• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Merged USAID: is it really a bunch of crazy leftists? / Trump Was Absolutely Right to Shut Down USAID

Chris_Halkides said:
I have seen a claim in the media that Samantha Power's net worth increased sharply during her time at USAID. I have not seen evidence of this, and I am skeptical of the claim.
Click to expand...
This is what seems to be happening:
Govt. officials' financial disclosure forms do not contain specific amounts but rather broad ranges. They apparently are taking the bottom of the range of net worth from her initial financial disclosure form and the top of the range of her final financial disclosure form and claiming that her net worth increased by that amount.

It would hardly be surprising that she had a substantial increase in net worth. Anyone who had money in any competent mutual fund over the past 4 years would have had a very substantial return (the S&P index increased by 65%). In addition, Ms. Power is married to a Harvard law professor who appears to be hauling in over $500k/year in salary, consulting fees, and publications.
 
Last edited:
theprestige said:
After a while, the sob stories from people caught in the act get tiresome. You want them to just shut up and accept their rightful consequences.
Click to expand...


From what I understand, she had a court date set up, but of course the fat clown didn't care, and it also gets tiring listening to folks justifying his stupidity.


-
 
Last edited:
Ziggurat said:
You keep going on and on about check boxes, but in 2 years we will have midterm elections, and in 4 years we will have another presidential election, and Trump won't be running. In the mean time, my personal freedoms aren't going to be any more restricted than they were under Biden. Neither are yours.

You can chicken little this all you want to, but the dictatorship just isn't happening. And none of your checklists will make it happen.
Click to expand...
typical right-winger "it's not a problem until it affects me".

Even if you do get harmed, you'll do Olympic gold medal level mental gymnastics to pin the blame on anyone else.
 
Donal said:
typical right-winger "it's not a problem until it affects me".
Click to expand...
Did you not notice the next sentence?
Donal said:
Even if you do get harmed, you'll do Olympic gold medal level mental gymnastics to pin the blame on anyone else.
Click to expand...
How does it affect you? What freedoms have you been deprived of? What freedoms are you worried you will be deprived of? And note, entitlements aren't freedoms.
 
AmyStrange said:
Anyone who deports a wife who was trying to become a citizen the legal way is a dictator in my book
Click to expand...
I'm not sure who you're referring to, nor do I really care. Trying to do something the legal way isn't the same thing as actually doing it the legal way. If Trump is using his discretion to enforce the laws that Congress wrote in a manner that you think is sub-optimal but still legal, yeah, that's not a dictatorship. That's just a president enacting policy you don't like. If the actions are really so bad that the president should not even have the legal ability to carry them out, then Congress is to blame, not the President. All the immigration laws on the books now were on the books when Biden was president. Did you call Biden a dictator? Because Trump has no powers that Biden didn't have (I mean, except for cognition).
 
a democracy can turn itself legally into a dictatorship - as has happened many times, in the distant and recent past.

you have to be deliberately blind not to see that this is what Trump is currently doing.
Too bad the US is perfectly set up to become a dictatorship since 9/11. So it will take far fewer steps than in a proper democracy.
 
TellyKNeasuss said:
This is what seems to be happening:
Govt. officials' financial disclosure forms do not contain specific amounts but rather broad ranges. They apparently are taking the bottom of the range of net worth from her initial financial disclosure form and the top of the range of her final financial disclosure form and claiming that her net worth increased by that amount.

It would hardly be surprising that she had a substantial increase in net worth. Anyone who had money in any competent mutual fund over the past 4 years would have had a very substantial return (the S&P index increased by 65%). In addition, Ms. Power is married to a Harvard law professor who appears to be hauling in over $500k/year in salary, consulting fees, and publications.
Click to expand...
One of the links making a claim that I have found so far seems to come from Azerbaijan. From this site, her net worth is shown as $10.1 M - $30.3 M, a range which would allow a pseudo-journalist some latitude for fiddling.
 
Last edited:
The Great Zaganza said:
a democracy can turn itself legally into a dictatorship - as has happened many times, in the distant and recent past.

you have to be deliberately blind not to see that this is what Trump is currently doing.
Too bad the US is perfectly set up to become a dictatorship since 9/11. So it will take far fewer steps than in a proper democracy.
Click to expand...
What is he doing that's turning us closer into a dictatorship? You're actually silent on this. Is he stopping elections? Nope. Is he restricting who can run for office? Nope. Is he giving himself extrajudicial powers to imprison people? Nope. Is he doing away with due process rights? Nope.

You reference post-9/11 changes, but Trump didn't make those changes. And neither Obama or Biden tried to undo them. Yet you weren't concerned about either of them becoming a dictator.
 
theprestige said:
Becoming a citizen the legal way doesn't start with being in the country illegally. It's always baffled me that we're giving these people a free pass and a do-over, instead of disqualifying them and sending them back home. I never liked this policy, and I'm glad it's being challenged.
Click to expand...
Should Musk be deported?
 
You are blind.

the constant attacks on the independence of the Judiciary are dictatorship 101.
firing those put in place by Congress to prevent corruption is dictatorship 101.
trying to take away the power of the purse from another branch of the government is dictatorship 101.
banning not-conformist media from government briefings is dictatorship 101.
pardoning your violent supporters for crimes they have committed for you is dictatorship 101.
firing investigators who have uncovered your crimes is dictatorship 101.

I can go on for a while


and why was I not concerned if Biden or Obama becoming a dictator? because they cared about more then just themselves.

You are gleefully handing the country to a narcissist who is constantly breaking laws and rules - and you don't think it's a problem?

I guess we don't have to wonder on what side you would have been in Nazi Germany or Italy.
 
theprestige said:
I propose you make an argument one way or the other: Premises conclusion, and reasoning to connect the two. Then I'll tell you whether I agree with your argument and why.
Click to expand...


After a while, the sob stories from people caught in the act get tiresome, right?


-
 
theprestige said:
I propose you make an argument one way or the other: Premises conclusion, and reasoning to connect the two. Then I'll tell you whether I agree with your argument and why.
Click to expand...
So you support a white supremacist having access to the personal data of every person in the USA and all government data as well?
 
Ziggurat said:
How does it affect you? What freedoms have you been deprived of? What freedoms are you worried you will be deprived of? And note, entitlements aren't freedoms.
Click to expand...


Personally, I care about my fellow humans, unlike the maga weirdoes.


-
 
Ziggurat said:
That's nice. But it doesn't answer the question, it just kicks it down the road. How are they being affected?
Click to expand...


Well, I am waiting for the gestapo to come deport me, and that's definitely scary, but of course, the maga weirdoes don't care, unless they're friends of the fat clown.


-
 
Last edited:
Ziggurat said:
Did you not notice the next sentence?
Click to expand...
Do I have to explain that you should care about other people?
Ziggurat said:
How does it affect you? What freedoms have you been deprived of? What freedoms are you worried you will be deprived of? And note, entitlements aren't freedoms.
Click to expand...
I'm a financially comfortable white guy in a blue state. For the time being, I am insulated from things like being deprived due process.

but I understand 2 things:

1) there are people being deprived rights and being targeted for attacks and that damages the country as a whole

2) there is nothing to say I can't one day find myself in that type of situation
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom