Hawaiian

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Is that the medicine which cures the problem that the richest three Americans have more money than 50% of Americans?

Will Musk work on that? Or will he try to and probably succeed in making that worse?

No.  That would be poison and not medicine.  You have a habit of demonizing successful capitalists.  

Why is it their fault that the U.S. government has an addiction to uncontrolled, wasteful spending.  If the feds followed their game plan we wouldn't be so deep in hole.  They are successful because they haven't spent more than they make.  Is that too complicated for you to understand?

You make no sense when you question whether Musk will make it worse.  Make what worse?

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Do they not do irony in Homolulu?

Don't know.  I don't live there.

4 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The first question should be: What is Elon Musk's intention?

Somehow I would be surprised if he is interested in improving the lives of all US citizens.

Depends how you define improvement.  If we do not take the medicine now the future looks rather bleak as the disease will become terminal.

1 minute ago, impulse said:

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but just look at immigration for an example.  There are so many programs under so many agencies that we don't have a clue how much illegal immigrants cost taxpayers.  They're costing FEMA money, education money, health care money, defense money, and on and on.  Until we get an accounting, we'll never know ('cept NYC Mayor Adams who let the cat out of the bag, at $36K per head per annum.) 

 

Time to turn AI technology loose on the task and at least identify the cost.  What they decide to do about it is a separate issue. 

Agree.  Those that defend illegal immigrants by justifying that they contribute more than they cost the taxpayers are playing with loaded dice.  There really are no accurate figures. 

25 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

Hopefully, this won't be our last Social Security payment tomorrow.

 

I filed my 2024 return last week, hope to get my refund before Elon impounds it.

 

Top Treasury official retires over DOGE request for access to payment systems

 

David Lebryk, a top Treasury Department nonpolitical career official, retired Friday after clashing with Elon Musk allies over government payment systems, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill on condition of anonymity. 

 

The Washington Post first reported on Lebryk’s departure, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Upon his inauguration, President Trump had appointed Lebryk acting Treasury secretary while nominee Scott Bessent was waiting to be confirmed.

 

The systems control $6 trillion annually, distributed as Social Security, Medicare, salaries for federal workers, payments to government contractors, payments to grant recipients and tax refunds.

 

 

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5119996-david-lebryk-retirement-treasury-doge-musk/

If you want to see anarchy and an outright rebellion, freeze Social Security, tax refunds, etc.

Business and employers can retaliate by stop paying the various sales taxes and employees withholding.  Then all hell will break loose.  Then what?  Don't worry.  Never happen.

9 minutes ago, impulse said:

I don't think DOGE is going to be a silver bullet, but nobody knows where all the money's going.  It's gotten too complicated for humans to track it.  (And I don't think that's accidental).   Turning loose AI to scour the payment system may at least reveal where we're spending the money.

 

The problem is that even (especially?) the most wasteful spending has proponents, both Demicans and Republicrats who are buying votes and campaign contributions with our tax dollars.  It's tough to break an addiction like that.   Especially without the willingness.  They're going to be sabotaged at every turn.

 

Not a silver bullet, that's for sure, but least it's a start to identify where the "hidden" money is going to.  With it's massive budget, the DOD needs to be given an alternative where cuts are to be made or Congress will do it for them.  Like you say, the vote buying addiction has to be stopped. 

10 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Forget, not really, but I think irrelevant.

Do you think the democrats will be nominating someone that old anytime soon?!?

NO!

They also won't be nominating a D.C. insider anytime soon either.

 

What's relevant NOW is that Trump is a complete mess who is rapidly deteriorating both physically and mentally who is intentionally surrounding himself with maga fascist sycophants that will make any "coverup" of Biden's condition child's play by comparison. 

Maga people are really hiliarious.

You won the election but you're still stuck in a vomit loop of still campaigning.

 

If they are so hilarious why do you continue your gnashing and bashing?  Have you have forgotten how to laugh?  Why, are you not amused?

The Treasury Secretary has given representatives of the Department of Government Efficiency full access to the federal payment system, providing them a tool to monitor and potentially limit government spending.

10 minutes ago, spot said:

Or Trump's narcissism and madness. Works both ways.

IIRC we had AN posters doing the reporting for both Biden's and Trump's "shortcomings."  And they still are, some with repetitive rants.

1 hour ago, Georgealbert said:

 

File picture for reference only.

 

The ongoing corporate battle over the future of the 7-Eleven convenience store empire has taken a new turn, with Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group reportedly entering talks to assist Japan’s Seven & i Holdings in fending off a takeover bid from Canadian retail giant Alimentation Couche-Tard.

 

Seven & i Holdings, which owns the global 7-Eleven brand, has been under pressure from Alimentation Couche-Tard, which has made a takeover bid worth approximately ¥7 trillion (USD 47 billion). In response, the founding family of Seven & i Holdings is seeking support from strategic investors to take the company private, ensuring continued control and preventing the acquisition by the Canadian firm.

 

According to reports from Japanese media outlet NHK, CP Group has emerged as a potential investor in this effort, with discussions focusing on securing several hundred billion yen in funding. Negotiations are ongoing to determine the exact level of CP Group’s financial commitment.

 

CP Group is the latest major player to enter discussions, following previous talks with Japanese trading house Itochu Corporation, as well as leading banks and investment funds. The ambitious plan aims to raise over ¥8 trillion (USD 54 billion), a figure that would surpass Alimentation Couche-Tard’s offer and secure the privatisation of Seven & i Holdings.

