3 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Really? So, as a prerequisite, every President, and for that matter, everyone that swears an oath to the Constitution should have to be a Constitutional scholar, yes? It is silly to expect the president to understand the Constitution completely. In any event, event Constitutional scholars often disagree on different aspects.

I do not think the president believes he is above the law, and at least up until now, he has abided every Supreme Court ruling, and far and away, most of the rulings have gone his way.

If he can do anything he likes, why did Bad Bunny perform at the Superbowl, why is Jimmy Kimmel still on the air, and why have all the prosecutors that went after him not been incarcerated?

All officers in the three branches of government have access to Constitutional experts to advise them.

10 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

The left runs education in the US. Teachers in the US generally make pretty good dough, get great benefits and a have a nice working environment.

Every teacher in the US should have to get a decent score on the SAT every year.

You must know many teachers in the US. I hear only complaints from them about salaries/benefits.

7 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

All officers in the three branches of government have access to Constitutional experts to advise them.

And do those experts always agree?

Constitutional experts disagree on a lot of Constitutional issues. Most Constitutional questions are not as cut-and-dried as the "experts" on TV would have us believe. Trump has done nothing that his experts do not believe they can make a legal case for, and the Court has, for the most part, supported the Administrations positions. Trump has not defied the Court.

What President Trump is a much different story. He has spewed all manner of nonsense, but he speaks freely.

59 minutes ago, Presnock said:

You must know many teachers in the US. I hear only complaints from them about salaries/benefits.

Why would I have to know "many teachers" in the US to know that teachers in the US generally make pretty good dough and get great benefits?

In what occupation do the people generally not want more money and better benefits?

You bring up how terrible the product is, and then you want to turn around and argue the people producing the product are under compensated. Paying more, will not improve the quality of the product.

And I do know quite a few teachers in the US, including my older brother and his wife. My son also wants to be a teacher, and he is in a PhD program now.

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

And do those experts always agree?

Constitutional experts disagree on a lot of Constitutional issues. Most Constitutional questions are not as cut-and-dried as the "experts" on TV would have us believe. Trump has done nothing that his experts do not believe they can make a legal case for, and the Court has, for the most part, supported the Administrations positions. Trump has not defied the Court.

What President Trump is a much different story. He has spewed all manner of nonsense, but he speaks freely.

Of course, experts do not agree. This is where the courts come in. The problem many have with Trump is that when a decision doesn't go his way he threatens judges and prosecutors and even fires some of them.

His prerogative. To me, very immature and vindicative.

10 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Really? So, as a prerequisite, every President, and for that matter, everyone that swears an oath to the Constitution should have to be a Constitutional scholar, yes? It is silly to expect the president to understand the Constitution completely. In any event, event Constitutional scholars often disagree on different aspects.

I do not think the president believes he is above the law, and at least up until now, he has abided every Supreme Court ruling, and far and away, most of the rulings have gone his way.

If he can do anything he likes, why did Bad Bunny perform at the Superbowl, why is Jimmy Kimmel still on the air, and why have all the prosecutors that went after him not been incarcerated?

bye bye

2 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Why would I have to know "many teachers" in the US to know that teachers in the US generally make pretty good dough and get great benefits?

In what occupation do the people generally not want more money and better benefits?

You bring up how terrible the product is, and then you want to turn around and argue the people producing the product are under compensated. Paying more, will not improve the quality of the product.

And I do know quite a few teachers in the US, including my older brother and his wife. My son also wants to be a teacher, and he is in a PhD program now.

sounds like he wants to be a professor versus just a "teacher". The teachers I talk about are those that I experienced in MD and I knew quite a few and they definitely weren't among the better paid professionals. Since education usually is controlled somewhat by the state/local that has a lot to do with salaries and benefits from what I have noticed. Big problem like I said also due to parenting IMHO. With AI taking over soonest, the regular ":teachers" will IMHO be gone.

30 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

Of course, experts do not agree. This is where the courts come in. The problem many have with Trump is that when a decision doesn't go his way he threatens judges and prosecutors and even fires some of them.

His prerogative. To me, very immature and vindicative.

No, that's where the Court comes in, not the courts.

Trump should be calling out judges that overreach. I think about 90% of the injunctions against the Administration have been overturned. If the DOJ determines the judges and or prosecutors and not doing their jobs as expected, why should they not be fired?

