America under President Trump

[bush_cheney2004]

14 minutes ago, Zeitgeist said:

But tariffs aren’t the way to do it.  They just throw a tax on consumer goods.  The better way is to heighten the rules on trade.  That was the original purpose of the WTO.  You want to trade, meet these minimum standards on wages, environment, human rights, etc.   Choose lower standards and pay a penalty or get shut out of trade with the markets that buy goods. 

 

Obviously the WTO failed to do these things...long before Trump came along.    The WTO moves at a snail's pace for goods and services that now have much shorter life cycles.    The WTO is obsolete.

 

Quote

Instead of strengthening the rules and their enforcement, Trump has used the blunt instrument of tariffs, which will only be de escalated under what conditions, that China and others import more stuff at higher prices that China already produces more cheaply?  Strange way to re-engineer behaviour.  If Chinese goods become too expensive for Americans because of the tariffs, then the production just shifts to another low cost jurisdiction.  It becomes an expensive game of Whack a Mole that doesn’t change behaviour.  Countries that can’t impose enough counter-tariffs to get the US to reduce tariffs don’t have a playbook to fix the problem. It leads to aggression and resentment.  

 

Dairy tariffs were plenty good enough for Canada's protection scheme(s)...so they are good enough for Trump too.

Trump is using the tools that he has authority to use as president...tariffs.   They seem to have gotten a lot of attention.

 

 

[Zeitgeist]

21 minutes ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

 

Obviously the WTO failed to do these things...long before Trump came along.    The WTO moves at a snail's pace for goods and services that now have much shorter life cycles.    The WTO is obsolete.

 

 

Dairy tariffs were plenty good enough for Canada's protection scheme(s)...so they are good enough for Trump too.

Trump is using the tools that he has authority to use as president...tariffs.   They seem to have gotten a lot of attention.

 

 

Then revamp the WTO completely.  Hell, Trump can run it if it makes him happy.  

Where will these tariffs lead in the trade war with China?  What will they change?

[bush_cheney2004]

1 minute ago, Zeitgeist said:

Then revamp the WTO completely.  Hell, Trump can run it if it makes him happy.  

Where will these tariffs lead in the trade war with China?  What will they change?

 

"Revamping" the WTO would take many years as well.   And it would still not be responsive enough without tools like tariffs and countervailing duty, which already exist.

Trump is just using them to change up the game,  attack the massive trade imbalance with China and other nations,  and repatriate U.S. investment and capital.

China can wait Trump out, but he will have his turn at bat while it lasts.

[OftenWrong]

5 hours ago, Zeitgeist said:

But tariffs aren’t the way to do it.  They just throw a tax on consumer goods.  The better way is to heighten the rules on trade.

Forcing China to pay more is not a tax on our goods. It is recognition that their forms of production are unacceptable to us. The ability to exploit or circumvent certain rules and standards is often granted to third world countries that do not have the infrastructure to support them yet. China has somehow got on this list, yet they're a superpower. That gives them a major advantage over both the US and Russia.

Edited August 3, 2019 by OftenWrong

[GostHacked]

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/30/pentagon-happy-about-new-defense-budget.html

Quote

WASHINGTON — Defense officials are rooting for the Senate to pass a massive two-year spending package this week, a measure that bumps up the Pentagon’s spending power to $738 billion.

Last week, the House passed a bill that sets discretionary spending at about $1.37 trillion in fiscal 2020 and slightly higher in fiscal 2021. The agreement also suspends the U.S. borrowing limit for two years. The Senate is expected to approve the measure this week, and President Donald Trump has said he would sign it.

And why can't people have universal health care again?   And by the article this is a 33% increase in budget for the military. Apparently that is 33 billion.

33 B increase this year on military while cutting medicare over the next 10 years (equating to about 85 B decrease per year)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/politics/trump-budget-2020/?utm_term=.a66236f25aa

Quote

Cuts $845 billion over the next 10 years from Medicare, the federal program that provides health insurance to older Americans

This seems like a good breakdown of the budget.  LOTS of cuts to medicare / medicaide.

 

[eyeball]

Quote

"It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence."

Donald Trump

Seems to me the real problem is that it's never been easier to raise youth up in a troubled culture that celebrates violence.

 

Quote

"We must stop or substantially reduce this, and it has to begin immediately."

I think the US is past the point where it can stop much less reduce this and adapting to the new state of normal is all one can really do.

[bush_cheney2004]

1 hour ago, eyeball said:

I think the US is past the point where it can stop much less reduce this and adapting to the new state of normal is all one can really do.

 

Of course many think that, ignoring the facts on the ground for lower gun homicide rates since the 1990's:

 

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/10/21/gun-homicides-steady-after-decline-in-90s-suicide-rate-edges-up/

Edited August 6, 2019 by bush_cheney2004

[eyeball]

48 minutes ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

in 2014 blah blah blah.

 

Meanwhile in 2018.

Quote

Guns are responsible for the largest share of U.S. homicides in over 80 years, federal mortality data shows

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/04/02/guns-are-now-responsible-for-the-largest-share-of-american-homicides-in-over-80-years-federal-mortality-data-show/

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by eyeball

[bush_cheney2004]

2 minutes ago, eyeball said:

 

Meanwhile in 2018.

 

 

Still much lower than in 1993....but don't let facts get in the way of emotion.  

[eyeball]

Just now, bush_cheney2004 said:

Still much lower than in 1993....but don't let facts get in the way of emotion.  

In over 80 years not 26....but don't let arithmetic get in your way.  

[bush_cheney2004]

4 minutes ago, eyeball said:

In over 80 years not 26....but don't let arithmetic get in your way.  

 

So the U.S. has many more guns but a lower gun homicide rate....thanks for playing.

 

[eyeball]

12 minutes ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

So the U.S. has many more guns but a lower gun homicide rate....thanks for playing.

facepalm/

 

Quote

Put another way, guns alone accounted for nearly 98 percent of the observed homicide rate increase between 2014 and 2016. All told, in 2016 gun homicides made up 74.5 percent of all homicides in the United States — the highest share in well over 80 years of complete federal data.

 

[bush_cheney2004]

4 minutes ago, eyeball said:

facepalm/

 

Keep trying to spin it....but the U.S. firearm homicide rate has been reduced from historical highs, despite your claim above.  

Good thing Americans don't listen to you.

[eyeball]

8 minutes ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

Keep trying to spin it....but the U.S. firearm homicide rate has been reduced from historical highs, despite your claim above.

No, the firearm homicide has increased to it highest level in well over 80 years as evidenced by the US Federal government's claim.

 

Quote

Good thing Americans don't listen to you.

Since when did Americans listen to anyone?

Edited August 6, 2019 by eyeball

[bush_cheney2004]

1 minute ago, eyeball said:

No, the firearm homicide has increased to it highest level in well over 80 years as evidenced by the US Federal government's claim.

 

Clearly this is not the case....you are confusing the percentage of all homicides from firearms with the gun homicide rate per 100,000...two very different things.

The U.S. firearms homicide rate has declined significantly since 1993, when gang banging crack wars were at a peak.

 

Quote

Since when did Americans listen to anyone?

 

Since at least 1960, when a Canadian doctor advised the FDA to ban Thalidomide ( Frances Kelsey).

 

[eyeball]

4 minutes ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

The U.S. firearms homicide rate has declined significantly since 1993, when gang banging crack wars were at a peak.

While also increasing to its highest level in over 80 years?  Oh well, it's your government's data and you know how figures lie and liars figure.

[bush_cheney2004]

23 minutes ago, eyeball said:

While also increasing to its highest level in over 80 years?  Oh well, it's your government's data and you know how figures lie and liars figure.

 

Again, I don't think you understand the data sets...overall U.S. homicide rate is still down, as are firearms homicides which are now a larger percentage of all homicides committed.   Suicides are up...slightly.

