How old will Bernie be in 2028?

Well despite the miles, he's still got energy.  Good to finally have a recognizable leader for the anti-Trump movement.

https://www.wpr.org/news/bernie-sanders-capacity-kenosha-uw-parkside-wisconsin

https://apnews.com/article/bernie-sanders-democrats-trump-c213d5ae42737c956d46f6f7f17e5abd

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2025/03/09/thousands-gather-at-bernie-sanders-fighting-oligarchy-rally-in-warren/

RE

Respectable numbers, but not enough to make El Trumpo nervous.  He'll need another order of magnitude before it's big enough to get some pushback.  What will be interesting is when his Trumpness tries to use some obscure law or excuse to make the gatherings "illegal".

He's also likely to encourage his MAGAotts to show up at these demonstrations as agents provocateur to turn them into riots, and/or try to link Bernie and AOC to Hamas and call them a threat to National Security if/when the movement takes off.

However, at least there is a start to a resistance movement.

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/thousands-attend-bernie-sanders-aoc-rally-denver-push-progressive-change/

RE

'This is not a dictatorship': Portland protesters push back harder against Trump, federal agents'

That was a headline on July 22 2020.  Since then Trumps ability to drive America into civil war has much improved.  It will not be long.

Destiny awaits

Coming soon to a theater near you.

My vote for the Trump Fascist Resistance Anthem.

RE

How many people will turn out nationwide?  Could we finally get some kind of organized resistance?

Hands Off

What to know about Saturday's nationwide "Hands Off!" anti-Trump protests

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/03/hands-off-protest-trump-musk-april-5

RE

 

Two in the same day.

One where the CHOP/CHAZ once was and the other where the 1962 world fair built in the Space Needle.

These protest will have no direct influence of course, but anything to show that Trump is naked is a help.


The power of the tariff is one of the few powers the president actually has.  Trump tarriffs because he has daddy issues.  Because he can.  No other reason.  His ego makes paupers of us.

 

The two swindlers sold Trump his remarkable suit of tariffs.  They be white, they be rich, they be assholes.

Quote from: K-Dog on Today at 01:20 AMThe power of the tariff is one of the few powers the president actually has.  Trump tarriffs because he has daddy issues.  Because he can.  No other reason.  His ego makes paupers of us.

Well, his Tariff mania has hit Wall Street.  Unlike Palestinians, collegee students and refugees, these folks have power.  Even Billionaires don't like $2.5T in losses in one day.  The incompetence word is being bandied about in the MSM.  We'll see how long his popularity lasts when the economy tanks.

RE

Seems Trump is trying to get rid of trade deficits with every country in order to not default on the national debt. They can keep lifting the debt ceiling, but that doesn't prevent eventually defaulting, it in fact brings it forward.
Im no expert economist, but tariffs are meant generally to protect a domestic industry. They are unlikely to create industries that have completely shut down. You can tariff Switzerland, but it wont create a high end watch industry in the US. Same for italian shoes and suits or french wine and cheese.
Its stupid with Australia, because we export the same things like wheat, but American guns, ammo and big pickup trucks are a popular choice. The retaliatory tariffs will make other options more attractive.

I keep an open mind on whether this will work for the US. Some industries like cabinet making and clothing I think could work. Keep in mind how many things were formerly made locally before globalisation, so it isn't impossible. Some other economic lubricant like drastically slashed income tax would be needed to prevent economic depression. A depression is better than complete collapse, Russia early 90s style. You have CEO's of companies like John Deere on salaries of 28 million, just one example without even looking at the whole board of directors. His Trumpness should focus on American Oligarchs to reverse to some degree the upward capital funnel. It wouldn't make a material difference to them.

Then you have his need to be in the spotlight and have a headline every day. To appear in his own word tough. The Houthis bear the brunt when he cant get a headline of a deal with Putin.
Given he went the extra mile for AIPAC with the universities, hes likely to go the extra mile for Israel and go to war with Iran

I discussed with a friend when he was re-elected that i believe he would need to manage transition to multipolar world and was aware of it. He spoke about BRICS being something they ought to be concerned about, wheras other politicians and MSM acted as ostriches on the elephant in the geopolitical room. My friend said he agreed Trumps weakness is Israel. He hasn't disappointed us.

