Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6660 on: March 08, 2018, 03:14:52 PM »
I hope all other nations that smart that in their answer they only apply import tariffs to the same products, but in the same absolute dollar numbers.
That wouldn't work due to currency fluctuations - it would have to be in a percentage.  But I agree with your point, if the US add 20% tariff so should the EU.

the total amount, in average. If it is a billion more or less then it is unfortunate. It's just to nullify the intentions.

The point is if the EU does it for other products in response, it is just a level of escalation nobody needs.

European idiots. Now they talk about adding tariff to peanut butter, blue jeans , bla bla bla

That's exactly the wrong response. Idiots ...
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TheZookie007

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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6661 on: March 08, 2018, 04:02:09 PM »
How much American peanut butter and blue jeans is exported to the EU each year?

I think this is just a symbolic gesture on their part because I don't think the numbers are significant. "Let's show him he can't boss us around!"
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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6662 on: March 08, 2018, 06:17:01 PM »
How much American peanut butter and blue jeans is exported to the EU each year?

I think this is just a symbolic gesture on their part because I don't think the numbers are significant. "Let's show him he can't boss us around!"

I just learned it is 200 products on the EU list. And it is preferable products produced in  swing states that where voting for Trumpelstilsken during last election.

Anyway ... if there is something that really would hurt the US, this would be additional taxes in the EU to companies like Google, Apple, **24**, Amazon, IBM, Hewlett-Packard (Enterprise) etc. ...
But then again this would hurt states that are in general oriented against Trumpelstilsken ...
Anti-social behaviours lack consideration for the well-being of others. Any types of conduct that violates basic rights (human rights is one of them) of another person. It can show as covert or overt hostility.

Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6663 on: March 08, 2018, 06:29:57 PM »
How much American peanut butter and blue jeans is exported to the EU each year?

I think this is just a symbolic gesture on their part because I don't think the numbers are significant. "Let's show him he can't boss us around!"

And what is really the problem why US steel and aluminium production is going down are old and outdated production methods, old maschines, etc. Something we have seen in Germany, too. Mass production of simple steel and aluminium products isn't competitive anymore in Germany. Instead the smart  steel and aluminium companies concentrated on special products, new and innovative. Something in Eastern Europe, the Chinese and especially in India they can't produce.

That's where you earn money.

Some time ago I saw a documentation why whole regions in the US go down. People in Minnesota in a coal power plant believe they can still continue with the exact same work (same postition, same machines, same work processs as 40 years ago when they started to work). The coal power plant is on a technology level 40 years ago ... obviously this doesn't work. But the workers are such bully headed that they are not accepting that the times changes.

A similar story about a factory owner who produces textile products. He bought the machines (already computerized) in the 80's. He still uses them and thinks the machines are still in good condition. Oh yeah! He certainly is a smart head.

In every country people cannot adjust to changes to modern times, those people will lose. That's the exact reason why in Germany the far right wing extremist nazi terrorists are so angry. They believe the world should still work like 40 years ago. The same smart heads. LOL.
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rtpoe

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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6664 on: March 08, 2018, 11:01:06 PM »
Let's say you're a CEO in the steel/aluminum industry. Let's say that the current average price of your metal is $400 per unit, but that's because the price of that crappy ferrin' metal is at $380 a unit. You can't really afford to match that price, so you're happy that Trumpie is slapping a tariff on that alien crap that jacks their price up to $450 a unit.

With me so far on this?

If I'm looking out for the best interests of my shareholders, what am I going to do? That's right! Raise my price for the metal to $445 a unit! That'll teach 'em!
rtpoe

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TheZookie007

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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6665 on: March 09, 2018, 03:34:37 AM »

If I'm looking out for the best interests of my shareholders, what am I going to do? That's right! Raise my price for the metal to $445 a unit! That'll teach 'em!

There you go. As one commenter said:

"Welp like I'm telling all my customers (do aluminum work for screen, gutters, soffit, siding etc.) and making a point when they are obvious Trump supporters that my prices just went up 12-15% to compensate for the 10% increase from tariff and 4% we got in January. Sometimes there are consequences for your decisions. Price increases on home improvement, who'd have thunk it."

And his supporters will still want to somehow blame President Obama for this...
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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6666 on: March 09, 2018, 03:37:53 AM »
Let's say you're a CEO in the steel/aluminum industry. Let's say that the current average price of your metal is $400 per unit, but that's because the price of that crappy ferrin' metal is at $380 a unit. You can't really afford to match that price, so you're happy that Trumpie is slapping a tariff on that alien crap that jacks their price up to $450 a unit.

