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@AverageJoe1 saidYes it IS personal. YOU continue to attack people who need help. THAT IS PERSONAL not political.
Protesting what? I am keying on that one reference in your post. Could you not rant and please write a normal post about protest? What is everyone protesting. Are they protesting rich people? Many Americans go about their daily business but people are on the street, protesting…let’s say I am one first group, and you are in the 2nd. WHAT in gods name are you protesting? ...[text shortened]... above. Why would you mention that? And why would you mention Trump? Oops, shoudn’t a said that!!
And the fact you don't know WHY folks by the MILLION are protesting, it PROOF beyond a shadow of a doubt you are an anachronism a blast from the past, where you belong. You do not belong in century 21. You belong back in 1950 where KKK were still lynching black folks with no ID and masks, just like ICE is doing today and with the third largest military budget ON THE FKING PLANET and OF COURSE you totally approve, being a fking RACIST of the lowest order.
You DAMN RIGHT it's personal.
You can't even bother to acknowledge my own financial struggles where I said my wife was paying 270 a month for Medicare and now 340 a month.
Or my electric bill going from 212 to 340 a month, almost double and spending 22 dollars just for 3 items at the grocery store, for instance, we like Johnson smoked brat hot dog buns a month ago was about 4 dollars for 6 now 5.99 for the same stuff.
You just don't get it AND put down folks who have to pay all that much more but you could care less since you have way more money than you need for such things and wouldn't even bother to check prices, just total all of it up and do the card pass, goodby and thank you so much.
and BTW don't go down the rabbit hole saying I am jealous, Trump is really hurting the ENTIRE country and now fking BOMBING VENEZUELA? What wars did he stop again? Bombing Iran, Nigeria and now Venezuela?
You no doubt think he deserves the fking NOBEL PRIZE? YOU GODDAM RIGHT THIS IS PERSONAL.
ICE FKERS deporting AMERICAN citizens, near 200 now, JUST LIKE THE NAZI GESTAPO which you totally condone.
And MURDERING some 200 dudes in outboard motor craft supposedly smuggling FENTYAL to the US when it is not Venezuela doing that, those boats were filled with COCAINE if anything and at least TWO MURDERED clinging to a shipwreck caused by our missiles which is a WAR CRIME but OF COURSE since your LORD AND MASTER Trump said they were narco terrorists shipping drugs to the US you and what is left of Trumps base totally believes whatever nonsense Trump pukes out.
Which BTW they were NOT shipping ANY drugs to the US they were aiming for Guiana and there was ZERO way they could have run fking OUTBOARD motor boats to the US if they wanted to, they are not deep sea worthy, they HAVE to stick fairly close to shore because the open ocean would tear up those boats as if they were made of tin foil.
And I bet you can't address ANY of those concerns, just another meaningless word salad of NOTHING.
@sonhouse saidAnd I certainly expressed condolences to you for your upset situation, but I would never speak to someone that I do not know about their personal problems. That would be inappropriate. And I never said I am ‘rich’. I speak of self-reliance, which yes, I am. So my takes on that cover half of your post. I know everyone has different resources, different budgets , different choices. Live within your means, Don’t covet the lives of others, And dont carry signs complaining about what other people do. Such as that.
Yes it IS personal. YOU continue to attack people who need help. THAT IS PERSONAL not political.
And the fact you don't know WHY folks by the MILLION are protesting, it PROOF beyond a shadow of a doubt you are an anachronism a blast from the past, where you belong. You do not belong in century 21. You belong back in 1950 where KKK were still lynching black folks with no I ...[text shortened]...
And I bet you can't address ANY of those concerns, just another meaningless word salad of NOTHING.
I am quite genuine to ask what do you mean when you say, people protest, but you never say what they do protest. Most of their protests have to do with other people with whom they have no connection. A man is a billionaire and you protest about the billionaire. I want you to explain to me those protests. That is not an unreasonable request. you make it difficult when I ask you a simple questions and you not answer. I’ve asked you how much taxes a millionaire in California should pay. I expect you to say 60 or 70 or 80%. I don’t know, but you don’t ever answer… if you answer we can discuss it so I guess I am as upset as you are ———look at me starting to sound personal. Let’s get away from that.
