US General Election 2016

Scott Pruitt, head of the Environmental Protection Agency and the one member of the administration I loathed with the deepest passion of all, has resigned.

I wish he had been driven out for policy reasons: his point of view was that all environmental regulation was bad and made decisions based on how they impacted business rather than the environment. But I'll settle for leaving due to troublesome government ethics issues.

Now if we can just get rid of Stephen Miller and Steve Mnuchin I'll be willing to give the administration a pass for other policies I may dislike but don't make me want to chuck the architects into piranha infested waters.

David H wrote:

chris63 wrote:Donald Trump lifts ban on importing elephant hunt trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia.

When did this happen Chris? I see there was some loose talk about it back in November but it didn't look like anything ever came of it....

I think it was on Twitter somewhere yesterday. Hope its not true.

While on the subject.


Science
Poachers in a South African game reserve ‘eaten alive’ by pride of lions

https://www.perthnow.com.au/technology/science/poachers-in-a-south-african-game-reserve-eaten-alive-by-pride-of-lions-ng-14ffdc36cb5439e096de02755ce9b64f

lions gotta eat too

{{Just been listening to a Republican Congressman from a big farming state on the trade issue backing Trump to the hilt- which surprised me somewhat as I would think his constituents are more concerned. But what really struck me as it was not the first time I had come across it, was the claim that the EU restricts US products so fair enough.

But what is always left out is the why- its not for trade reasons its because a lot of your food doesn't meet our health and safety standards for animal welfare, preparation, and treatment- such as your chlorine filled chickens.
One of the things of considerable concern to folk here in the UK is after we leave the EU any trade deal we strike with the US will necessarily require a lowering in our standards to accept your foodstuffs. Something folk are not happy about the prospect of.

But a trade war will have no effect on the EU refusing to lower its food standards, its not about trade. }}

Pettytyrant101 wrote:{{its not for trade reasons its because a lot of your food doesn't meet our health and safety standards for animal welfare, preparation, and treatment- such as your chlorine filled chickens.
One of the things of considerable concern to folk here in the UK is after we leave the EU any trade deal we strike with the US will necessarily require a lowering in our standards to accept your foodstuffs. Something folk are not happy about the prospect of.

But a trade war will have no effect on the EU refusing to lower its food standards, its not about trade. }}

It's not quite that simple Petty. There are several sets of rules for food safety around the world (EuroGAP, GlobalGAP, Food Safety Modernization Act, etc.) and often a practice that's required by one is forbidden by another.  The rules, inspections, and required documentation are all different so if you want to grow fruit for the North or South American market you often do it in a completely different field than fruit you're growing for a European market or an Asian market. It's not that one is fundamentally better than another. There are plenty of toxic chemicals that are banned here but allowed elsewhere and vice versa. They're just all different which makes it increasingly difficult for farmers

I don't know what's really happening behind the curtain, but I can tell you that the general belief among farmers is that many of these restrictions and required forms have been designed specifically to restrict trade without actually saying so.

Can Shatner be anything but self-consciously, ludicrously awesome?

I do think that Trump sending Kim a copy of Rocket Man was a classy touch.

{{Dave even if half the rules are really just a sneaky means of protectionism problem is if you've sold that lie to your people on the basis the food stuff is not up to consumption standard it makes it very difficult to then get rid of it and accept the foodstuffs.


Talking Trump a stark contrast between 'Trump World' and 'Reality' and a sharp reminder of the dangers of Trump not knowing which one is real or not!

This from an interview with trump on Fox Business just a few days ago-

Trump- (Talking about N Korea) I think they are very serious about it. I think we had a very good chemistry. You know we had a lot of points, a lot of points. I don't have to go over them but de-nuclerisation, getting the remains back from great heroes, great people, so many different things.

Int- But we are legitimizing killers.

Trump- But think of it, what did I really do? I went there, so the papers say he went there, meaning I went to Signapore, so he had  a meeting, we didn't do anything. We saved a lot of money by not doing, I asked, I said let's not do- I call them the war-games- OK they drop bombs all over the place every six months, it's unbelievably expensive to do. Planes fly in from Guam ,these massive bombers, and they're flying in from Guam bombing and leaving its crazy. So we gave nothing, what we are going to give is good things in the future, and by the way I really believe N Korea has a tremendous future. I got along really well with Charman Kim. We had a great chemistry. We really had..

int- But do we believe him Mr President?

Trump- Uhh, I made a deal with him. I shook hands with him. I really believe he means it.


Meanwhile back in reality-

'Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seemingly failed to gain a single concession from North Korea after meetings Friday and Saturday in the communist nation’s capital of Pyongyang to discuss America’s demand that the North get rid its nuclear weapons.
Following Pompeo’s talks with high-ranking North Korean government official Kim Yong Chol, North Korea accused the Trump administration of making a “unilateral and gangster-like demand for denuclearization” that was “deeply regrettable.”
 the New York Times reported Saturday: “Privately, Mr. Pompeo has said that he doubts Mr. Kim will ever give up his nuclear weapons. And those doubts have been reinforced in recent days by intelligence showing that North Korea, far from dismantling its weapons facilities, has been expanding them and taking steps to conceal the efforts from the United States.”- Fox News


Anyone spot which is reality yet? }}}

It's the typical song and dance with these ego driven leaders: they can get a handshake to say they succeeded, while the underlings handle reality and get crapped on for it. Kim never had any intention of giving up nuclear weapons. Just making a show of it.