 

The founding family originally planned to finalise the deal by the end of the current fiscal year on February 28. However, delays in securing funding have led to an accelerated push to attract additional investors, including CP Group and other global financial institutions.

 

If successful, this move would strengthen ties between Seven & i Holdings and CP Group, a dominant force in Thailand’s retail and consumer goods industry. CP Group already operates thousands of 7-Eleven stores in Thailand, making it one of the largest franchisees of the brand outside Japan. Its potential involvement in the privatisation effort signals a deepening commitment to the long-term expansion of the convenience store chain in Asia.

 

Meanwhile, Alimentation Couche-Tard remains determined in its pursuit of Seven & i Holdings. The Canadian company, which operates over 14,000 convenience stores worldwide, has been looking to expand its footprint in the lucrative Asian market.

 

As negotiations continue, the fate of one of the world’s most recognisable convenience store brands hangs in the balance. With the clock ticking towards the end of February, Seven & i Holdings must finalise its financing strategy quickly to avoid a takeover by Couche-Tard.

 

Whether CP Group’s involvement will tip the scales remains to be seen, but its entry into the high-stakes corporate battle underscores Thailand’s growing influence in global retail.

 

-- 2025-02-02

 

 

Jim Dandy, in this case CP, to the rescue.

4 minutes ago, TedG said:

 

Speaking of "forgetting" to report things.   Why did the MSN ignore Joe Biden's decline? 

And it's also no secret that every news outlet is biased in one way or another, some more so than others.

2 minutes ago, illisdean said:

I want to hear what Gen. Milley has to say about Pete Hegseth now. Do you suppose he took Pete off his Christmas card list? 

 

 

Who's crying now?

14 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

Deleted

Say again.

17 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

 

Yes, Frank, he is a liar and he failed. Hey, I fully agree with you on this.

I can’t speak for the <removed> brigade, but when you’re informed about the global economic situation—with inflation, bird flu, and the ripple effects of both COVID and the Ukraine war—it’s clear that rising prices are a worldwide issue, not just something that happened on Biden’s watch. Common sense would tell anyone that.

With Trump, first it was Biden’s economic policies to blame, now it’s Biden culling 130 million chickens due to bird flu—which, by the way, is a global health practice.

Now Trump is interfering in the bird flu pandemic by halting CDC advisories. This is and will only exacerbate the situation.

Does this remind you of his COVID pandemic handling? By the way, the bird flu is also showing up in raw milk, something favored by JFK Jr. and others. Avian flu can be fatal to humans.

It would be interesting to isolate a few flocks of chickens with bird flu to see if any survive.  If any do survive perhaps they be can studied to see if any of them developed some sort of immunity.  I say this as someone with no expertise in virology.

My favorite Subway sandwich is the meatball with marinara sauce.  When it comes to homemade sandwiches, my girlfriend likes my tuna salad with lettuce and sliced tomatoes.  I use canned tuna in oil with mayo mixed with finely diced onion and celery.  Best eaten when chilled along with my homemade bread and butter pickles.

On 1/28/2025 at 4:18 PM, ChipButty said:

Its already toasted you just warm it up in the microwave 

Don't overdo it lest the bread becomes soggy.  We use a toaster oven for heating up crispy foods such as fried chicken.

44 minutes ago, ukrules said:

 

Yes, I have been commenting on this kind of activity for a couple of years now.

I believe they wait for people to check in, then they arrest them.

This has not been the policy at all elsewhere in the country.

This is a local Phuket thing and it's been going on for years now.

Seems like it.  When I paid for 4 days of overstay at Suvarnabhumi the immigration officer, a young woman, was pleasant and all smiles.  It probably helped that I had the money out before hand.

5 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Since when did the maximum amount reach 45k?

I believe the maximum is still 20k.  The article failed to mention that.

Disclaimer: On another thread I was accused of having knowledge of Trump's promise to lower the price of eggs, which I proved to be false.

Now, finally I have seen how ridiculous this whole flap about egg prices is.  Today, while grocery shopping,  I saw prices for a dozen of eggs vary from $4 all the way up to $10.39.  Other than the cheapest eggs being an advertised special (loss leader) how do you explain the wide variation in prices?

10 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

What reporters? Do you have an example? 

Here's one example.    https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israel-top-court-rejects-foreign-media-appeal-for-journalists-access-to-gaza/  

1 hour ago, candide said:

 

A quick update for you.

Thank you.  Lots of promises, but no details, which is typical of most politicians.

1 hour ago, LosLobo said:

Right, so after posting a score of comments in a thread called 'Promises made…' you now openly admit that you know nothing about Trump’s promises?

So, like Trump, you were just making things up as you went along.

1 hour ago, LosLobo said:

Right, so after posting a score of comments in a thread called 'Promises made…' you now openly admit that you know nothing about Trump’s promises?

So, like Trump, you were just making things up as you went along.

Show me when and where I posted anything about Trump's promise to lower food prices other than denying I was not familiar with the issue.  You can't because I didn't.  You are the one making things up by fabricating a falsehood about me.  Again, show me the proof.

13 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   The WHO announced that they would stop staff travelling the World for group meetings and now use video calls instead as a direct result of the USA cutbacks .

   The WHO staff will no longer be traveling the World on expenses paid for by the USA , they will call each on video calls instead . 

   Do you agree with those cutbacks which will reduce the USAs national debt ?

What are you gonna do when the well runs dry? 

35 minutes ago, stevenl said:

The spending freeze order proves you wrong.

Did you just get out of bed?  It's over.

Besides freezing federal aid is not spending.