I personally do not care about writing about Ice or Venezuela or bombing the boats, that is all governmental activity that 50% like and 50% don’t. I find it a waste of time to discuss things that have pros and cons such as that. The government knows a lot more than they are telling us son house. If he is bombing those piers, he has a good reason. Susan think that he should tell us all of his reasons and what he is going to do, like Truman should’ve said to everyone I am about to bomb Hiroshima. That is a great example, so no, Trump doesn’t have to tell us anything., nor why,
If American citizens got deported, I guess we need to let them come back. A mistake was made. Getting rid of illegals is difficult. (Shav says there should not borders!),don’t know about that and I don’t study it. Frankly, if an American citizen is in a neighborhood of where these illegal immigrant aliens are they are asking for it. They should not hang with illegals.
Why don’t you ever say that Shav is wrong to say there should be no borders? The reason you don’t is because you liberals never say anything against each other, even when there is obviously a stupid thing for him to have said
Whew
@AverageJoe1 saidYou really don't get it. They protest TRUMP. They protest ICE. his own base has gone down some ten percent which means we will probably have a democrat POTUS, a democrat house and senate.
And I certainly expressed condolences to you for your upset situation, but I would never speak to someone that I do not know about their personal problems. That would be inappropriate. And I never said I am ‘rich’. I speak of self-reliance, which yes, I am. So my takes on that cover half of your post. I know everyone has different resources, different budgets , different ...[text shortened]... ything against each other, even when there is obviously a stupid thing for him to have said
Whew
Trump has TOTALLY fked up the government ALL of it. Killed USAID, the best deal for generating good will around the world and all you dudes can do is parrot Musk and Trump when they SAY massive fraud and you don't know why when there WAS fraud at Ford, they didn't shut down the whole company even if there WAS fraud, now HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of children are dead because of world wide famines and people dying of Aids, TB, MS, you name it were there keeping people from dying from illnesses and there was more to that than just good will. If you cure people who might come into the country BEFORE they get here they won't spread Aids, TB, Ebola and the like, won't have those illnesses because USAID helped them out which helps US in the long run both keeping illness from spreading into the US and the fact a 20 cent peanut bar kept starving children alive but no more. Now Europe follows our example and they also stopped foreign aid.
Now ALL that good will is gone and won't come back again even if we reinstate USAID because they would NEVER trust us again but I guess you could care less about that kind of stuff.
ICE is a systematic racial profiling GESTAPO giving NOBODY a chance to face a judge and have HIM or HER make a judgement call, you might remember that thingy in the constitution, DUE PROCESS, EVERYONE gets a day in court to plead his or her case NO MATTER WHAT YOUR STATUS IS HERE.
Trump tramples on that every day FK due process, only I, your most favorite president of all time, I say who is terrorist or not and now TWO HUNDRED AMERICAN CITIZENS have been deported.
And he wants to end birthright citizenship AND take away citizenship from brown skins.
And you have ZERO clue why people are PISSED beyond belief.
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@sonhouse saidGenerally speaking, only Dems are pissed, and republican trump haters . Some, like me, are all good with things, theAmerica First route. We are not made of money. This will assuage your concerns .You know, I suggest you not try to be so sure of your facts. Here are the commonly cited acceptable reasons given by policymakers for stopping or reducing funding for USAID. These are arguments used across administrations and parties, not endorsements.
You really don't get it. They protest TRUMP. They protest ICE. his own base has gone down some ten percent which means we will probably have a democrat POTUS, a democrat house and senate.
Trump has TOTALLY fked up the government ALL of it. Killed USAID, the best deal for generating good will around the world and all you dudes can do is parrot Musk and Trump when they SAY m ...[text shortened]... ake away citizenship from brown skins.
And you have ZERO clue why people are PISSED beyond belief.
1. Budget constraints
•When Congress cuts overall federal spending, foreign aid is often reduced first because it is discretionary and politically easier to cut than domestic programs.
2. Misuse, waste, or lack of oversight
•Concerns that funds were poorly tracked, lost to corruption, or not producing measurable results in recipient countries.
•Calls to pause funding until stronger accountability is in place.
3. National interest reprioritization
•Arguments that funds should be redirected to domestic needs (infrastructure, healthcare, disaster relief).