President Trump's ATF actually banned bump-fire stocks while Obama approved them.  Americans now own more guns per capita but the gun homicide rate has still declined from record highs.

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by bush_cheney2004

[eyeball]

3 minutes ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

Again, I don't think you understand the data sets...

I don't think I trust them, not if what's being reported is that conflicting.

[Zeitgeist]

3 hours ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

 

Again, I don't think you understand the data sets...overall U.S. homicide rate is still down, as are firearms homicides which are now a larger percentage of all homicides committed.   Suicides are up...slightly.

President Trump's ATF actually banned bump-fire stocks while Obama approved them.  Americans now own more guns per capita but the gun homicide rate has still declined from record highs.

 

Okay but it isn’t a knee-jerk reaction, after hundreds of mass murders, to say that radical measures must be taken to address homicides and particularly gun homicides.   You can carry on with the status quo, but it just illustrates that your governments aren’t on top of public safety.  

[scribblet]

What radical measures should be taken in Chicago for instance where shootings and gun violence is endemic but no one wants to talk about that.  Gun violence in Toronto is rising too even with Canada's strict gun control. 

I've read that Chicago's murder rate is down since the 1990s but spiking upwards now.   One of the reasons is because of the fallout from a police shooting, so cops are no longer aggressive so  don't go into the shooting area until the shooting stops.  Since cops won't be given any benefit of doubt now they are being 'cautious'.
However, in the 1990s, Chicago’s murder rate would approach 900-1000 every year. It obviously has dropped since then.
 Just one story

https://www-chicagotribune-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-chicago-weekend-violence-20180806-story,amp.html?amp_js_v=0.1&usqp=mq331AQCCAE=#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fbreaking%2Fct-met-chicago-weekend-violence-20180806-story.html

https://www.inquisitr.com/5017376/chicago-gun-violence-leaves-59-shot-8-dead-since-friday/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A google%2FyDYq (The Inquisitr - News)&utm_content=Yahoo Search Results

 

 

[Boges]

30 minutes ago, scribblet said:

What radical measures should be taken in Chicago for instance where shootings and gun violence is endemic but no one wants to talk about that.  Gun violence in Toronto is rising too even with Canada's strict gun control. 

I've read that Chicago's murder rate is down since the 1990s but spiking upwards now.   One of the reasons is because of the fallout from a police shooting, so cops are no longer aggressive so  don't go into the shooting area until the shooting stops.  Since cops won't be given any benefit of doubt now they are being 'cautious'.
However, in the 1990s, Chicago’s murder rate would approach 900-1000 every year. It obviously has dropped since then.
 Just one story

https://www-chicagotribune-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-chicago-weekend-violence-20180806-story,amp.html?amp_js_v=0.1&usqp=mq331AQCCAE=#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fbreaking%2Fct-met-chicago-weekend-violence-20180806-story.html

https://www.inquisitr.com/5017376/chicago-gun-violence-leaves-59-shot-8-dead-since-friday/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A google%2FyDYq (The Inquisitr - News)&utm_content=Yahoo Search Results

I think Gang Violence is always going to something that we have to deal with. Especially with the prohibition of drugs in the US. And that's what we saw in Toronto on the weekend, gang Violence. These are, by and large, targeted killings of rivals etc. Most people accept that byproduct of living in an urban environment. 

These mass shootings aren't that though. They're people who go out and purposely try to kill innocent people going about their normal business. And they don't generally use concealed handguns, they try and get the military style weapons to kill as many people as possible. 

This Dayton shooter was neutralized within a minute, but still managed to kill 9 people. That kind of flies in this whole "Good Guy with a Gun" Narrative. The El Paso shooter was in freaking Texas!!!! You telling me there wasn't anyone else with a gun to help? And even if there was, they're outgunned by a guy with a military style weapon. 