With me so far on this?

If I'm looking out for the best interests of my shareholders, what am I going to do? That's right! Raise my price for the metal to $445 a unit! That'll teach 'em!

Actually if he would be smart, he would take the 45$ difference and invest into innovation. New maschines and processes. But I guess the shareholders and management are short sighted enough to not do it.
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TheZookie007

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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6667 on: March 09, 2018, 01:24:01 PM »
A CEO is more beholden to his shareholders than to anyone else. That's the reason why he wouldn't follow your suggestion, andrat.
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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6668 on: March 09, 2018, 02:29:13 PM »
A CEO is more beholden to his shareholders than to anyone else. That's the reason why he wouldn't follow your suggestion, andrat.

I know. And this is the reason why the industry went down ... not other countries, not aliens, not democrats .... It is the conservative mind setting that caused it.
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rtpoe

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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6669 on: March 12, 2018, 08:29:26 PM »
Meanwhile, it looks like Russia tried to off a defector and his daughter in the UK using nerve gas last week. The attack also seriously poisoned a British police officer, and may have exposed as many as 500 people to the gas.

How do we know it's Russia behind it?

PM Teresa May addressed the House of Commons earlier today about the incident:

"Based on the positive identification of this chemical agent [as Novichok] by world-leading experts at Porton Down, our knowledge that Russia has previously produced this agent and would still be capable of doing so, Russia’s record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations, and our assessment that Russia views some defectors as legitimate targets for assassinations, the government has concluded that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against Sergei and Yulia Skripal."

Russia's response? Basically, "Call us when you have some real proof..."

Sarah Huckabee "Poot Lips" Sanders was asked about it at today's press briefing. She called the attack "reckless" and "irresponsible" and "an outrage", but pointedly never mentioned Russia, and deflected when asked about the possibility of Russian involvement.

Teresa May isn't holding back.

"Should there be no credible response [from Russia], we will conclude that this action amounts to an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom."

In that case, would El Presidente come to the UK's aid as per Article 5 of the NATO treaty?

A real President, like Hillary Clinton (or Joe Biden, seen in the attached photo chatting with a homeless person when he didn't know anyone was taking a photo), would have called up May (and let himself be photographed doing it, with a transcript of the conversation released to the press), sent a senior official (VP or SecState) over to London as a show of support, cooperate with any sanctions the UK would put in place, and lean on NATO to issue a joint statement condemning the attack.

But so far, all Trump's done is offer technical assistance in identifying and dealing with the chemical, and the sharing of intelligence.

Which is something that gets done automatically, without any input from the president.....

So, who does Trump like more? One of our oldest and closest allies (and the country that basically gave birth to us), or wannabe Tsar Vladimir?
rtpoe

The last fling of winter is over ...  The earth, the soil itself, has a dreaming quality about it.  It is warm now to the touch; it has come alive; it hides secrets that in a moment, in a little while, it will tell.
-  Donald Culross Peattie

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TheZookie007

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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6670 on: March 12, 2018, 09:25:49 PM »
Meanwhile, one of his "best people" made an utter fool of herself on 60 Minutes last night.

Betsy "sister to mercenary Erik Prince" DeVos is (in theory) the Secretary of Education and yet has no idea of the state of schools even in her own state.

She is the most dangerous member of this "administration" because she is a saboteur hell-bent on destroying the United States education system from within.
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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6671 on: March 13, 2018, 01:43:38 AM »
Meanwhile, it looks like Russia tried to off a defector and his daughter in the UK using nerve gas last week. The attack also seriously poisoned a British police officer, and may have exposed as many as 500 people to the gas.

How do we know it's Russia behind it?

PM Teresa May addressed the House of Commons earlier today about the incident:

"Based on the positive identification of this chemical agent [as Novichok] by world-leading experts at Porton Down, our knowledge that Russia has previously produced this agent and would still be capable of doing so, Russia’s record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations, and our assessment that Russia views some defectors as legitimate targets for assassinations, the government has concluded that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against Sergei and Yulia Skripal."

Russia's response? Basically, "Call us when you have some real proof..."

Sarah Huckabee "Poot Lips" Sanders was asked about it at today's press briefing. She called the attack "reckless" and "irresponsible" and "an outrage", but pointedly never mentioned Russia, and deflected when asked about the possibility of Russian involvement.

