[akwoo]

shyams, on 2025-March-14, 13:09, said:

Edit: I did not know there was an Act of Congress about this. I thought the spending mandate was based on past Court rulings.

The Trump administration position, backed by a small but not completely fringe minority of legal scholars, is that this act of congress is unconstitutional.

[thepossum]

Anyone else unhappy at how much MAGA has wiped off our savings so far.

I have a word for what is going on but some people do not like the word

Isn't a bit sad when the US drops from it's wonderful prime investment destination

A bit sad not knowing who is more communist between China, EU and USA
Just hoping my funds managers can use MAGA to good effect like they did Covid

But let's hope the world can avoid going down the same hole they did 100 years ago

The never ending cycle of capital theft, militarism and national socialism

Strange thing, despite all this pulling the rug out of trusted allies around the world, we are supposed to keep sikning our money into the defence industries of Europe and USA. Why? All a bit manipulated situation. Destroy all the good investments, make people suffer and repalce it with war

Sorry for ranting but I find it irritating, arrogant and patehtically ad that at a time the USA and others are undermining their most loyal allies they keep telling us (and some people listen) that we need to keep buying their weapons to follow them into other ill-advised wars. Hopefully this time our little (relatively0 country can learn to stand up for itself and not keep groevlling to the war loving Europeans and Americans

We are coming up to an important day in Australia which strangely has gone fromm remembering the ridiculous brutality of our service men and women being sacrified for petty conflicts on the other side of the world, to being lectured by everyone that we may have to do it again. Sorry wrong language. Our brave service men and women saving our allies around the world from their stupidity

Not sure who our designated enemy will be this time. But most are a bit bigger than us

Actually the perpetual cycle of capital theft and national socialism makes me think of one reading of capitalism sowing the seeds of it's own destruction. That it was cyclical. And would not reuslt in communist utopia

The meek wil inherit the world. Are the meek that lazy and paraistic. Blessed are the peacemakers but apparently peace is achieved by nationalism and arming ourselves to the hilt

[Zelandakh]

thepossum, on 2025-March-17, 23:44, said:

A bit sad not knowing who is more communist between China, EU and USA

MAGA ideals are much closer to Russian fascist oligarchy than Chinese Communism, while the EU has absolutely nothing to do with either (aside from a few outliers like Hungary).

[thepossum]

Zelandakh, on 2025-March-18, 12:39, said:

MAGA ideals are much closer to Russian fascist oligarchy than Chinese Communism, while the EU has absolutely nothing to do with either (aside from a few outliers like Hungary).

Where can we move our investments though. MAGA have demolished about 20% off me so far (equity and currency). I know when the world goes parcohial and national socialist most people don't care about currency. But some of us are international citizens.

And it would be nice to think the leadership are not so petty as to attack oridnary citzens who post on social media but I don't even trrust them that much. Go after Australia today. But if people want to mess with my investments I think I have a right to comment. It's all about trust - ie who do we trust to make us money for our risk. My point is more about control economies versus freedom. Not quite as scary as GFC or Covid yet but 20% is too much poorer for me today. I know I sound selfish but it is all I have and time is running out to keep recovering losses

And BBO may have noticed a drop too. And many other luxuries

Notee I am prone to exgarration. 20% is how much poorer Australia is today - sorry the share market - but any substantial loss is undesirable for some of us, especially combined with currency - hard for BBO

[hrothgar]

thepossum, on 2025-March-21, 19:13, said:

Where can we move our investments though. MAGA have demolished about 20% off me so far (equity and currency).

Tough *****...