•Belief that aid should be tied more directly to U.S. strategic or security interests.
4. Recipient government behavior
•Funding has been suspended when recipient governments:
•Violate human rights
•Undermine democratic processes
•Support terrorism or hostile actors
•Aid is sometimes stopped to apply diplomatic pressure.
pressure.
5. Effectiveness concerns
•Claims that long-term aid can create dependency rather than sustainable development.
•Preference for private-sector investment or trade over aid.
6. Duplication with other programs
•Overlap with NGOs, the UN, World Bank, or other U.S. agencies leading to consolidation or cuts.
7. Policy disagreements
•Objections to specific USAID-funded initiatives (e.g., climate, governance, or social programs) that conflict with an administration’s priorities.
Important context
•USAID funding is rarely “ended” outright; it is more often paused, reduced, redirected, or conditioned.
•Total foreign aid is about 1% of the federal budget, though it often feels larger to the public.
@AverageJoe1 said"Following major budget cuts and program reviews by the Trump administration in 2025, a large percentage of former USAID funding became inactive, with estimates suggesting over 80% of programs were canceled, leaving roughly 13-18% of contracts and grants active, with remaining funds often transferred or folded into the State Department's activities. While specific percentages varied by analysis (e.g., 87% of USAID awards ended), the overall impact was a massive reduction, with only a fraction of funds remaining active for direct USAID implementation."
Generally speaking, only Dems are pissed, and republican trump haters . Some, like me, are all good with things, theAmerica First route. We are not made of money. This will assuage your concerns .You know, I suggest you not try to be so sure of your facts. Here are the commonly cited acceptable reasons given by policymakers for stopping or reducing funding for USAID. ...[text shortened]...
•Total foreign aid is about 1% of the federal budget, though it often feels larger to the public.
80 % loss of funding is NOT just a small amount. If you lost 80% of your bank account you would be pissed too.
And all the rest is because you CLEARLY are a sociopath just like your lord and master Trump but Trump also has 'malignant narcissist' in his mix.
@sonhouse saidYour post in no way defeats the clear and concise treatise which I posted showing that the pros far outweigh the cons in fixing our wrongly devised and misused and abused USAID program. Tell parasites to find another host.
"Following major budget cuts and program reviews by the Trump administration in 2025, a large percentage of former USAID funding became inactive, with estimates suggesting over 80% of programs were canceled, leaving roughly 13-18% of contracts and grants active, with remaining funds often transferred or folded into the State Department's activities. While specific percentage ...[text shortened]... sociopath just like your lord and master Trump but Trump also has 'malignant narcissist' in his mix.
Sun house hey, make good use of your time. Instead of laboriously going over that , and the 34 felons, why don’t you become current and tell us what is going on with the Somalee in Minnesota. Do you not see how that would be very interesting to write about, compared to that writing about January 6? No don’t do that, just start telling us about Somaleee in Minnesota and the $9 billion and the handcuffs that we are going to put on some of those Somalee, and maybe Walz.
Be interesting!!
@AverageJoe1 said"subsidies are investments"
There needs to be an understand of subsidies. They are not what they seem to appear to you fellow, giving money to wealthy people. By the way, I would think you would want wealthy people running these tremendous businesses. In any event, subsidies aren’t designed to reward ‘needy’ ‘or ‘wealthy’ people”They’re tools governments used to shape outcomes that benefit society a ...[text shortened]... y. Liberals zero
in on one wealthy guy and hate his guts and cannot see the forest for the trees.
Sorry of, but the value varies. The return on investment in most of these subsidized industries like farming is next to nothing. We are giving them money to run businesses poorly.
In other areas, the return on investment is much higher. For example, biomedical research spending yields $2.50 in economic activity for every dollar spent. Investments in the NIH creatwd an entire capitalism-driven business of biotechnology with the US leading the world.
R and D spending is a good ROI. Spending on well established industries that cannot maintain profitability is just welfare for rich folks.
@wildgrass saidWeeellll, life ain’t perfect.
"subsidies are investments"
Sorry of, but the value varies. The return on investment in most of these subsidized industries like farming is next to nothing. We are giving them money to run businesses poorly.
