Danoff]

In related, but sunnier news, it seems Amazon and probably more directly, Bezos has decided to raise the starting wages at Amazon to 15 an hour. The pay increase will cover every one below 15 effective November 1. Seems all the social media backlash turned a Bezos cheek. He is also advocating for a hike in the federal minimum wage and asks other large corps to do the same.

http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/us-...ising-minimum-wage-to-15-for-all-us-employees

It's all fine and wonderful for amazon to do that voluntarily. It really bugs me that they then figure they know what national policy should be for all employees.

 

[Rallywagon]

It's all fine and wonderful for amazon to do that voluntarily. It really bugs me that they then figure they know what national policy should be for all employees.

Id be more incline to agree if we weren't just having that US Steel conversation.

 

[Joey D]

US Steel will learn real quick that pissing off your employee base is not good - especially with money. I've left jobs over wage freezes before because they're ridiculous and typically still allow management to get their bonuses and raises. The most important asset for a company is its employees, you want to keep good ones and pay them competitive wages so you can keep them from jumping to a competitor to work.

 

[Biggles]

Fair warning: it's a very scary time for young men in America.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45722404

With regard to the Kavanaugh situation: 'innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt" is the standard for criminal prosecution. This is not a criminal trial. It's an entirely different thing.

My guess is that Kavanaugh was an obnoxious, over-privileged teenager with a bad drinking habit. It's quite possible that he assaulted Ford in a drunken state & doesn't clearly remember it. If this kind of behaviour continued into later adulthood, you would expect it to show up in the FBI investigation. Whether actions taken as a teenager should disqualify someone from high office decades later ... that's a difficult question. It might have been a better strategy if he had copped to a serious drinking problem & bad behaviour in his youth & professed to be completely reformed ... evangelicals love that type of thing!

 

[Rallywagon]

US Steel will learn real quick that pissing off your employee base is not good - especially with money. I've left jobs over wage freezes before because they're ridiculous and typically still allow management to get their bonuses and raises. The most important asset for a company is its employees, you want to keep good ones and pay them competitive wages so you can keep them from jumping to a competitor to work.

I've been in and around enough unions to know that last line isnt always true. while in general I support workers unions, sometimes they can get in the way of terminating a bad employee.

 

[Johnnypenso]

The company's been through its losses, amortized its debts and demonstrated an asset growth of over 2000%. They're no longer carrying former debts or losses so "breaking even" isn't a factor. What is a factor is that their return to fiscal health was aided by the workers protecting company viability through wage cuts/freezes. It seems high time that they were at least presented with a plan for sensible payback - they could have stuck out early on and just let the company implode.

The employees could have done a lot of things but the most sensible thing to do when your employer is losing money hand over fist and struggling to survive is to help out with concessions. No mention is made of the fact that U.S. Steel was losing money hand over fist for a decade. See that's the part that was left out of the story above. The story we got above was that Big Bad U.S. Steel is going to make $2Billion this year and they are so mean to their employees!! No context, no background just Hang the Rich they're big meanies!!!

 

[TenEightyOne]

No context, no background just Hang the Rich they're big meanies!!!

You're arguing against a strawman that nobody's presented. Fact: the workers took a pay freeze (and thereby a real-terms pay cut). Fact: the company is in the green and posting excellent profits while increasing its value. Fact: the workers would like to see their sacrifice recognised with a restoration of their pay.

Their labour - currently at an agreed (and temporary) reduction in value - is what's allowing the company to fill the bank. There's no communist agenda there, just a request for payback from the people creating the value who created the potential for the company's survival in the first place.

 

[Johnnypenso]

You're arguing against a strawman that nobody's presented. Fact: the workers took a pay freeze (and thereby a real-terms pay cut). Fact: the company is in the green and posting excellent profits while increasing its value. Fact: the workers would like to see their sacrifice recognised with a restoration of their pay.

Their labour - currently at an agreed (and temporary) reduction in value - is what's allowing the company to fill the bank. There's no communist agenda there, just a request for payback from the people creating the value who created the potential for the company's survival in the first place.

Fact is they also lost billions of dollars for nearly a decade and have only just returned to the black. It's called context when they are presented as evidence in a post about the big bad corporate bullies taking it out on the little guy. Fact is also they are flexing their union muscle to get what they want back from the company. In other words, that's how it's all supposed to work. It's not evidence of anything other than normal operations.

 

[Rallywagon]

Just only? They were in the green since second quarter 2017. That's over a year and a half now, more if we are talking fiscal years. And having union preassure isnt the spirit of how trickle down was sold to the public. At all. But, I do enjoy seeing you give merit to the need of that particular socialist institution.