I do not recall any outrage when the Obama administration replaced over 90 U.S. Attorneys and the Biden Administration over 50. Why was that not news?

I am always amused when people call Trump vindictive.

16 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

No, that's where the Court comes in, not the courts.

Trump should be calling out judges that overreach. I think about 90% of the injunctions against the Administration have been overturned. If the DOJ determines the judges and or prosecutors and not doing their jobs as expected, why should they not be fired?

I do not recall any outrage when the Obama administration replaced over 90 U.S. Attorneys and the Biden Administration over 50. Why was that not news?

I am always amused when people call Trump vindictive.

Why the Court and not the courts? Most cases start in the lower courts and through the appeals process some end up with SCOTUS.

15 minutes ago, Presnock said:

bye bye

That's what I thought.

15 minutes ago, Presnock said:

sounds like he wants to be a professor versus just a "teacher".

I thought professors were teachers.

15 minutes ago, Presnock said:

The teachers I talk about are those that I experienced in MD and I knew quite a few and they definitely weren't among the better paid professionals. Since education usually is controlled somewhat by the state/local that has a lot to do with salaries and benefits from what I have noticed. Big problem like I said also due to parenting IMHO. With AI taking over soonest, the regular ":teachers" will IMHO be gone.

What other professionals were Maryland teachers comparing themselves to? Apparently, teachers earn more than police and firemen, and work only ten months a year.

Average salary for k-12 teachers is over $90K. Looks like minimum starting pay in MD for K-12 teachers is $60K for ten months a year, plus medical, dental, vision and a very attractive defined benefit pension, one can retire at full pay and benefits at 56.

22 hours ago, impulse said:

Simples. Buy less imported crap. Make more in the USA, even if the quality costs more. Put more 'Muricans to work in manufacturing.

Do you really think it's a good idea to import almost a $Trillion more than you export every year? How long before your piggy bank breaks?

11 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

All officers in the three branches of government have access to Constitutional experts to advise them.

But most of them can read well. Trump cannot, even if he wasn't an anarchist.

2 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

That's what I thought.

I thought professors were teachers.

What other professionals were Maryland teachers comparing themselves to? Apparently, teachers earn more than police and firemen, and work only ten months a year.

Average salary for k-12 teachers is over $90K. Looks like minimum starting pay in MD for K-12 teachers is $60K for ten months a year, plus medical, dental, vision and a very attractive defined benefit pension, one can retire at full pay and benefits at 56.

Yeah, well my input was basically many decades old as after the age of 25 i spent almost all my life in other countries and then retired here 20+ years ago. Those teachers I knew were many years ago and all have retired by now I am sure. A lot of what you wrote I think depends on state and locality too IMHO.

10 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

Why the Court and not the courts? Most cases start in the lower courts and through the appeals process some end up with SCOTUS.

And about 90% of the injunctions brought the Trump administration are overturned long before they get to the Supreme Court.

I think it is fine that a judge in Minneapolis wants to try to stop the president from doing something, I just don't think the President should have to abide by the ruling until the appeals process is over.

Again, I do not recall any outrage when the Obama administration replaced over 90 U.S. Attorneys and the Biden Administration over 50. Why now?

2 minutes ago, Presnock said:

Yeah, well my input was basically many decades old as after the age of 25 i spent almost all my life in other countries and then retired here 20+ years ago. Those teachers I knew were many years ago and all have retired by now I am sure. A lot of what you wrote I think depends on state and locality too IMHO.

I was writing specifically about Maryland.

3 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

And do those experts always agree?

Constitutional experts disagree on a lot of Constitutional issues. Most Constitutional questions are not as cut-and-dried as the "experts" on TV would have us believe. Trump has done nothing that his experts do not believe they can make a legal case for, and the Court has, for the most part, supported the Administrations positions. Trump has not defied the Court.

What President Trump is a much different story. He has spewed all manner of nonsense, but he speaks freely.

and lies very often too. But to weaponized the DOJ is just not right for those that he thinks has criticized him.

On 2/14/2026 at 1:15 PM, Yellowtail said:

HIS Supreme Court? It's always the same with leftists. They love the court when it goes there way, but it's the end of democracy when it doesn't. They love Executive power when it's in the hands of leftists, but it's the end of democracy when it is not.

And no, you were not stating an opinion, you were stating as fact, that the president applying tariffs is "blatantly illegal". If it were, and if you really cared about the Constitution, you would have railed against Biden and Obama when they applied tariffs.

Biden forgiving student loans was judged unconstitutional, but he did it anyway. Where were you for the Constitution then?

All you care about is getting Trump, and you';; say anything to do it.

I am not a leftist by any means. Just because IMHO this president is not doing things beneficial to the citizens and country while he enriches himself and his familiy you claim I am a leftist. I have never been a leftist. I am a patriot, volunteered military, VN and love my country and what it has stood for around the world and now I see that DJT is turning the world except for those countries that praise him against the US IMHO from what I see, read and hear. A far as I am concerned, this is my final chat with you as you don't present any real facts that alter my opinion of DJT.

On 2/15/2026 at 12:32 PM, Hawaiian said:

According to one Wharton graduate with a BS in Economic Science, tariffs are not paid by the American consumer. Technically, he is right. They are paid by the American importer who then passes them on to the American consumer in higher costs.

Well, I speak and understand English, at least the American version and from what I understand, whether the importer has to cover the costs of the tariffs in order to make their profits to continue, then YES, the consumer has to pay for that tariff. That is my opinion anyway.

15 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

The left runs education in the US. Teachers in the US generally make pretty good dough, get great benefits and a have a nice working environment.

Every teacher in the US should have to get a decent score on the SAT every year.

I personnally feel that teachers should be graded yearly based on the test results of the students and that parents should bear some responsibility to make the kid make an effort to learn the subject matter. that is my opinion anyway. My daughters, generations separating them both excelled at learning and talked about how much they really enjoyed learning. My wife and I never had to force them to study, as the international school teachers were great at motivating the students.

2 minutes ago, Presnock said:

I am not a leftist by any means. Just because IMHO this president is not doing things beneficial to the citizens and country while he enriches himself and his familiy you claim I am a leftist. I have never been a leftist. I am a patriot, volunteered military, VN and love my country and what it has stood for around the world and now I see that DJT is turning the world except for those countries that praise him against the US IMHO from what I see, read and hear. A far as I am concerned, this is my final chat with you as you don't present any real facts that alter my opinion of DJT.

I called you a leftist because you claimed the tariffs were "blatantly" illegal and you called the Supreme Court Trump's court. Neither claim is true, and you were not able to formulate any argument to support either. Now you want to run away. Whatever. Go with God brother.

2 minutes ago, Presnock said:

I personnally feel that teachers should be graded yearly based on the test results of the students and that parents should bear some responsibility to make the kid make an effort to learn the subject matter. that is my opinion anyway. My daughters, generations separating them both excelled at learning and talked about how much they really enjoyed learning. My wife and I never had to force them to study, as the international school teachers were great at motivating the students.

Students should absolutely be tested each year, (they are not) and teachers should, at least in part, be graded on how well their students do. If the students do not pass the test, they need to be held back. This is generally not done. If the students are disruptive, they should be kicked out. K-12 public schools should be focused on educating the 95%.

Read a bit about how Mississippi and Tennessee once ranked at the bottom in education are rising to the top by empowering teachers and holding students back.

46 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

... I think it is fine that a judge in Minneapolis wants to try to stop the president from doing something, I just don't think the President should have to abide by the ruling until the appeals process is over...

You could say the Feds Trump the States!

1 minute ago, Jim Waldron said:

You could say the Feds Trump the States!

Or you could just cite the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, but then everyone on the left loses interest in the Constitution.

Notice how all of the sudden, the left is all for state's rights...

On 2/13/2026 at 11:13 AM, Chomper Higgot said:

Build more gas guzzling cars that nobody wants to buy.

Start a trade war with Canada and suddenly you can’t sell America goods north of the border.

Wheres your source for that lie ?

Americans have ALWAYS been good with less gas milage. Small cars only came popular because the EPA forced them down our throat and that coincided with an huge growth in the immigrant population and the "Gas Crisis"

Thankfully this admin. is starting to reverse the horrible things they've done

4 minutes ago, Slowhand225 said:

Wheres your source for that lie ?

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/22/how-canadian-boycotts-are-impacting-the-us.html here you go.