If it were anybody else I'd say he was drunk

{{{he wouldn't be the first president.... }}}

His statements make perfect sense in a Sarah Palin sort of way. I just wish he had made her vice president and we'd be having twice as much fun as now. (though her interview of him was a dud).

I can hear him say it. Makes me smile and laugh. And yeah I’d vote for him again in a heartbeat. Suck it.

"I have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honor the contract we signed &, even more importantly, our handshake.."- Trump

{{{ You might want to give it more than a heartbeat- the effects of Trump are yet to be felt. How his trade policy effects rural America and manufacturing that relies on steel and aluminium. That's all just starting, Europes haven't even begun yet.
From what I can see your health care system is on the brink of collapse- Trump has kicked away the supporting structures to Obamacare to make it fail but utterly failed himself to find a solution, provide an alternative or do anything at all about it besides gloat over its demise. He boasted it was easy, he boasted no one would be without coverage, that he would bring the pharmaceutical companies to heel and that costs would come down across the board- have they?
When that really starts hurting enough people they wont be blaming Obama, they will blame Trump and the GOP for not fixing it. They are the government of the day.
Then there is is upcoming visit to the UK where he is likely to face widespread protests,and his more important meeting with NATO- where on recent form he is likely to do as he did at the G7 and make demands, insist everyone is ripping off America, make threats and then just like with G7 follow it up by going to see a murderous  dangerous leader hoarding weapons of mass destruction, in this case Putin, and praise him.
Sure you still only need a heartbeat Bungo?}}}

Obamacare saved my brother's life when he lost his job and got cancer at the same time. Wouldn't have been covered otherwise. Trump is destroying it just because he couldn't stand Obama making fun of him at the Whitehouse Correspondent's dinner, and is not putting anything back in its place.

It remains to be seen if the jumpstart to the economy due to lower taxes and deregulation will be a long term good or come back to bite us with spiralling deficits and health costs. I think if these things were done smarter they may end up being good, but they were done more out of spite for radical Republicans not getting their way for a while.

A country needs to control its borders, but the current climate means the incoming talent that has helped drive our economic leadership is no longer interested in coming to America. I know several talented young people who had dreams of working here and becoming citizens, but now want nothing to do with it.

A lot of things Trump is doing could be good for America if done thoughtfully, but this administration has proved to be quick and dirty, swagger and insult. I can understand Trump rambling on good naturedly with his fans and them loving him for it, but I mainly see an inability to focus on the hard details that make things work.

bungobaggins wrote: And yeah I’d vote for him again in a heartbeat.  

Good! That's exactly how it's supposed to work in a democracy. Everybody votes how they think best, and everybody respects the other folks' right to do the same.

Here in the middle of Trump country (as taxes have gone up, incomes are going down, and now it looks like insurance is either going up or going away) we don't talk politics much, but I see the Trump signs and bumper stickers slowly disappearing. I figure that means folks are catching on that this administration doesn't know we exist any more than the previous ones did.

Half an hour till Trump announces his new Supreme Court pick.
You've gotta give him credit for good theater

How is it taxes are going up?

Um Dave - he's announcing 9 pm ET. More like 3.5 hours.

halfwise wrote:Um Dave - he's announcing 9 pm ET.  More like 3.5 hours.

{{{$#%^*@ fake news! }}}

halfwise wrote:How is it taxes are going up?

I'm not releasing my tax return until the President does.

US doesn’t have and won’t have a better ally than EU. We spend on defense much more than Russia and as much as China. I hope you have no doubt this is an investment in our security, which cannot be said with confidence about Russian & Chinese spending :-)   - Donald Tusk European Council President

{{and he added the even starker- }}

"Dear America, appreciate your allies, after all you don't have that many."

{{This is going to be the most interesting visit to NATO by any US President since its founding, and probably an even more embarrassing cringe inducing meeting of Trump fawning over Putin right after it. The Kremlin must be over-the-moon at how well this is going for them!}}

{{Well Trump's NATO meeting well...for Putin.
Whilst i dont object to Trump raising the oil pipeline- its been a contentious issue for some time and one Trump doesn't seem to have to much grasp of as it was Merkels predecessor who landed her with a deal she couldn't easily get out  of before she came to office and the figures Trump put out were make-believe, but there is a genuine argument about to be made- but not in public and not so viciously and especially when he seemed more concerned with continuing hos feud with Merkel than national security issues.
All Trump has done is taken a wedge issues between NATO members and hammered it further home and tried to widen it and to have done so as publicly as possible- driving a wedge between NATO members has been a long standing aim of Russia, they must be pissing themselves that Trump is doing their work for them.

He also seems to have no clue about how NATO works- yes Germany does pay less than 2% of it GDP- but the 1.3% it does pay is 1.3% of the largest economy in Europe- its way more in cash terms than the UK which commits 2.2% pays and way, way more than smaller countries like Poland pay. Not only that after 9/11 the US through NATO invoked article five- an attack on one is an attack on all- and Germany has the second largest number of combat troops stationed in Afghanistan, protecting US interests and lives, they have given actual blood for the US, more than any other country bar the US themselves.
Under those circumstances attacking Germany and undermining NATO is so mindbogglingly stupid that one is inclined to think Putin must have something on Trump for Trump to do so in this manner, and to such benefit to Russia. }}}

What I don't understand is why the breakfast was filmed publicly. I'd think most meetings would be private so people can work things through, and you'd think a meal would be no more than a photo op then throw the press out.