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Comments
http://abcnews.com.co/obama-signs-executive-order-declaring-investigation-of-election-results/
A good example of fake news that killed a bunch of innocent people. This newspeak is sickening.
http://dailycaller.com/2016/11/26/group-cited-by-washington-post-defines-sanders-and-trump-as-russian-propagandists/
http://fortune.com/2016/11/25/russian-fake-news/
The organization that is feeding this is apparently called 'PropOrNot' (it's still not clear who is behind this organization).
"According to PropOrNot, calling President Obama, Hillary Clinton, the EU, Angela Merkel, NATO, Democrats, or the mainstream media terrible, weak, or corrupt qualifies as Russian propaganda.
Donald Trump fits almost all of these categories, making him a Russian propagandist, according to PropOrNot. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has also spoken out against globalism and the mainstream media.
PropOrNot also says the Republican Party spouts a Russian “line” when they call the Democratic Party terrible or weak. The group goes on to say it is a Russian propaganda line to say that standing up to Russia would result in “World War 3,” something Trump has specifically said. PropOrNot also believes “anti-Globalism” and “gold-standard nuttery” are Russian propaganda themes."
These are the sites they have identified as 'Russian Propoganda' (careful now, they may be monitoring your web activities).
Seems like a case of the following to me:
I heard Trump's prime policy point is now repealing Obamacare. And hear this: The GOP doesn't even have a replacement plan. Their sole goal is simply destroying it. Then you can get this stuff off course:
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/obamacare-repeal-market-collapses-231653
I'm very worried that if your prime policy goal is 'repealing Obamacare' this heavily, then one doesn't think of certain longer term consequences. Same with Brexit. People only look to the short-term these days, but they tend to forget that inflation in the UK will skyrocket next year towards 4%. Which is unprecedented...and rather danger. Taking into account that wages don't come close to rising that same percentage.
*sigh*. I just hope the populists of today don't only deconstruct, but also construct something better in return, or replace it with something better. Sadly....I'm already pessimistic at this stage :-(.
"A more likely outcome, say experts, is that Congress could either delay passing the repeal or the members could pass a bill for the repeal but delay its implementation in order to buy time for developing a replacement."
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trumps-first-100-days-health-care/
This is President Elect Trump's statement on his first 100 days, as per his Contract with the American Voter.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/22/politics/trump-first-100-days-plan/
Stated ambitions include (via Executive Order) - no mention of Obamacare here:
1. Withdraw from TPP
2. Cancel environmental restrictions
3. Cut regulation on businesses
4. Guard against cyberattacks
5. Examine visa programs
6. Enact lobbying bans
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/21/politics/donald-trump-outlines-policy-plan-for-first-100-days/
He also proposes the following:
1. announce intention to renegotiate NAFTA or withdraw from the deal under Article 2205
2. direct Secretary of the Treasury to label China a currency manipulator
3. direct the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to identify all foreign trading abuses that unfairly impact American workers and direct them to use every tool under American and international law to end those abuses immediately
5. lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars' worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal.
6. lift the Obama-Clinton roadblocks and allow vital energy infrastructure projects, like the Keystone Pipeline, to move forward
7. cancel billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs and use the money to fix America's water and environmental infrastructure
Below are some items he pledged during the election campaign which would require Congressional discussion and approval:
Middle Class Tax Relief And Simplification Act.
An economic plan designed to grow the economy 4% per year and create at least 25 million new jobs through massive tax reduction and simplification, in combination with trade reform, regulatory relief, and lifting the restrictions on American energy. The largest tax reductions are for the middle class. A middle-class family with 2 children will get a 35% tax cut. The current number of brackets will be reduced from 7 to 3, and tax forms will likewise be greatly simplified. The business rate will be lowered from 35 to 15 percent, and the trillions of dollars of American corporate money overseas can now be brought back at a 10 percent rate.
End The Offshoring Act.
Establishes tariffs to discourage companies from laying off their workers in order to relocate in other countries and ship their products back to the U.S. tax-free.
American Energy & Infrastructure Act.
Leverages public-private partnerships, and private investments through tax incentives, to spur $1 trillion in infrastructure investment over 10 years. It is revenue neutral.
School Choice And Education Opportunity Act.
Redirects education dollars to give parents the right to send their kid to the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school of their choice. Ends common core, brings education supervision to local communities. It expands vocational and technical education, and make 2 and 4-year college more affordable.