I do think limiting military style weapons would help, or at least limiting the carnage when someone decides he wants to do this.

Also, perhaps, intelligence agencies should focus more of their efforts on tracking InCells and White Supremacists and less on Extremist Muslims. It seems Angry White men are the bigger threat. And I'm speaking as a white man. For example this 8Chan message board. The NSA and CSIS should make an effort to try and find these people before they decide to do these things. 

And finally, the President should probably stop demonizing immigrants. This El Paso shooter admitted as much that he felt his country was being invaded. 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Boges

[Zeitgeist]

27 minutes ago, scribblet said:

What radical measures should be taken in Chicago for instance where shootings and gun violence is endemic but no one wants to talk about that.  Gun violence in Toronto is rising too even with Canada's strict gun control. 

I've read that Chicago's murder rate is down since the 1990s but spiking upwards now.   One of the reasons is because of the fallout from a police shooting, so cops are no longer aggressive so  don't go into the shooting area until the shooting stops.  Since cops won't be given any benefit of doubt now they are being 'cautious'.
However, in the 1990s, Chicago’s murder rate would approach 900-1000 every year. It obviously has dropped since then.
 Just one story

https://www-chicagotribune-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-chicago-weekend-violence-20180806-story,amp.html?amp_js_v=0.1&usqp=mq331AQCCAE=#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fbreaking%2Fct-met-chicago-weekend-violence-20180806-story.html

https://www.inquisitr.com/5017376/chicago-gun-violence-leaves-59-shot-8-dead-since-friday/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A google%2FyDYq (The Inquisitr - News)&utm_content=Yahoo Search Results

 

 

Buy back guns no questions asked in a gun amnesty.  Have community policing with small units in the middle of housing projects to build relationships and trust.  Ban all handguns and automatic/semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles.  Provide better social services and community supports in stressed communities, especially around employment and education opportunities.  Track extremism and provide preventative guidance and model support of other cultures in media and government.  Recognize that poverty exists across cultures, including among whites.  Don’t make community support about race. Do I think most of these things are likely to happen in the US?  No.  The NRA is too powerful.  There’s a strange obsession with guns and the anachronistic Second Amendment.  Low taxation is too important to the rich who have jerrymandered too many districts in their favour.  It’s sad because the solutions are clear, so I feel like Cassandra providing advice that won’t be taken seriously.  It’s like watching a train go off a cliff over and over.  

Edited August 6, 2019 by Zeitgeist

[Boges]

7 hours ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

 

Again, I don't think you understand the data sets...overall U.S. homicide rate is still down, as are firearms homicides which are now a larger percentage of all homicides committed.   Suicides are up...slightly.

President Trump's ATF actually banned bump-fire stocks while Obama approved them.  Americans now own more guns per capita but the gun homicide rate has still declined from record highs.

 

But this is about Mass Shootings, which are on the rise. And these types of killings are more concerning as innocent civilians just going about their business are the target. 

https://everytownresearch.org/reports/mass-shootings-analysis/

 

Quote

 

Everytown’s analysis revealed the following:

• From 2009 to 2017, there were at least 173 mass shootings in the U.S.
• 2017 was the deadliest year on record for mass shootings. There were four times as many people shot in mass shootings in 2017 than the average of the eight years prior.
• In at least one-third of mass shootings, the shooter was legally prohibited from possessing firearms at the time of the shooting.
• In half of mass shootings, the shooter exhibited warning signs indicating that they posed a danger to themselves or others before the shooting.
• The majority of mass shootings were related to domestic or family violence. These incidents were responsible for 86 percent of mass shooting child fatalities.
• Mass shootings that involved the use of high-capacity magazines resulted in more than twice as many fatalities and 14 times as many injuries on average compared to those that did not.

 

•  

[GostHacked]

9 hours ago, eyeball said:

 

Meanwhile in 2018.

 

Also highest number of people killed by police.

[Michael Hardner]

Here's the teleprompter-reader explaining why he should be taken off the internet: