@snarlcakes Nope. Agree to disagree. Though I would say if there was some sort of "score" on policy... I'd have many of Trump's stated policies quite a lot closer to Obama than probably how I come across... in terms of me agreeing with them. But how many has he actually stuck with throughout the years? Half? Maybe... So a decent chunk of the policies you are identifying with, he'll pivot at some point... and I'm sure he has already on many you thought you agreed with him on.
Beyond that though, I just think all the obvious bad things Trump exhibits with his words, posts, and actions... now on a daily basis... overpower really anything else. And constantly using his "policies" as some sort of redeeming justification for supporting him... is weak, and usually just an attempt to avoid calling him what he really is. He isn't loyal to many of his "policies" anyway. He's spent his entire 2nd term dismantling a number of the "policies" he ran on in both his first 2 elections, as an example. I say this with 100% conviction, and I feel clarity... the only, ONLY, policy Trump truly cares about is taking care of himself... and maaayybe at times, his family. But that second part is tenuous, and really only if it also serves his own interests.
I wonder about your covid attribution (here and previous posts). In Florida we had a one-month lockdown—under Trump—and bu the time Buden took over, deSantis had ended most of that. Furthermore, as far as I know, there were no federal mandates to states.@iunorth getting gov out of the way and just guiding the ship is the best we can hope for really. When I think of my business it ha experienced two major problems. Both gov induced. Covid and tariffs. I never worry about getting customers. Making money. I worry about what will gov do next.
My point is, yes there were state and local govt mandates but not ordered by Trump or Biden.
@hhlurker fauci etc set the narrative local lefties ran with. Like defund
@snarlcakes Nope. Agree to disagree. Though I would say if there was some sort of "score" on policy... I'd have many of Trump's stated policies quite a lot closer to Obama than probably how I come across... in terms of me agreeing with them. But how many has he actually stuck with throughout the years? Half? Maybe... So a decent chunk of the policies you are identifying with, he'll pivot at some point... and I'm sure he has already on many you thought you agreed with him on.
Beyond that though, I just think all the obvious bad things Trump exhibits with his words, posts, and actions... now on a daily basis... overpower really anything else. And constantly using his "policies" as some sort of redeeming justification for supporting him... is weak, and usually just an attempt to avoid calling him what he really is. He isn't loyal to many of his "policies" anyway. He's spent his entire 2nd term dismantling a number of the "policies" he ran on in both his first 2 elections, as an example. I say this with 100% conviction, and I feel clarity... the only, ONLY, policy Trump truly cares about is taking care of himself... and maaayybe at times, his family. But that second part is tenuous, and really only if it also serves his own interests.
No worries, I already knew we were going to disagree. You're a lefty. Also, I'll easily prove you wrong in 5 seconds. If Trump's only objective was taking care of himself, he wouldn't have went to war with Iran. It will only hurt him in, especially come November. However, he deemed it necessary to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
@iunorth getting gov out of the way and just guiding the ship is the best we can hope for really. When I think of my business it ha experienced two major problems. Both gov induced. Covid and tariffs. I never worry about getting customers. Making money. I worry about what will gov do next.
You literally cheer-leaded Obamacare two posts prior and then say get gov out of the way in this one.
@snarlcakes He didn’t do anything to my business. I was a Dem then too.
The amount of extra, unnecessary, money we've ALL spent the last 2-3 Presidential terms, because we've elected unfit leaders, is nauseating. The extra money we're spending now on gas, that we also spent for a large chunk of Biden's term... Its a direct result of incompetence by Biden and Trump. Obviously gas prices fluctuate. They ebb and flow with markets, there are refinery issues that spike them every now and then... but 5 dollar gas happens only when there are foundational mistakes made. Biden made them, Trump is making them. And they were made because those 2 humans were incapable of avoiding them, for their own reasons. None of us will ever get that unnecessary extra money spent back. Half of us were livid when it happened under Biden, but are now very understanding all of a sudden. And vice versa. We ALL get to pay the "tax". And this is just one expense. Groceries, cost of living... its all inflated right now.
How about we dump this asshole, and other leaders like him. And don't swing the pendulum all the way back to people like Biden or Harris or AOC? How about both parties take the next year or so to take stock, and put an emphasis in actual competency? Maybe take this process a little more seriously? We won't. Most of you are now selfish enough to push for, if not demand, people like Trump, Vance... AOC, Harris... and not more moderate leaders. Governors that are relatively successfully leading "purple states" come to mind. Congress people that represent "purple districts". You know, so we have a shred of a chance to foundationally fix some things going forward.
Seeing 5 dollar gas... if you can't tell, has me a little triggered, right now. If you're one that has focused most or all of your energy slamming Trump, in recent years, but have or would support people like AOC, Harris... you're the problem. On the flip side, if you are constantly raging about woke politics, liberals being communists, and you are an ardent MAGA Trump supporter, you're also the problem. Everyone deserves a vote... but I wish ALL of you would lose a huge portion of your influence in your parties.
I honestly couldn't care less what party our next President comes from. But I really, really, really hope they're more competent than what we've had the last 10 years. If I'm a betting man though, because of how awful Trump is, and will continue being, we'll swing the pendulum too far left, and we'll get some awful far left liberal, that will continue to focus on solving issues for a small fraction of our populace. And it won't work out well for most of us, and the result be some Trump like lunatic in 2032... and so on...
Until public office is back in favor with intelligent people, you are going to get more of the same morons, regardless of governmental branch. Why would anyone with talent and credibility subject themselves to the shit show that is Washington, DC?
@snarlcakes I hate woke but Trump has been dogshit for me personally. Gave dumbass fauci a lectern. Then instituted tariffs. The tax provision benefits under Trump are offset by the tariff tax. And that’s all it is. A tax.
You literally cheer-leaded Obamacare two posts prior and then say get gov out of the way in this one.
You mean the ACA wasn't good for healthcare costs?
From Gemini:
Research indicates that the ACA’s emphasis on integrated care (e.g., Accountable Care Organizations) inadvertently incentivized hospital systems to acquire independent physician practices.
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Findings: Hospital mergers have been shown to increase the average price of services by 6% to 18% (NCCI, 2018).
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Vertical Integration: The shift of patient care from inpatient to outpatient settings led hospitals to buy physician practices to capture higher outpatient facility fees, often increasing the total cost of a single visit (NCCI, 2018).
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Analysis: In the first four years of the ACA (2013–2017), the average premium for individual insurance rose 105%, increasing from an average of $232 to $476 per month (Heritage Foundation, n.d.).
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. The "Medical Loss Ratio" (MLR) Paradox
The ACA mandates that insurers spend at least 80–85% of premiums on clinical services (the MLR rule). Some analyses suggest this creates a perverse incentive: since insurers can only keep 15–20% of premiums for profit and overhead, the only way to increase absolute profit is to allow the total cost of care (and thus the total premium) to rise.
@snarlcakes I hate woke but Trump has been dogshit for me personally. Gave dumbass fauci a lectern. Then instituted tariffs. The tax provision benefits under Trump are offset by the tariff tax. And that’s all it is. A tax.
Limited mortgage interest deductibility. He's a POS just like the rest.
@snarlcakes I hate woke but Trump has been dogshit for me personally. Gave dumbass fauci a lectern. Then instituted tariffs. The tax provision benefits under Trump are offset by the tariff tax. And that’s all it is. A tax.
I always said tariffs were a tax, which is why they aren't inflationary. Some Murt guy couldn't get that through his skull 😁 Unfortunately, he is gone now. You would have loved him. A great man. Some say the best. By the way Obamacare is also a tax. You're just complaining because one of them affects you more. Find me a politician who wants to get rid of Obamacare and tariffs, I'll happily vote for them.
@snarlcakes my politics are always solely influenced by the impact on me. I don’t care about whether they are inflationary. I don’t like the added taxes under Trump
@snarlcakes I'm not a "lefty"... Rino, moderate dem, maybe... And the Iran actions... he's helping Israel's interests, obviously... and I believe there's some sort of personal necessity or benefit by doing so. And if you haven't figured it out by now... maybe its not worth discussing... he doesn't give 2 chits about ramifications to other Republicans in future elections, when he says things, posts things, does things...etc... He moves goalposts, and expects everyone else to adjust to them. And when they don't, he tries to cancel them.