1. Trump has been atrocious for the stock market. I suspect that its going to get worse before it gets better
2. The market doesn't always go up. If you don't understand this, you probably shouldn't be investing
3. We were due for a correction almost regardless

FWIW, I had considered retiring a couple years back. I decided not to because while I had "enough" money for a comfortable retirement assuming average returns, I would potentially be very exposed to a major correction and returns had been too good for too long. So, I decided to keep working. And, right now, I expect to keep working for another five or so years (because I too am down a fair amount and I need to recover this, make up for years where my portfolio is going down rather than up, and then have that buffer in place for the next down turn)

And yes, this really sucks

But you know what? There's a whole bunch of people in the world who are actually going die because of Trump, Musk, and the like.
And a whole bunch more who are going to be tortured or lose limbs or ...

So, spending my time bitching relatively insignificant concerns?
Not really high on my list of priorities.

You know what I have done? I've increased the number of charities that I am supporting, because there's a bunch of folks who need this money more than I.
(Just a couple days back, I "adopted" a couple giant Gambian pouched rats that are doing minefield removal in Siem Riep. And I'm volunteering time and $$$ at the local food pantry.

Now, I know your a "Libertarian" - and in my view of the world that means you're pretty much equivalent to a sociopath - but grow up.

This really isn't about you.

[jillybean]

hrothgar, on 2025-March-22, 04:16, said:

(Just a couple days back, I "adopted" a couple giant Gambian pouched rats that are doing minefield removal in Siem Riep. And I'm volunteering time and $$$ at the local food pantry.

Of course you are. I’m not surprised, but the rats are fascinating.

[hrothgar]

jillybean, on 2025-March-22, 08:10, said:

Of course you are. I’m not surprised, but the rats are fascinating.

One of the ones I am sponsoring for the year

https://apopo.org/su...us/adopt/ronin/

[johnu]

Seniors won't complain if they miss a Social Security check, Lutnick says

Another WTF moment from the Convicted Felon Trump administration.

Quote

Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick suggested this week that only "fraudsters" would complain about missing a monthly Social Security check, and that most people wouldn't mind if the government simply skipped a payment.

Quote

"Let's say Social Security didn't send out their checks this month. My mother-in-law, who's 94, she wouldn't call and complain," Lutnick — a billionaire former Wall Street CEO — told the billionaire "All In" podcast host Chamath Palihapitiya.

"She just wouldn't. She'd think something got messed up, and she'll get it next month. A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling and complaining,"

BTW, 27% of seniors rely solely on Social Security for their monthly income, while 67% rely on Social Security for more than half of their income. According to Lutnick,these seniors are fraudsters because they will be the first people complaining about not getting the Social Security they need to buy food, pay rent, keep the lights and heat on, etc.

Makes perfect sense to me that the mother-in-law of a multi-billionaire would not miss getting her check from Social Security. However, I'm pretty sure that infamous micromanager Convicted Felon Trump would call the SSA administrator into the oval office for an explanation and apology from his knees if Trump's own Social Security check was not deposited into his bank account.

[barmar]

johnu, on 2025-March-22, 18:08, said:

Makes perfect sense to me that the mother-in-law of a multi-billionaire would not miss getting her check from Social Security. However, I'm pretty sure that infamous micromanager Convicted Felon Trump would call the SSA administrator into the oval office for an explanation and apology from his knees if Trump's own Social Security check was not deposited into his bank account.

"Don't you remember? Musk fired the guy whose job it was to send you your check."

[thepossum]

I'm just upset that none of the group chats I have been invited to involve top level US and international security matters and planning

[thepossum]

Sorry weird dup

[kenberg]

johnu, on 2025-March-22, 18:08, said:

Seniors won't complain if they miss a Social Security check, Lutnick says

Another WTF moment from the Convicted Felon Trump administration.





BTW, 27% of seniors rely solely on Social Security for their monthly income, while 67% rely on Social Security for more than half of their income. According to Lutnick,these seniors are fraudsters because they will be the first people complaining about not getting the Social Security they need to buy food, pay rent, keep the lights and heat on, etc.

Makes perfect sense to me that the mother-in-law of a multi-billionaire would not miss getting her check from Social Security. However, I'm pretty sure that infamous micromanager Convicted Felon Trump would call the SSA administrator into the oval office for an explanation and apology from his knees if Trump's own Social Security check was not deposited into his bank account.

