Trump's Second Term

[Orphia Nay]

I keep hoping Joe's got one more trick up his sleeve still, but I really think we're stuck with Trump taking office and then going all kinds of push-the-limits nuts on day one.

Going nuts when he takes office? He's already started, judging from the appointments he's making.

 

[ZiprHead]

Is there anything we can scrap, at least for four years, safely? To keep our libertarian friend above happy. Yes.

The Lewis book (link inmy signature) outlines a lot of necessary departements, which are there for our safety. Is there something we can slash safely for four years, at least? Yes, research. Medical research, drug research in colleges, many types of chemistry (think Lithium batteries) and countless practical fields are funded by the USA. Graduate student scholarships to do research. All that can be scrapped. Industry does not invent new chemical reactions, for example (many can't be patented, they are there for common good). All that will need to be scrapped for now. And in the long run we will not be the leader in innovation anymore. China will be. They will also do many types of public constuction. We can't build the Hoover Dams that the future technology will need.

This is the perfect way to put China on top of the world. Tarriffs be damned.

 

[bruto]

Who has called you a nazi? If we had more Republicans like you, Trump wouldn't have won.

I think unfortunately in AS's thread on whether there are any good Republicans left, the parallel was drawn, and briefly brandished.

 

[Stacyhs]

I think unfortunately in AS's thread on whether there are any good Republicans left, the parallel was drawn, and briefly brandished.

I see. Thanks. Amy Strange seems a very reasonable Republican. She is certainly not a fascist/nazi.

 

[Mojo]

As bad as cutting those things sounds, I fear it's going to be worse than that. Those things, while expensive, do eventually result in new technologies and advancements which further economic progress by boosting industrial output and creating new and desirable products. It's a lot of public money spent, but private enterprise eventually reaps the benefits and makes money off it.

It's the things that cost money but produce no economic advantage that are most at risk. Healthcare benefits for people who aren't working, for starters. Medicare is the largest expense in the federal budget. While it's certainly nice for those retirees to have covered or subsidized healthcare insurance, they're not producing a lot of economic advantage to shareholders by continuing to live and be healthy. They're not working so their income taxes aren't fattening the coffers. If they were to be reduced in number through dying off earlier that would save the government a lot of money it's currently spending, free up resources for the younger people who are paying more for them, and ease the housing market by increasing the supply of available housing. Ditto Social Security itself, and veteran's healthcare benefits. Slash all three and save not just billions, but hundreds of billions!

I don't see how soulless bastards like those who are about to be in charge of things could resist following through on that math. After all, the ultimate credo of the times is "I got mine, ◊◊◊◊ you" and they've got theirs. So ◊◊◊◊ us. Starting with the elderly because they're the most expensive and the most vulnerable.

And don't tell me "oh, the elderly vote a lot, so politicians won't touch them". They made their final necessary votes this time, the Boomers are dying out and losing influence each election. The bastards-in-charge have done the math, they know who's disposable now and they never choose kindess or loyalty over profit.

And while the elderly vote, they tend be viewed as less likely to change their mind about who to vote for.

 

[Andy_Ross]

I see. Thanks. Amy Strange seems a very reasonable Republican. She is certainly not a fascist/nazi.

If you vote for the Nazis I would say that makes you a Nazi

 

[The Great Zaganza]

If you vote for the Nazis I would say that makes you a Nazi

but what if they only support the good Nazi stuff, not be mean bits ?

 

[bruto]

If you vote for the Nazis I would say that makes you a Nazi

That may very well be so, but he (I think it's a he) has made it plain he opposes the Nazis in question and voted against his own party. The question here is party membership, not voting itself. We can argue about whether the corruption of the party is so irreversible that sticking with it is futile, but that's a different matter. An argument can be made that the party has drifted so irretrievably and so blatantly in the wrong direction that mere membership can be taken as emblematic of its ideology (as you so clearly demonstrate), but the party did not start out there, and there are many old enough to remember when it was not so. In this sense it differs substantively from some other parties to which it has been compared, whose dire and dreadful goal was inherent from the start. There's a difference here between the decision to join and the decision to stay, which I think can be argued without name calling.

 

[chrispy]

Trump plans to enact executive order for mass deportations, Don't know why I couldn't link, but here is the text

"Trump has confirmed reports that he plans to declare a national emergency to enact a mass deportation program.

The president-elect, who repeatedly vowed to deport undocumented immigrants during his campaign, said the reports are "true" in a post on his Truth Social account early Monday.

Trump issued his one-word confirmation while reposting a comment from Tom Fitton, the president of the conservative group Judicial Watch, who said Trump will “use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion.”

Trump did not offer any details on his plans."

Well, here we go. This is going to impact a lot of families. I, for one, have many friends who are going to lose a lot, if not everything. I don't really know how to react to the coming horror of this.

 

[Darat]

But definitely not at all fascism...

I mean what could be worse than calling them fascists if they don't quite line up with other infamous fascist regimes? You could hurt those that voted for the fascists' feelings!

 

[Ranb]

I would be shocked if Biden actively interfered with the Trump transition.

 

[Resume]

I would be shocked if Biden actively interfered with the Trump transition.

He might pardon folks that the lunatic wants to prosecute.

 

[steenkh]

I would be shocked if Biden actively interfered with the Trump transition.

Of course. But even if he tried, he wouldn’t have a sympathetic supreme court to defend his immunity.

 

[steenkh]

He might pardon folks that the lunatic wants to prosecute.

Can he do that before they are tried?

 

[DallasDad]

I'm pretty sure Ford's pardon of Nixon was before (and thereby obviating) any criminal charges.

 

[TragicMonkey]

I'm pretty sure Ford's pardon of Nixon was before (and thereby obviating) any criminal charges.

Precedent only counts when it favors Republicans. See: presidents attempting to appoint Supreme Court justices at the end of their term, et al.

 

[Resume]

Can he do that before they are tried?

Yes.


ETA: Well, unless this corrupt SCOTUS cooks something up.

 

[Resume]

Trump plans to enact executive order for mass deportations, Don't know why I couldn't link, but here is the text

"Trump has confirmed reports that he plans to declare a national emergency to enact a mass deportation program.

The president-elect, who repeatedly vowed to deport undocumented immigrants during his campaign, said the reports are "true" in a post on his Truth Social account early Monday.

Trump issued his one-word confirmation while reposting a comment from Tom Fitton, the president of the conservative group Judicial Watch, who said Trump will “use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion.”

Trump did not offer any details on his plans."

Well, here we go. This is going to impact a lot of families. I, for one, have many friends who are going to lose a lot, if not everything. I don't really know how to react to the coming horror of this.

I'm sure the plan will be well-thought-out and there will be safeguards in place to protect the civil and constitutional rights . . .

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

It's Trump and possibly xtian crusader/nationalist and tv presenter Pete Hegseth. They're gonna round up all the brown people they can find and never sort it out later. Coming soon to a farm, orchard, distribution center and construction site near you.

 

[AmyStrange]

I see. Thanks. Amy Strange seems a very reasonable Republican. She is certainly not a fascist/nazi.

The only reason I am responding is to clarify that I am not a she. It's in my profile. I use the name of one of the main characters (a talking Cat) in my novels as my username.


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[Andy_Ross]

The Trump administration’s next target: naturalized US citizens

Miller has declared that he will pursue the seldom-used process of “denaturalization” to go after people who have been citizens for years or decades, based on suspicions about purported fraud on their naturalization applications. Individuals stripped of citizenship will then be subject to deportation along with Miller’s other targets.

https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/4992787-trump-deportation-plan-immigration/