4 minutes ago, Slowhand225 said:

Americans have ALWAYS been good with less gas milage. Small cars only came popular because the EPA forced them down our throat and that coincided with an huge growth in the immigrant population and the "Gas Crisis"

Thankfully this admin. is starting to reverse the horrible things they've done

This may be one of the more ridiculous posts I have ever read. Immigrants caused the switch to smaller cars and this is bad. Turn on the lights bro!!!

6 minutes ago, marin said:

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/22/how-canadian-boycotts-are-impacting-the-us.html here you go.

This may be one of the more ridiculous posts I have ever read. Immigrants caused the switch to smaller cars and this is bad. Turn on the lights bro!!!

Yes, this is ridiculas. You must be drunk, did you even read your link ? Nothing to do with what I said, not a single thing about what cars Americans are buying.

If you were there, you saw it.

1 hour ago, Presnock said:

Well, I speak and understand English, at least the American version and from what I understand, whether the importer has to cover the costs of the tariffs in order to make their profits to continue, then YES, the consumer has to pay for that tariff. That is my opinion anyway.

Yes, the importer has the choice of passing on the costs of tariffs or not. As time goes by more importers have decided to pass on at least some of the costs associated with tariffs. Smaller companies are less able to absorb the costs and some are throwing in the towel. In the end it's the American public that suffers.

25 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

Yes, the importer has the choice of passing on the costs of tariffs or not. As time goes by more importers have decided to pass on at least some of the costs associated with tariffs. Smaller companies are less able to absorb the costs and some are throwing in the towel. In the end it's the American public that suffers.

It's primarily the rich American public that suffers. Assuming more products are on-shored working class wages will increase.

Lower income Americans typically spend of 90% of their monthly income on food, housing and energy. Higher wages and lower housing will help them a lot more than cheap imports.

Yellowtail,

You've put up some good arguments throughout this discussion, but I think your last one in wrong!

Tariffs function much like a regressive tax.

While wealthier households can absorb price increases more easily, lower‑income families feel the impact more directly because a larger share of their income goes toward everyday goods.

Even if some industries benefit from on‑shoring and wages rise in certain sectors, the immediate effect of tariffs is higher consumer prices across the board.

That means the burden falls disproportionately on those with the least disposable income, not primarily on the wealthy.

32 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

It's primarily the rich American public that suffers. Assuming more products are on-shored working class wages will increase.

Lower income Americans typically spend of 90% of their monthly income on food, housing and energy. Higher wages and lower housing will help them a lot more than cheap imports.

And that's why the economy is now K-shaped? 😄

2 minutes ago, Jim Waldron said:

Yellowtail,

You've put up some good arguments throughout this discussion, but I think your last one in wrong!

Tariffs function much like a regressive tax.

While wealthier households can absorb price increases more easily, lower‑income families feel the impact more directly because a larger share of their income goes toward everyday goods.

Even if some industries benefit from on‑shoring and wages rise in certain sectors, the immediate effect of tariffs is higher consumer prices across the board.

That means the burden falls disproportionately on those with the least disposable income, not primarily on the wealthy.

To be clear, I am now, and have always been, generally against tariffs, I just do not like the hyperbole.

Again, over 90% of everyday goods purchased by lower income families in the US are food, housing, and energy.

If the same people that are arguing against tariffs because the higher prices hurt the working poor ere arguing to eliminate corporate income taxes because the higher prices hurt the working poor, I might believe them.

Had those people attacked Obama or Biden for applying tariffs, I might believe them.

The left does not care about the poor they care about getting Trump and expanding power.

Again, I am against tariffs, and I think presidents exceed their power when they apply them

28 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

To be clear, I am now, and have always been, generally against tariffs, I just do not like the hyperbole.

Again, over 90% of everyday goods purchased by lower income families in the US are food, housing, and energy.

If the same people that are arguing against tariffs because the higher prices hurt the working poor ere arguing to eliminate corporate income taxes because the higher prices hurt the working poor, I might believe them.

Had those people attacked Obama or Biden for applying tariffs, I might believe them.

The left does not care about the poor they care about getting Trump and expanding power.

Again, I am against tariffs, and I think presidents exceed their power when they apply them

Who buys cheap products from China? The rich or the poor?

Who gets tax cuts, partly financed by tariffs revenues? The rich or the poor?