Hawaiian

3 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

Technically he hasn't bought "the Presidency - he has bought the position of "first buddy": a non officially recognised post , a bit like the government non- department he is to head up.

 

Musk probably neither knows nor cares about the effects of the cuts he wishes to see implemented, he is only interested in the amount of cash they will release to be ploughed into tax cuts for him and his ilk!

With you writing the script anything is probable.

3 minutes ago, rct99q said:

Interesting. Irish background. My family were involved in bringing over immigrants (the irony) to the US a few generations back. Judging from the stories and record keeping - my great grandmother had journals indicating cost of cargo (people)  - those that survived, those that didn't - in fact there is a good possibilty that somewhere down the line your lineage assisted mine with keeping the cargo alive back then. Perhaps not as I believe my forefathers dealt mostly from the Atlantic side.

A lifelong friend of mine has copies of manifests from ships carrying immigrants from China, Japan and the Azores in his plantation museum.  I have been there when visitors come in to trace their genealogy.  Yes, quite interesting.

2 minutes ago, rct99q said:

Exactly! Thanks. There are laws against illegal immigration. Which I strongly agree with. But, they are not enforced. Again, why? Because the USA needs these people to do the jobs American Citizens are not willing to do, or employers are not willing to hire (american citizens) due to cost. Without these illegals who would process the billions of chickens, or pick the billions of tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, apples, slaughter cattle for consumption. Not my kids that's for sure. USA allows illegal immigration to happen because it can not operate without them. Oh, just thought of another one, cleaners/hotel rooms, without illegals I bet over 75% of accommodations in the US would close because they couldn't get staff. 

Musk & Trump (I put musk first as it will be he who rules, soon) know this. Heck Trumps empire was built on illegals (I'm assuming as he seems that kind of guy judging from reading about him back in the 70's). No way Musk will allow him to stop illegal immigration. Period.

You are right about ag and meat processing.  Not so sure about hospitality.  I am only familiar with the Filipinos in Hawaii and Mexicans in Vegas.

10 minutes ago, rct99q said:

Not sure how old you are, but you can go back hundreds of years now for illegal immigration. Again, I ask you, Why? Why in over hundreds of years has it been allowed to continue. There was a program back in late 60's or 70's that allowed seasonal workers to travel back and forth for work. Mostly from Mexico, Caribbean and South America. Worked well for both. In the 1800's it was African slaves, later Mexicans. Is illegal immigration wrong? It is only wrong if one is trying to stop it, and it continues. Allowing it to continue makes it not illegal, in my opinion. 

I am 84, pushing 85. My mother's parent's immigrated to Hawaii in the very early 1900's.  Her mother from Ukraine, fleeing the unrest and purging of the aristocracy.  Her father from China, hired as the ship's doctor tending to immigrants contracted to work on the sugar plantations.  The bulk of immigrants to Hawaii at the time were contract workers from China, Japan and the Azores.  Illegal immigration wasn't a problem for the Territorial government.  Today is a different story, especially with overstays.  It is estimated that 40,000 or so illegals are in the state.

2 minutes ago, rct99q said:

Not sure how old you are, but you can go back hundreds of years now for illegal immigration. Again, I ask you, Why? Why in over hundreds of years has it been allowed to continue. There was a program back in late 60's or 70's that allowed seasonal workers to travel back and forth for work. Mostly from Mexico, Caribbean and South America. Worked well for both. In the 1800's it was African slaves, later Mexicans. Is illegal immigration wrong? It is only wrong if one is trying to stop it, and it continues. Allowing it to continue makes it not illegal, in my opinion. 

The U.S., like many countries has laws governing immigration.  If they are not being enforced, then why have them.  I hear many on AN complain about Thailand's lax enforcement of its traffic laws.  It definitely shows in the statistics.  Same for the U.S. enforcing its immigration laws.  Again statistics shows what happens when enforcement is lax.   

15 minutes ago, rct99q said:

Nope, did not say that. I said bottom line the USA needs immigration. Currently some have come legally, some come illegally, and have done so for decades. Illegal immigration has happened under both Republican & Democrat leadership. Why do you think that is? The Democrats had a fantastic bipartisan bill before the election, but was killed because it would not have helped the Republican boss. I have said previously either party could end illegals crossing the border/s because now Canada it would appear let's in millions as well, in less than a week. But for some unknown reason neither party has done it. Including Trump in his four years the first time. And no, does not include building a wall. It would however cause a bit of an International curfuffal.

My point is that there is no justification for illegal immigration and you are laying the blame on Congress and Trump for not stopping it.  The bottom line is illegal immigration is wrong no matter who is responsible for not stopping or curbing it. 

By the way, I did not realize that Canada is letting in millions of illegal immigrants in less than a week.

3 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

He's not making an argument for why immigrants should enter the country illegally, he is making the argument for why the Biden Administration allowing millions of illegal aliens to flood across the border is a good thing, and that the only reason people that do not want to allow millions of illegal aliens to flood across the border is because they are stupid. 

Let him speak for himself.

14 minutes ago, rct99q said:

Which is less than .74% of your total population. Of which many are needed for work that support the upper 50% of your population. Systems currently in place are unable to process the people needed via legal immigration. I understand it is important for people to feel in control of their racial quotas and percentages but bottom line is you need immigrants. 