Of course "WTF" exactly describes my ongoing thoughts of this administration. I have always believed we should all be open to discussion but I cannot have a rational discussion with someone who thinks that retired people do not care whether or not they get their Social Security check. It is not just one crazy thing one crazy guy said on one day, maybe after one drink too many. Listen to the news and we are going to make Canada the 51st state, military attack plans are being made with a journalist inadvertently on the call but hey that's no problem, federal workers are fired, reinstated, fired again and this is all a great plan etc etc etc. Every administration has had its problems but this one is different. A constant stream of WTFs.

[PassedOut]

WTF indeed. It's the kind of administration one might expect from someone who left boxes of classified documents in his guest bathroom for use as wipes. Oh, wait...

[PassedOut]

Of course, the Russians are loving this, right Andrei?

[Cyberyeti]

PassedOut, on 2025-March-29, 13:14, said:

Of course, the Russians are loving this, right Andrei?

Of course, beginning to wonder whether some of the theories about Trump being a Russian asset are right

[pilowsky]

Cyberyeti, on 2025-March-29, 13:46, said:

Of course, beginning to wonder whether some of the theories about Trump being a Russian asset are right

Trump may be aiming to form an alliance with Putin.
After all, he's a nice guy who says prayers for him.

[Cyberyeti]

pilowsky, on 2025-March-29, 15:42, said:

Trump may be aiming to form an alliance with Putin.
After all, he's a nice guy who says prayers for him.

And the FSB really doesn't have a load of compromising photos from when he held beauty pageants in Russia in the 90s

[jillybean]

pilowsky, on 2025-March-29, 15:42, said:

Trump may be aiming to form an alliance with Putin.
After all, he's a nice guy who says prayers for him.

I've just finished reading Patriot, Alexei Navalny's memoir.
We should be very concerned.

[benellis58]

Worst president ever: Number 47. Second worst ever: Number 45. Worst Republican Party ever, with the greatest number of spineless, ass-kissing sycophants: The 2025 GOP. Second worst: The 2024 GOP. Presidential administration most closely resembling the Keystone Kops: Donald Trump's - just think of the recent security breach caused by the colossal incompetence, carelessness, and stupidity of some of the key members of the clown's administration. If only Garland had acted more quickly and more capably, this train wreck might not have occurred because that convicted felon might have been in the big house instead of the white house. But then Putin would probably not be feeling the joy that he likely feels today...with Agent Orange screwing the USA on a regular basis.

[mycroft]

I really hope there is one benefit of the last 4 months - that the party that's been running Republican tactics and Republican talking points (and has Project 2025-like shadowy backers/puppet masters, too(*)) loud and proud for the last 5+ years, with a leader that doesn't take security clearance or foreign interference in politics seriously (but, of course, it's helping his party. Which he also "won't take seriously", of course - but I will.), that was expected to sleepwalk into a Majority Government in the next election, may not even win, and the leader's own seat isn't a lock.

(I'm not a fan of the Liberals either; I'm much more comfortable in the (federal) NDP camp. But this is an ABC(*) election, and I'm actually now in a riding where my vote might matter (and my current MP is Maple MAGA duckspeaker of the highest order). So I'm voting ABC. Sorry "Breitbart" Smith(**). I am happy with the change in leadership; especially as I think I can trust the former Governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England to have the best shot at surviving Elonomics as a country.)

(*) Anybody But Conservative. By which, I mean (still, Harper still "runs" it), the Canadian Conservative Reform Alliance Party. No, that's not their name now, they changed it *right fast* when they realized the acronym told the truth.
(**) As she is a Social Conservative of the highest order, complete with "use a different name in schools" transpanic leanings, many critics of my Premier use a different name, because Danielle is not the name *she* used in school either. But my trans friends say "don't do that, even to those who use it as a weapon", so I won't.