Repeal and Replace Obamacare Act.
Fully repeals Obamacare and replaces it with Health Savings Accounts, the ability to purchase health insurance across state lines, and lets states manage Medicaid funds. Reforms will also include cutting the red tape at the FDA: there are over 4,000 drugs awaiting approval, and we especially want to speed the approval of life-saving medications.
Affordable Childcare and Eldercare Act.
Allows Americans to deduct childcare and elder care from their taxes, incentivizes employers to provide on-side childcare services, and creates tax-free Dependent Care Savings Accounts for both young and elderly dependents, with matching contributions for low-income families.
End Illegal Immigration Act
Fully-funds the construction of a wall on our southern border with the full understanding that the country Mexico will be reimbursing the United States for the full cost of such wall; establishes a 2-year mandatory minimum federal prison sentence for illegally re-entering the U.S. after a previous deportation, and a 5-year mandatory minimum for illegally re-entering for those with felony convictions, multiple misdemeanor convictions or two or more prior deportations; also reforms visa rules to enhance penalties for overstaying and to ensure open jobs are offered to American workers first.
Restoring Community Safety Act.
Reduces surging crime, drugs and violence by creating a Task Force On Violent Crime and increasing funding for programs that train and assist local police; increases resources for federal law enforcement agencies and federal prosecutors to dismantle criminal gangs and put violent offenders behind bars.
Restoring National Security Act. Rebuilds our military by eliminating the defense sequester and expanding military investment; provides Veterans with the ability to receive public VA treatment or attend the private doctor of their choice; protects our vital infrastructure from cyber-attack; establishes new screening procedures for immigration to ensure those who are admitted to our country support our people and our values
Clean up Corruption in Washington Act.
Enacts new ethics reforms to Drain the Swamp and reduce the corrupting influence of special interests on our politics.
I expect severe pushback from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Repubs on the President Elect's 'Congressional Term Limits' (some of these folks are 'lifers') and on the 'Infrastructure Program'. They must be defeated on both counts in my view. Both are essential.
President Elect Trump has named Georgia Congressman Dr. Tom Price as Health & Human Services Secretary. Dr. Price is an orthopedic surgeon and Paul Ryan's successor as Chairman of the House Budget Committee. He was born in Michigan, and went to school there, prior to moving to Atlanta.
Dr. Price is a notable appointment. He is most well known for proposed legislation known as H.R. 2300, aka the “Empowering Patients First Act” , a detailed 242 page alternative proposal to the "Affordable Care Act" (aka Obamacare). Fundamentally, it offers a mechanism of age based tax credits in place of the current income based subsidies, encourages the use of health savings accounts, and shifts power back into patient's and doctor's hands (by allowing patient's to choose insurance that meet their specific needs on the open market via the tax credits, rather than the current mandated coverage subject to penalties for non-compliance). The key aspects are designed to aid affordability and increase efficiency of healthcare.
He knows his stuff, and is likely to be able to move forward quickly with proposals due to his experience on both sides (as a Dr. and as a politician) of the fence. Having said that, he will likely have to alter his proposals to incorporate President Elect Trump's recent wishes (some after his meeting with President Obama) that insurers should be able to sell policies across state lines, that children should be covered until 26, and that people with pre-existing medical conditions should not be discriminated against. It will also likely incorporate elements from Paul Ryan's "Better Way" plan.
https://tomprice.house.gov/HR2300
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/418565/tom-prices-new-conservative-obamacare-alternative-just-what-dr-ordered-jeffrey-h
Later today, The President Elect named Elaine Chao to be Transportation Secretary. She is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and was previously Labour Secretary under George W. Bush's administration as well as Deputy Secretary for Transportation under George H.W. Bush's (the father's) administration. Mrs. Chao is the 2nd visible minority woman to be selected by Mr. Trump (the first was South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as UN Ambassador).
Mrs. Chao attended Harvard, worked at Citigroup & was the CEO of the United Way prior to entering politics.
Mrs. Chao will oversee the massive Infrastructure Program that President Elect Trump has proposed, and which ironically her husband, leader McConnell, seems to oppose. She will also oversee some interesting dilemmas including how to regulate driverless cars, commercial drones etc..