 

[Sanji Himura]

Actually, @Johnnypenso is correct when stating that the whole thing is just business as usual. Looking at the marketwatch source that TenEightyOne provided, you have to look at five-year trend before you go and draw any serious conclusions. If you want to nitpick over exactly what year that US Steel Corp. made their turn around, you would have to go to 2014. How do you get from 724M in 2013, and 1.43B in 2014 to a minus 114M the very next year? How? Yes, they are just returning to the black after wiping out nearly 2B in capital in one year! This union power play will not ultimately work as it is cheaper to train someone new than it is to keep experienced people on.

 

[Rallywagon]

Actually, @Johnnypenso is correct when stating that the whole thing is just business as usual. Looking at the marketwatch source that TenEightyOne provided, you have to look at five-year trend before you go and draw any serious conclusions. If you want to nitpick over exactly what year that US Steel Corp. made their turn around, you would have to go to 2014. How do you get from 724M in 2013, and 1.43B in 2014 to a minus 114M the very next year? How? Yes, they are just returning to the black after wiping out nearly 2B in capital in one year! This union power play will not ultimately work as it is cheaper to train someone new than it is to keep experienced people on.

Ok, fine, but if that's the game we are playing then they had decades of huge profits before everyone got hit in the mid 2000s. Why exactly are we normalizing and defending shady business practices that burden both the employees and the tax payers that subsidize their pay with welfare? We are talking 2 billion in net profit. That's 2 billion after all the years expenses are paid. It would probably still be close enough to 2 billion even after they reconcile with the employees. Accepting that as business as usual, well, I suppose that's easier to stomache when you read about it in a post than when you're struggling to feed your kids.

 

[PocketZeven]

So I would like the take of the americans in this thread on the latest revelations on Trump's claim of being a selfmade Billionaire? Do these revelations change your opinion of him?

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/02/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes/index.htm

That's true of any crime, though. If you can make sure that there's no evidence, then you're pretty much scot free. Of course, in practice this is a lot harder than it sounds.

Is there another way that accusations of crime should be treated? Perhaps we should start using guilty until proven innocent, then the burden would be on the potential rapist to prove that they didn't do it. I'm sure that would work well.

Of course that would work horribly. But the numbers do show there something wrong somewhere in the proces of accusation>investigation>arrest>conviction. Faced with 0.6% conviction rate (2% for reported cases) one can only conclude this is a serious problem. Trump's recent public statements about young men needing to be worried is only going to lower that number. Even Kavanaugh's own opening statement he emphasised that any accusation should be taken seriously. In Trump world women should only report rape if they remember everything and have substantial evidence. So they should not shower after the rape (because of DNA), go straight to the police and give a detailed account of how, when and where. If you wait to long and fail to remember these "important" details you are just out of luck.

I can remember important traumatic memories like my first caraccident too, but I cant remember when it was and how i got there. I just know it happened.

 

[PocketZeven]

double post

 

[Rallywagon]

So I would like the take of the americans in this thread on the latest revelations on Trump's claim of being a selfmade Billionaire? Do these revelations change your opinion of him?

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/02/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes/index.htm




Of course that would work horribly. But the numbers do show there something wrong somewhere in the proces of accusation>investigation>arrest>conviction. Faced with 0.6% conviction rate (2% for reported cases) one can only conclude this is a serious problem. Trump's recent public statements about young men needing to be worried is only going to lower that number. Even Kavanaugh's own opening statement he emphasised that any accusation should be taken seriously. In Trump world women should only report rape if they remember everything and have substantial evidence. So they should not shower after the rape (because of DNA), go straight to the police and give a detailed account of how, when and where. If you wait to long and fail to remember these "important" details you are just out of luck.

I can remember important traumatic memories like my first caraccident too, but I cant remember when it was and how i got there. I just know it happened.

I clean and rely was never a supporter of his. But I always found his claim of self made as a bold face lie. He had his father's contacts and was given a million dollars too boot. Nothing there says self made.

Edit. I wonder if this report is why I am seeing a resurgance in Trumps call to expand libel laws.

 

[PocketZeven]

I clean and rely was never a supporter of his. But I always found his claim of self made as a bold face lie. He had his father's contacts and was given a million dollars too boot. Nothing there says self made.

But will these claims of fraud have concequences?

 

[Rallywagon]

But will these claims of fraud have concequences?

Idk, you would think running a sham school and fraudulent businesses would too, so far he seems pretty immune to consequences.

 

[TexRex]

 

[PocketZeven]

Idk, you would think running a sham school and fraudulent businesses would too, so far he seems pretty immune to consequences.

Except those business were setup to protect him from personal liability. These allegations would make him liabel personally. What is the statute of limitations for Tax fraud? The most recent allegation that they lowered the evaluation of his late fathers estate, for lowering tax purposes, is that illegal in the USA? Such practices are, to my knowledge, viewed as tax evasion here in my country.