 Im sure Trump has an IQ of 110 give or take 2. Im qualified and experienced in testing, not an uneducated guess. He is not more intelligent because he consistently always answers and explains things in oversimplistic terms. More smart people hiding it always slip up and 'geek out' getting more technical if subject moves away from safe topic.  Trump never ever does that.  I can also tell by his way of speech, speed, tonality and vocabulary. This is the key to his mass appeal, true relatability to the average stupid shlub. Coupled to his self aggrandizement though, its a dangerous trait, where full ramifications and complexities simply overload the individuals patience and tolerance, but will not be inclined to take advice, rather be the one to take full credit. He never says "we" re any policy, its always "me" or "I" that sustains the universe.

US Market Crash: Dow bleeds for Day 2, nosedives over 1,250 pts; Tesla, Grail, Micron biggest losers

For the last few months I have wondered if I am a fool to keep all my retirement dead labor in low yielding cash equivalent accounts, and out of mutual funds.

I am not feeling like a fool today.  What a mutual fund would earn in a year has been wiped out in two days.

QuoteCoupled to his self aggrandizement though, its a dangerous trait, where full ramifications and complexities simply overload the individuals patience and tolerance, but will not be inclined to take advice, rather be the one to take full credit. He never says "we" re any policy, its always "me" or "I" that sustains the universe.

Trump is the king of me me me.  Yet he has passed for an adult for decades.  Bravado and inherited wealth can go a long way.

Years ago in an interview, Trump revealed that the only thing that matters to him is how much money a man has.  Nothing else matters to him at all.  I could not believe what I was hearing.  It walks and talks with the mind of a child knowing nothing about character.  An adolescent attitude in the cesspool between his ears would be an improvement.

And Trump wants everybody with less money than he has in the cornfield.  Trump has the brain of a child, with powers he should not have.


Trump is a man without a soul.  Trump is a hater. 

Quote from: Goldernen Oxernen on Today at 04:22 AMI keep an open mind on whether this will work for the US. Some industries like cabinet making and clothing I think could work. Keep in mind how many things were formerly made locally before globalisation, so it isn't impossible.

There is no scenario under which the increased tariffs will benefit the Amerikan Economy.  The revenue derived will be marginal due to depressed demand.  Even if some industries built new factories here it wouldn't lead to high paying jobs.  Any new factories will be mostly robotic.   The days of high paid workers on automobile production lines are history.   Stuff we export will have retaliatory tariffs placed on them.

The reduction in GDP from job losses will lead to decreased revenue from income taxes, which will increase the federal deficit, necessitating more borrowing at higher interest rates.  Finding buyers for USTs will become more difficult, increasing the likelihood of default.

In short, this is a 1st Class Clusterfuck.  A global depression is the best case scenario.  A full crash of the monetary system is not out of the question.

RE

QuoteIn short, this is a 1st Class Clusterfuck.  A global depression is the best case scenario.  A full crash of the monetary system is not out of the question.

Dow Jones 30 Industrial Index ,
DJIA
38,314.86-2,231.07-5.50%
04:35:58 PM

It is hard to believe that the American people voted in a deluded moron who has highhandedly destroyed the American economy.  A moron who could not even make bank with a casino when he had one.  That does take some kind of talent for sure.  The talent of a moron.

Millions of people just saw an entire years worth of gains evaporate in their retirement accounts.    And the moron responsible still walks the earth.

Will the moron(s) (2) be walking the Earth a year from now?  I think not.  But I could be wrong.  I think not as lopping 15% from the stock market in a week for no other reason than narcissism is kind of a big deal.

I remember contests where you could bet on when a junked car or or pickup would fall through the ice.  Pick a date and the time of day.  If we had enough members we could do something like that.  Too bad we don't.

Quote from: RE on Today at 01:54 PM

Quote from: Goldernen Oxernen on Today at 04:22 AMI keep an open mind on whether this will work for the US. Some industries like cabinet making and clothing I think could work. Keep in mind how many things were formerly made locally before globalisation, so it isn't impossible.