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-chao-idUSKBN13O245
PRESIDENT OBAMA URGED HILLARY CLINTON TO CONCEDE ON ELECTION NIGHT
According to a new upcoming 'tell all' book by Chief White House Correspondent from The Hill Amie Parnes, and Jonathan Allen.
Apparently, like the rest of us, Mr. Obama was in disbelief as Hillary's campaign chairman, John Podesta, went out to her supporters on election night to send the would be revelers home and said:
“They’re still counting votes and every vote should count. Several states are too close to call, so we’re not gonna have anything more to say tonight,”
Upon watching this, Mr. Obama apparently picked up the phone and called Mrs. Clinton, perhaps with the fiasco of 2000 in his mind. He said to her:
"You need to concede."
Shortly thereafter, in an apparent about-turn, Mrs. Clinton said
"Just give me the phone. I'm calling him."
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/hillary-clinton-conceded-barack-obama-urging/2016/11/25/id/760686/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/barack-obama-hillary-clinton-concede-election-night-donald-trump-presidential-latest-a7443606.html
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2016/11/washington-post-promotes-shadowy-website-that-accuses-200-publications-of-being-russian-propaganda-plants.html
Moreover, it sends a clear signal to other companies that the White House is serious about trying to retain blue collar manufacturing jobs in the US. Now, can the Government be manipulated by companies who threaten offshoring to get perks, as critics have suggested? Sure, that's possible, but ultimately, I'll bet on the White House any day of the week and twice on Sunday if they are serious about this, which they seem to be. They obviously can't be involved in calling every company that is shipping jobs overseas but they can put in place incentives to encourage enterprises to retain domestic employment where possible.
I used to work for a management consultancy which was involved in offshoring several jobs to India and other far eastern countries. It became an increasing part of their business, and one that they focused on growing. The idea disgusted me quite frankly, and was a major reason for why I left that place. There was a noticeable decrease in service quality and a lack of accountability as well due to the distances involved (and despite service contracts), but most importantly, I felt it was unpatriotic. They did not exhaust all avenues to try and keep jobs domestically, but rather pitched the outsourcing approach to clients in order to fill their factories overseas.
Please see the current president's dismissal earlier this year (in June) of Trump's campaign promise to keep the Carrier jobs in the US.
"But for those folks who have lost their job right now because a plant went down the Mexico, that isn’t going to make you feel better. And so what we have to do is to make sure that folks are trained for the jobs that are coming in now because some of those jobs of the past are just not going to come back, and when somebody says, like the person you just mentioned who I’m not going to advertise for, that he’s going to bring all these jobs back, well how exactly are you going to do that? What are you going to do?
There’s — there’s no answer to it. He just says, “Well, I’m going to negotiate a better deal.” Well, how — what — how exactly are you going to negotiate that? What magic wand do you have? And usually, the answer is he doesn’t have an answer."
Mexico certainly seems to feel that the Trump Administration is serious:
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/02/mexico-reacts-to-carrier-deal-trump-is-telling-the-truth.html
The level of denial and understanding of reality among Clinton supporters was staggering.
We were told time and time again, by media enablers and sycophants that the election
was fait accompli.
This attitude of course passes on to all the run of the mill supporters, here there and everywhere.
I wasn't remotely schocked when Trump won handily. And he did win handily. His electoral college strategy exceeded his own minimum path-to-victory expectations.
I thought the election was too close to call. I could see scenarios for either candidate to win, so I didn't attempt to predict.
I dismissed the Hillary has it the bag, as typical liberal arrogance and entitlement, not to mention desperation.
=== on a more recent note PGA golfers are sporting "Make Tiger Great Again" caps, as maybe the greatest golfer in history (respect to Jack of course) attempts a comeback after numerous physical and personal setbacks.
Cenk Uygur, a liberal politcal commentator and businessman has come out praising the Carrier deal (with caveats of course):
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/11/30/cenk_uygur_praises_trump_for_carrier_deal_obama_would_never_have_done_it.html
Trump like most businessmen understands leverage and the value of being able to make decisions. Leveraging government contracts is sound strategy.
Show some realism and don't be naive. The 2016 presidential campaign has created more polarization and long-term destruction than many people in here like to admit. This has nothing to do with being a bad loser. This has everything to do with destroying concensus at much higher speed than we used to. The current president-elect is perhaps more than Obama someone who still prefers to throw dirt at those who criticize him...instead of doing something with it. In ways Trump already shows he has it to become the exponential of Nixon.