In other areas, the return on investment is much higher. For example, biomedical research spending yields $2.50 in economic activity for every dollar spent. Inves ...[text shortened]... ng on well established industries that cannot maintain profitability is just welfare for rich folks.
I bet Kamala and Mamdani could come up with a magic formula where……you guessed it…,everyone ends up at the same place at the end of the day!
Happy New year, you’ve been a good sport. And send good thoughts Sonhouse’s way
@AverageJoe1 saidWhere do you go wrong? The first step. You evidently think the half of America receiving federal subsidies ('free stuff' ) are all lazy poor people who refuse to work and just suck up benefits.
1. America is capitalist and greedy - yet half of the population is subsidized.
2. Half of the population is subsidized - yet they think they are victims.
3. They think they are victims - yet their representatives run the government.
4. Their representatives run the government - yet the poor keep getting poorer.
5. The poor keep getting poorer - ...[text shortened]... hing?
I love the one that you want us to be like other countries. Absolutely mind boggling.
Want to know how Elon Musk became the richest man in the world? By sucking up federal subsidies.
https://fortune.com/2025/03/19/elon-musk-subsidy-harvesting-strategy-tesla-spacex-xai-doge/
He's not the only one. The ultra-rich sucking up federal monies goes back a long ways. It's not just repeated tax breaks for them. They are adept at getting all manner of benefits and bail-outs. Remember the bank and savings&loan collapse--a direct result of Reagan's idiotic de-regulation of the banking industry. Guess who got bailed out then? Not the little guys. Who got bailed out were the banks who argued they were 'too big to fail.'
It's not the "half" of America receiving food stamps who are the problem; it's the 0.001% ultra-rich receiving billions and billions who are.
Since the whole of your faulty argument is based on a false first premise, it is not necessary to refute the rest of it.
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@moonbus saidIf there is a village on an island created by the landing of 1000 canoes 50 years ago of people of equal status…
Where do you go wrong? The first step. You evidently think the half of America receiving federal subsidies ('free stuff' ) are all lazy poor people who refuse to work and just suck up benefits.
Want to know how Elon Musk became the richest man in the world? By sucking up federal subsidies.
https://fortune.com/2025/03/19/elon-musk-subsidy-harvesting-strategy-tesla-spacex ...[text shortened]... our faulty argument is based on a false first premise, it is not necessary to refute the rest of it.
Each had the same opportunities. Do they do their separate things. There are natural resources available to each person. The resources come from all around them. In your analogy, you highlight resourcesof which are available from a government. Available to all people. Depending on what they have been doing since the canoes first landed.
Each person CHOOSES their their way of life. Those who decide to be 100% successful create a life which benefits others on the island. In that regard, the others on the island make it somewhat easier for that person to continue their progress, which is beneficial to everyone. You would call that giving him a subsidy.
Note that there is nothing wrong with the people who would rather write poetry and raise a family and subsist happily. They are very lucky to have that guy around so that things that they may need are available to them without them having to make those things themselves. But they have to earn them, that guy is not going to create dependents, thus ruining the fabric of the society.
I rest my case. Have a happy and fruitful new year. Enjoy what you have set to do on your own path.. if you are a priest, you enjoy a wonderful church that might not be there were it not for successful people who have made it what it is.
I’d suggest leave the Musks alone….they will take us to Mars.
Toughness. Grit. I left those words out.
Of interest, 22 of us did a study trip to Cuba in 2011. Some took baseballs for those kids. I took a passel of fine violin strings, for their most-talented violinists. My wife said they, with their rusty strings, were so overwhelmed that they wanted to give me a violin
Our guide admonished…”They have no violin to give…can you not see?!?”
Yeah , a Kamala dream. Everyone in the same place, same mattress, at the end of the day. Pity the guy who collects more coconuts than everyone else. Get them!!!
@AverageJoe1 saidSpoken just like the sick ass SOCIOPATH you really are.
Your post in no way defeats the clear and concise treatise which I posted showing that the pros far outweigh the cons in fixing our wrongly devised and misused and abused USAID program. Tell parasites to find another host.
Sun house hey, make good use of your time. Instead of laboriously going over that , and the 34 felons, why don’t you become current and tell us ...[text shortened]... the handcuffs that we are going to put on some of those Somalee, and maybe Walz.
Be interesting!!