There is no scenario under which the increased tariffs will benefit the Amerikan Economy.  The revenue derived will be marginal due to depressed demand.  Even if some industries built new factories here it wouldn't lead to high paying jobs.  Any new factories will be mostly robotic.  The days of high paid workers on automobile production lines are history.  Stuff we export will have retaliatory tariffs placed on them.

The reduction in GDP from job losses will lead to decreased revenue from income taxes, which will increase the federal deficit, necessitating more borrowing at higher interest rates.  Finding buyers for USTs will become more difficult, increasing the likelihood of default.

In short, this is a 1st Class Clusterfuck.  A global depression is the best case scenario.  A full crash of the monetary system is not out of the question.

RE

Its hard to know exactly what is going on, so Im open to unknown variables at play. Benefitting the US economy can be short term, longer term or not the objective. What could be another objective?

Going from radio news soundbites I gleaned the following in the past week. Trump says EU send the US cars, but the EU won't take American cars. A few days later I hear him say of Oz "we buy X$ of beef from them and they won't take any of ours".


American cars are too big and thirsty for Europe, never mind comfort biased chassis dynamics, fine for US roads. Im guessing though, the EU has a trade surplus to the US.

There is going to be a cohort of US consumers who want guaranteed GMO free beef and are prepared to pay for it freighted from Oz.

I cant speak for Europe, but I can speak for what i see in Oz. Trump himself may not have thought about this, but you cant tell me Foreign secretary Rubio, would not know.

Go through confectionery aisle and there are majority American names,Cadbury, Hersheys, Whittakers. There are probably many other products 

Boomers ride ridiculously expensive. Harley Davidson and Indian motorcycles. Made in China, but still American owned.

They also frequently choose a GMC or RAM truck to tow or just show off.

Australia exported some cars to the US owned by Japanese or US parent companies until the whole car industry shut down, Ford and GM being the last in 2016 and 2018. US imports then filled the demand for petrol V8s with mustangs, camaros and chargers.

Most of the antidepressants and other psychoactive pharmaceuticals mass prescribed are US brands.

Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey consumed en mass.

Get on jet for a domestic flight and its a decent chance of being a Boeing or Douglas.


Any one of those would outweigh beef exports in $ and the US doesn't need other main products the US also produces like cotton, wheat, gas. Placing tariffs on even a country where the US has the trade surplus could have a different reason.

Speaking of cotton and gas, most of our clothes are made in asian sweat shops running on imported coal or gas. As i see it, a seamstress probably conpletetes around 20 👖 or 👕 in an hour, so if she makes  30$ hr instead of 3$ , it adds no more than 2$ per item to the cost. Factoring in not shipping the cotton and energy across the world and shipping the shirt back probably cancels out the 2$. The more automated the factory is, should be even better in saving for a domestic, not export market.

Are oranges 🍊 still grown in the US? theyre not grown in Australia unless you have an orange tree. There is no way that was done to save cost. There were big, fresh oranges grown locally and plentifully at about 1$ kilo until the orchards were all bulldozed. Now small, old and often rotten imported oranges from an ocean away are at least 3$/kg. Dairy farmers now complain of the same process being put out of business. Its globalisation for globalisation sake. We may be witnessing an attempt to reverse as far as possible that process because of future blockades on 🚢 shipping in war.

From the POV of the FSoA economy, trade with Oz is meaningless due to the low population numbers.  30M people, barely larger than a couple of cities in China or the EU.  It's swamped out by trade with China, the EU, Japan & India.  The meat & potatoes on the production end is China and consumption on the EU side.  The rich countries of Europe are the only ones that can afford FSoA products along with the elite Chinese.  The trade war will negatively impact both.

There is no plan here, only Trump's thoroughly misguided understanding of how tariffs work and the underlying reasons for the FSoA deficit spending, which transfers wealth from the population to corporations through goobermint contracts.  His hacking away at the goobermint employee rolls will barely touch the total deficit.

Far as Oz is concerned, long as the bilateral trade with China remains good, you'll still have access to their goods and they'll buy OZ coal and minerals.  Start a garden and grow your own produce.  Plant an Orange tree.

RE