KanchanaburiGuy

Here is what I see........ The receiving cities (New York & DC) are saying they have systems for handling these people, but it takes time and effort to implement and utilize these resourses properly. That this sudden influx is putting them at an extreme disadvantage. The funny thing is, as they say these things, fully expecting to be listened to.............. they don't seem to realize they are saying the exact same things that Abbott has been saying!........ .........that the sudden influx created by an insufficiently controlled border........... is overwhelming their systems and putting them [Texas] at an extreme disadvantage! So............New York & DC expect to be heard when they complain about being put at an extreme disadvantage............ while, at the same time, Texas is getting told to "suck it up!" Now, I'm no fan of Abbott, but I recognise and appreciate what he's doing: When you talk and talk and talk but no one is listening.......... the next appropriate thing to do is escalate! To make them listen! And as long as the people being transported are being transported voluntarily......... I've got no problem with it. History is riddled with positive changes that never would have occurred.......... if people hadn't gotten loud and boisterous along the way! Abbott is just upping the ante on being loud and boisterous!

From the CNN link posted in a post half a dozen or so upthread of this one............ "Abbott's office has said that 'to board a bus or flight, a migrant must volunteer to be transported and show documentation from DHS.'" https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/27/us/texas-buses-migrants-nyc-dc/index.html Seems to me that, yes, they are being used for a political purpose, but they are not "pawns." Abbott is using them for his own purposes........... and the migrants are agreeing to participate for their own purpose. The two are not mutually exclusive. Each is using the other for their own ends! Thus............ From the NPR link in the same post upthread......... "For them, it was just a free ride," Nuñez said. "They didn't really have any other options and were offered a bus to the East Coast — Washington, D.C. — which some of them understood was closer to their final destination ... so they were happy." [Nuñez is an NGO worker providing aid. -- KG] https://www.npr.org/2022/08/05/1115479280/migration-border-greg-abbott-texas-bus-dc-nyc-mayors . Doing things for political purposes is not automatically bad. If they were being mistreated, THAT would be bad. But they ARENT being mistreated. They are are just being relocated. Voluntarily relocated!

If you're so confident the market is going to fall more, you should take a short position. You can make money when it goes up.......... and.......... you can make just as much when it goes down. If you're so confident it is headed down........ there's an extremely easy way for you to make that work to your advantage. Why more people don't is simply beyond me! Why ignore half the ways you can make money? A downward trending market can be very, very profitable! Cheers!

You mean women? Can't say I've noticed that, that much. --------------- You realize, of course, that slightly more than half the population is, by definition, "ball-less"........ right? Kind of makes it an interesting choice as a way to try to insult people, wouldn't you say? Lol

Y'know, every time I read the headline on this thread, it looks like......... "Half of GOP voters ready to leave Trump's behind." Seems more on point, to me. --------------- --------------- (Hope no one had already found this gag----Haven't read the thread. Apologies for being redundant, if so! Lol)

Ah, c'mon! This is just a stalling tactic by the DOJ to get past the mid-terms! It's soooo obvious!

"Oh, stop your worrying," Ficticious Frida said. "The fox is inspecting the henhouse right now, to make sure none of the birds look appetizing." --------------- Ficticious Frida at work with the DOJ, "We've carefully read all the privileged communications to be sure none of them pertain to our investigation..........."

Hey, come on now. Fast food restaurants having "secret menus" is quite the thing, right now! Where else would you keep your KFC "secret menus"......... but in a box with other secret and classified documents, hmmm? **wink*wink**

Or.......... judges believe they got the job because they have integrity. So they're not prepared to be the marionettes that some so blithely insinuate they are.

Yes, that's what some people are guessing, while having no clue whatsoever if it is true. Meanwhile, in the post you responded to, I made no attempt to read his mind and pretend I know WHY he has requested one............. except to point out that given what we DO know, it's a reasonable and valid request.

A tax cut allows you to keep more of the income you're already reporting. It is not additional income. Getting to keep more of your own money is not "additional income." When something causes your Adjusted Gross Income on your tax form to go up, that's when you're likely to wind up paying more taxes. A tax cut has no affect your Adjusted Gross Income. None whatsoever.

Sounds a lot like "Trickle Down Economics," to me........... Let'em keep more on the front end.......... and we'll get it back......... and more!......... on the back end! Meanwhile, we keep borrowing money to keep our Current Accounts current.......... knowing full-well that someone in the future is going to have to pay for it! ---------------- How about this......... The borrowers pay their bills........ So the treasury can pay their bills....... So the government doesn't have to borrow money to pay its bills......... ..........and future taxpayers get to keep more of their own money....... (to buy things and boost their economy!)........ because there's no massive debt they have to pay off! How about THAT idea? That's called doing-it-the-right-way............ .........rather than........... ............doing it the wrong way and pretending it's the right way! Lol