So you are saying the bottom line is to break the law if it takes too long to get something done.  In this case, immigrants. 

One analogy would be if it takes too long to check out your bag of groceries, then walk out without paying.  I could give you many more examples of your faulty logic.

1 hour ago, bunnydrops said:

Unable to open that link

Sorry.  Try googling, "How the Government Makes Money, Corporate Finance Institute."  That link should be there.

40 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

Private companies making more money. the government doesn't make money and all spending is a tax. 

 

 

Here's how the government makes money.

https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/economics/hoe-the-government-makes-money/

23 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

 

Well if we can't budget our way it of it, then the only other way forward is to make more money. It is going to take a combination of the two.

Making more money means raising taxes not lowering them.  The last round of tax cuts were supposed to stimulate the economy and thereby generate enough revenue to more than offset the tax cut.

Unfortunately, it didn't work that way.  So much for the trickle-down theory.

7 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

 

It's the latest talking point on why DOGE can't cut $2 trillion because of SS, Medicare and the military being such a huge part. I don't know either but the debt bothers me.

There's no doubt the national debt is an albatross around America's neck.  Sooner or later, the day of reckoning will come, but there are things that can forestall that day.

For the umpteenth time the DOD has failed their audit.  They are unable to account for, or perhaps unwilling, to account for all of the money spent.  That's telling of wasteful spending.  Time for Congress to grow some ***** and cut funding and DEMAND accountability. 

10 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

 

Well when the idea of cutting government comes up people always talk about not cutting SS. They always say SS and Medicare are about 60% of the US budget. 

Good question.  Both Social Security and Medicare are funded by payroll taxes.  I would say that the average person is poorly informed when making such statements.  Budgets are often very complex and confusing and the figures tend to have a lot of footnotes.  Not my area of expertise.

Just now, Cryingdick said:

 

I don't mind contributing to it. I don't like how much of the budget it takes to fund a program that is so underwhelming in performance.

SS is funded by employer/employee FICA taxes.  SSI payments come from the general fund.  As to how much it costs to actually administer SS, I don't know.

15 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Apparently never been there so talking out of his <deleted>. Tourism isn't just about buying stuff.

Speaking as one that has visited Dubai in particular, as well as the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi and Malaya, you obviously don't know anything about "muslim" countries.

There are Muslim countries and there Muslim countries.  Prosecuting foreign tourists for minor infractions, IMO, is plain stupid.

7 hours ago, impulse said:

 

They can't take it to court as long as he's the sitting president and the Senate won't vote to impeach.

 

But if you read the Hur Report and the House Report on the Biden Crime Family, you'll see evidence out the wazoo.

 

I think they'll let the harmless, senile old guy off when he's out of office.  But the new DOJ may pleasantly surprise me and make an example of him, that if the Dems can do it, so can the Repubs.

 

It's over.  Leave Biden alone.  His sad legacy is enough punishment for someone who  has virtually no mental capacity left.  The GOP needs to move on and get down to business that benefits all Americans.

6 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

 

I always thought anybody making $15 an hour or less shouldn't pay income tax. Then we can stop talking about raising wages which gives the government more money. This will never happen because while they talk about the poor they suck every last dollar out they can. The people in government believe every dollar made belongs to them and what you keep is their magnanimity.

 

As far as social security we should try to get rid of it as quickly as is reasonable.  

Even with some of its flaws, Social Security, when funded properly, should not be abandoned.  I would say this even if I was super rich.

7 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I am merely basing my predictions on what happened last time under Trump. Perhaps you have forgotten how his trade war with China screwed American farmers, so badly they needed massive subsidies to placate them.

 

IMO it will be even worse this time around, because the people Trump appoints to various positions will need only one qualification - absolute loyalty. Competence and nous are not even on the radar.

 

As far as Harris is concerned, Americans will probably never be adult enough to elect a female leader. The Democrats failed to learn that lesson with Clinton.

The Democrats failed to learn that backing a backstabber doesn't work whether man or woman.

5 hours ago, frank83628 said:

The first statement from Assad himself since US backed terrorists took over Syria...

 

"It is a belonging filled with hope that Syria will once again be free and independent."  What rubbish!  It was he that enslaved the country and relied on Russia and Iran to stay in power.  There was no freedom and independence under his despicable rule.

2 hours ago, G_Money said:

Waiting for the leftists meltdowns.

 

Rich people, bad, bad, bad people.

 

But they created jobs and pay taxes.  Their employees pay taxes and buy goods that stimulate the economy.

 

Rich people,  bad, bad, bad people.

 

 

Sure looks like the "the sky is falling" gang is going to be eating their hats.  No matter what anyone thinks about Trump, one thing for sure is investors love him.

What international standards are they talking about?  Many Muslim ruled countries ban alcohol outright.  And what about countries where beer and wine are okay for minors?

1 hour ago, G_Money said:

I was quite accurate.

I thought you were going to put me on ignore or something to that effect.

 

My time is up?  Where am I going?

 

The only persons time up that I can see is Bidens.  Just over a month before he goes down as the worst president of our lifetime.

You're not alone.  He talks in circles and doubles back amending his posts when anyone calls him out.  When challenged, he cuts you off by saying something like "I'm through with you," or  "Your time is up."

What a sore loser.  Good.  Eventually, when enough posters get tired of his antics, he will disappear.