Teresa May isn't holding back.

"Should there be no credible response [from Russia], we will conclude that this action amounts to an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom."

In that case, would El Presidente come to the UK's aid as per Article 5 of the NATO treaty?

A real President, like Hillary Clinton (or Joe Biden, seen in the attached photo chatting with a homeless person when he didn't know anyone was taking a photo), would have called up May (and let himself be photographed doing it, with a transcript of the conversation released to the press), sent a senior official (VP or SecState) over to London as a show of support, cooperate with any sanctions the UK would put in place, and lean on NATO to issue a joint statement condemning the attack.

But so far, all Trump's done is offer technical assistance in identifying and dealing with the chemical, and the sharing of intelligence.

Which is something that gets done automatically, without any input from the president.....

So, who does Trump like more? One of our oldest and closest allies (and the country that basically gave birth to us), or wannabe Tsar Vladimir?

You should also mention that Russia's response awefully has resemblance to answers you know from Trumpelstilsken and his goons. That Russia's invovlment is made up, "a circus", "unfair anti-russia", etc.
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TheZookie007

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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6672 on: March 13, 2018, 09:34:30 AM »

You should also mention that Russia's response awefully has resemblance to answers you know from Trumpelstilsken and his goons. That Russia's invovlment is made up, "a circus", "unfair anti-russia", etc.

And speaking of Rush-her, the long-rumored Rexit has finally happened. While on a trip to Nigeria, Secretary of State Rex "awarded the Order of Friendship by Vladimir Putin for his contribution to developing cooperation in the energy sector in 2013" Tillerson was fired. If the Senate approves, he will be replaced by current CIA chief Mike "lifetime member of the NRA and Tea Party member from Kansas" Pompeo. For the first time, a woman would be named to head the spy agency, current Deputy Director Gina Haspel.

Also, yesterday, the White House personal assistant John McEntee was shown the door. More than 50% of the Executive staff has been removed, resigned, or left in the past 13 months, making this the most unstable regime in American history.
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TheZookie007

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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6673 on: March 13, 2018, 06:56:18 PM »
wearesofuckedwearesofuckedwearesofuckedwearesofuckedwearesofucked

Quote

Quartz: "The CIA’s new nominee director Gina Haspel once ran a torture site and destroyed evidence"

...In 2002, she oversaw a secret prison in Thailand that tortured two terrorism suspects. That torture took place within the CIA’s “extraordinary rendition” program, in which suspected terrorists are sent to US allies, and interrogated in “black sites” on their soil.

One of the men, known as Abu Zubayda, was waterboarded 83 times in one month and was slammed into walls by the head. He was deprived of  s l e e p  and kept in a coffin-like box. Interrogators later decided he didn’t have any useful information.

ProPublica found that Haspel personally signed cables to CIA headquarters that detailed Zubayda’s interrogation.

CIA videos of the torture were destroyed in 2005, on the orders of a cable drafted by Haspel. Her then-boss Jose Rodriguez, the CIA’s director of operations for counterterrorism, signed off on the order. “The cable left nothing to chance. It even told them how to get rid of the tapes,” he wrote in his memoir, according to ProPublica. “They were to use an industrial-strength shredder to do the deed.”

The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, a Berlin-based NGO, has been pushing Germany’s public prosecutor to arrest Haspel for her role in the torture program...

New secretary of state Mike Pompeo has also defended US torture. In 2014, when senator Dianne Feinstein, then chair of Senate Intelligence Committee, released a comprehensive condemnation of the CIA’s torture program, Pompeo attacked the report, saying, “Senator Feinstein today has put American lives at risk,” and described agents who had tortured people as “heroes, not pawns in some liberal game.”
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TheZookie007

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Re: MERGED: The Politics Thread
« Reply #6674 on: March 13, 2018, 11:56:29 PM »

Also, yesterday, the White House personal assistant John McEntee was shown the door. More than 50% of the Executive staff has been removed, resigned, or left in the past 13 months, making this the most unstable regime in American history.

Add another one to the list, just a few hours ago:

New York Times, March 13, 2018: "ICE Spokesman Resigns, Saying He Could No Longer Spread Falsehoods for Trump Administration"
James Schwab said false statements made by the immigration enforcement agency and Attorney-General Jeff Sessions led to his decision
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