Trump's tax cut benefited the people who pay an overwhelming share of income taxes. The people who received little or no benefit from Trump's tax cuts........... got their benefits beforehand.......... by already having to pay little or no income tax! ---------------- There's really no comparison between Trump's Tax Cut and Biden's Student Loan Debt Relief. They are very different things reflecting entirely different circumstamces. Sure, there are things that CAN BE compared......... but they really shouldn't be! -------------- Here's a more accurate thing to compare.......... People owe taxes and don't pay them. Penalties and Interest get added, so the number gets larger. But the people still don't pay. Time passes and the number keeps getting larger. These are what are known as "Tax Cheats." Every once in a while, the IRS will give "Tax Cheats" an opportunity to get out from under. They'll offer a program wherein if you pay off a smaller amount right away....... (sometimes 80% less!)....... they will clear your books. They call this "Tax Relief," I believe. It is basically an amnesty program that allows them to collect SOME money.......... and eliminates the costs associated with having to keep chasing after these "Cheats." If you want to compare something related to taxes to Studen Debt Relief........... THIS is the thing to compare. Deadbeats not paying what they owe........... then getting rewarded for it! Tax deadbeats.......... vs........ Student Loan deadbeats! Those two circumstances are truly worthy of comparison.......... not.......... Trump's Tax Cuts vs Biden's Student Debt Relief! Cheers!

With the information that has come out subsequently........... that classified materials were mixed in boxes with newspapers, magazines, and other detritus............ the possibility that protected, privileged material may be mixed in among the detritus also......... is a realistic possibility. Therefore, asking to have a Special Master review the documents is a fair and reasonable request. Ultimately, the Special Master protects both parties, not just one. If the Special Master is able to find and remove materials the FBI/DOJ should not have had access to........... they also cannot have the case tossed because they had access things they shouldn't have. --------------- As to the significance of the granting judge being a "Trump Appointee"......... ...........I'd've thought people would have let that particular prejudice go............ after the walloping Trump took from a bunch of "Trump Appointees"............ when his team was contesting ballot counts and procedures, right after the election! Having gone 1 for 61........... does not suggest Trump can count on any kind of "Judicial Gratitude" to win the day! (Not all those were Trump Appointees, of course----But many were.) Lol

Which doesn't change the facts, one bit. https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/student-loan-ranger/articles/where-do-federal-student-loans-come-from If you read the article at the link, you'll see that all the same elements I mentioned still apply. The government is just acting like a bank, with budgeting, planning, employing, and even collecting interest that all depend debts getting repaid. The only difference is the money for the next year comes from the Treasury. But the Treasury/Congress is going to factor in how much was successfully repaid......... when considering how much the budget will be for the next year. If money hasn't been repaid to the Treasury, the Treasury is left with two choices......... tax more or borrow more, to cover the shortfall. Yeah, it may be the government. But even though the processes are a little different, the end result is the same. They have all the same considerations as any other lender!

Yep, that's the Sales Pitch. And if we ignore Cause and Effect and Unintended Consequences, well, man, that all sounds great! Except there's a lender out there who expected to get that money back; who planned on getting that money back, who's budgeted based on getting that money back; who employs people based on getting that money back (with interest!) And now they're screwed. And that's just one example of what are, in fact, many negative effects; the most important perhaps being, "If you reward bad behavior, you'll get more of it!" If you ask successful people, almost all of them can list the failures they had before they became successful-----the failures that taught them how to be successful! And now you want to teach these supposedly educated people that failure can be overlooked, rewarded? That practically robs failure of its incredible power to motivate......... and almost turns failure into a goal itself! "If you reward bad behavior, you'll get more of it!"

Remember, "forgiveness" of these loans was part of the loan package from the very beginning. For the "loan" to be "forgiven," the business had to comply with certain requirements, like maintaining employment to one degree or other. But that's not the point. The point is that this was all agreed to by both parties, borrower AND lender, before the "loan" was ever given. So all those businesses that had their loans "forgiven"......... even those you have seemingly tried to shame.......... merely followed the rules that both had agreed to, from the beginning. Student debt forgiveness, on the other hand, was NEVER agreed to; not by the borrower, not by the lender. That was NEVER part of the deal! So there is nothing "hypocritical" when those who benefited only by following the rules.......... complain because tens of millions of others suddenly get told they don't have to! That's not hypocrisy; that fully justified righteousness indignation! ????

I think the phrase "The straw that breaks the camel's back" can easily be applied to "drops in a bucket," also. The question is not whether a program seen in isolation is affordable. The question is whether the cumulative effect of one more program poured on top of all the others........... causes the bucket to burst!

Yeah, I heard this same thing being said about Trump: "He promised to do such and such, and he is keeping his promise!" Trump, now Biden. But what if what he's promised is something stupid? What then? Which way are we supposed to take that?........... * Criticize him for doing something stupid........... or............ * Congratuate him for "keeping his promise?" To me, there's really only one right answer to that question, regardless of whether it's Biden, or Trump, or any other President we're talking about! -------------- Is keeping promises important? Absolutely! Is keeping stupid promises important? Not in the least! -------------- -------------- And lastly, I wonder......... with a gleam in my eye........ lol ..........why people seem pleased that Biden is "keeping his promise".......... when the promise he is keeping.......... results in allowing literally millions of student debt holders to not have to keep theirs! Pretty funny, that!

Comparing tax RATE is a sleight of hand, a deception When it comes time to pay the bill, you don't pay with rates and percentages, you pay with dollars. When an extremely wealthy person or family is paying $40 million per year in taxes........... the equivalent (if I recall) of what roughly 10,000 "ordinary citizens" pay(!)............ there are 9,999 "ordinary citizens" who should be THANKING THEM for all the things their money pays for......... not griping about how "unfair" it is that they pay a lower "RATE!" Regardless of "rates," they're paying 40 million bucks......... and you're not! Sheesh!

Well, you're wrong about that. People ARE harmed when borrowed money doesn't get repaid. Always. As a lender, they make their profit by recirculating the money. When it doesn't come back, the profit cycle for that money stops cold. That's HARM! --------------- Picturing it as a retail store may be easier. Say a store sells a can of turpentine to a contractor on credit. Until there's another can of turpentine on the shelf to sell, the profit cycle for that product stops dead. If the contractor doesn't pay......... and the store cannot afford to buy more turpentine WITHOUT his payment.......... turpentine stops being a profit center for the store. Too much of that, and the store goes broke! That's HARM! It works exactly the same way for lenders and money. When lenders don't get paid, that "product" ceases to be a tool they can use to generate revenue!

You're confused. You quoted me, but were clearly addressing someone else. So every time you used the pronoun "you".......... you were saying things that had nothing to do with me.

Yes, the question is a fair one and deserves an answer. Yes, it IS a "slap in the face" to all those who have honorably repaid their student loans, as agreed. Yes, it IS a "slap on the face" of all those who worked to pay their own way, choosing to pay as they go, rather than putting themselves in debt. But who cares? I think it's "unfair" that some people win the lottery, when I haven't. I think it's "unfair" that some people are 6ft 9 and can get a professional basketball contract worth millions, that at 6ft 0, I could never get. I think it's "unfair" that the US discontinued the draft AFTER millions of boys had already been drafted; many of whom had already been killed or injured......... even though I benefited from that personally. (18 in 1975!) I think it's "unfair" that they developed a vaccine for chicken pox AFTER I had already had it, and my first wife had had it FOUR TIMES! But who cares? Yes, it IS a "slap in the face" to those who might have benefited from it.......... if they'd only known, beforehand, that a certain kind of dishonor......... was going to be rewarded! (Because there are ALWAYS people who will choose dishonor for personal gain!) But I say "Who Cares?" because....... ultimately........ it's the wrong question! Ultimately, the right question is.......... Is the fact that some people will feel "slapped"......... a reason to NOT do this thing that we CAN do----a thing that may, in fact, be very beneficial to millions? Seriously, is that really a good enough reason? The simple fact is, every decision the government makes........... helps some people and harms others. Every one! That's the simple reality. So the goal ultimately can never be to harm no one, because that's not possible. The goal, ultimately, can only be to help as many people as possible......... while harming as few as possible! And in this case......... as much as I hate the idea, personally.......... I realize the only effective "harm" being done is to hurt some people's feelings........ I guess I can live with that! So yes, some people are going to feel "slapped in the face" by this! Some will! But who cares? Because as the saying goes, "Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you!" So deal with it; move on! Next time, it may be YOU who benefits, not them! A "slap on the face?" Yes! So what? Who cares?

"Almost verbatim" means......... it isn't. Perhaps you'd like to provide a link to McConnell's actual words, so we can see how close your "almost" actually is............? (But remember, people who are speaking the truth or saying something fairly obvious......... tend to say very similar things. It's the people who make things up who tend to be all over the place. Truth inherently limits the variety of things that can be said. Those being untruthful, on the other hand, really have no boundaries!) Cheers!

Do you really need me to type out the word "tresspassing?" Really? ------------- As an aside......... I have been told that here in Thailand (so bear that in mind!), if someone "squats" on your unoccupied property for a certain period of time without you removing them....... you lose the right to remove them! I think it was two years.......... but I was told this 10 years ago, so....... lol Also......... In California, if you allow the public to cross your property as if it was a public throughway......... say, cutting the corner across a vacant lot......... if you don't enforce your "private property" rights at least once every 5 years.......... you lose the right to close it off in the future. It can be declared a "public access." (A number of Malibu homeowners got tripped-up by this. The beaches at Malibu are public, not private. In some places, the public walked down privately owned accesses to get to the beach. Awkwardly, some property owners never enforced their "private property" rights by closing off the access........ so they LOST the right to prevent people from casually walking right next to their extremely expensive houses to go party on the beach!) ---------------- Sometimes, things that seem to have simple answers......... don't! Lol