“He’s the president-elect, so that’s presidential behavior,” Conway said during that Harvard get-together, using mind-bending pseudo-logic, reminiscent of the Nixonian “When the president does it, that means that it’s not illegal.”. Ughh, it's espicable.
Make no mistake: Hillary Clinton is out of the way now, and STILL people keep looking back on her. She is not the president-elect. Trump is president-elect. We have every right to completely forget Clinton now and judge everything Trump is doing. Because even Conway says it no? That's what this topic is about no?
But make no mistake. Trump's four year term will reflect everything we have seen during this campaign. And that's not going to change. And probably Trump doesn't even want that to change. The USA has chosen its own 'Berlusconi'. Deal with it, face the criticism and do something with it.
The Party is going to be owned by the Bernie/Warren types for some time in my view, just as what has happened in the UK with Corbyn. Here are two interesting points of view on where the Democratic Party should go.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/11/15/break-up-the-democratic-party-its-time-for-the-clintons-and-rubin-to-go-and-soros-too/
http://www.businessinsider.com/democratic-party-civil-war-clinton-loss-trump-2016-11
"What is the Democratic Party’s former constituency of labor and progressive reformers to do? Are they to stand by and let the party be captured in Hillary’s wake by Robert Rubin’s Goldman Sachs-Citigroup gang that backed her and Obama?
If the party is to be recaptured, now is the moment to move. The 2016 election sounded the death knell for the identity politics. Its aim was to persuade voters not to think of their identity in economic terms, but to think of themselves as women or as racial and ethnic groups first and foremost, not as having common economic interests. This strategy to distract voters from economic policies has obviously failed."
Of course.
I am not big on government bailouts of corporations. Some companies should be allowed to fail, even entire business sectors.
Government often props stuff up for purely political reasons.
This deal though, involves tax breaks, which is a concept I do like. ie incentivize business by allowing it to work with more of its own money, as opposed to giving it money taken from somewhere else.
I like that Trump is a decision maker. He is proactively using the leverage he has to protect American jobs, as opposed to, for example favoring a certain industry to serve an activist agenda , that has nothing to do with job creation.
His motivation, his agenda here, appears to be prioritizing American job protection and creation, in and of itself, in both the short term, as well as the broader term, in terms of serving notice that he will leverage government contracts.
Whether the company remains viable remains to be seen, but as Young Turk above explains, there is something to be said for being able to make a decision, monitor, and course correct as needed.
===bottom line though I am encouraged by this deal because it sends a signal to business that keeping jobs in America is a priority. Companies are going to have to factor that into their business models, ie is it really worth outsourcing and saving $$$ on production costs, if it might hurt in other areas, ie consideration for government contracts, plus the impact on general marketing and sales.
Formulating a business model inevitably involves trade-offs, and very much so in terms of how to deal with the government part of the equation.
Whether this particular deal works for the employees and the company, ultimately depends on how viable the business actually is. Companies will play ball with Trump as long as their bottom lines are still viable.
The perfect business model nor climate does not exist. One is always trying to make the most of the economic climate one is operating in.
WTF?
Appointments:
President Elect Trump will reportedly appoint Retired Four Star General James “Mad Dog” Mattis as his Defence Secretary on Monday. In typical Trump style, he teased it during his Victory Tour on Thursday.
The General has been sharply critical of President Obama’s policies on Iran (he sees Iran as the greatest threat to Middle East peace) as well as this Administration’s policy of announcing troop withdrawal dates in advance and of capping troop numbers. He shares the President Elect’s stated aim of a robust military. General Mattis is known as a ‘warrior intellectual’ to some – a voracious reader who at one time had a collection of some 7000 books, and is also known for some of his colourful quotes:
"By reading, you learn through others' experience, generally a better way to do business, especially in our line of work where the consequences of incompetence are so final for young men."
The General is widely liked by his colleagues. Former Defence Secretary (under both President Bush and Obama) Bob Gates praised him as one of the most formidable "warrior-scholars" of his generation. "General Mattis is one of our military’s foremost strategic thinkers and combat leaders,"
Along with General David Petraeus, he co-authored the 2006 counterinsurgency manual that helped to revolutionize the US approach to the Iraq War. The key tenet was that troops must immerse themselves in local culture and practices in order to influence behavior from within.
In another recently co-authored book (this time with historian Kori Schake), the General opines that both President W. Bush and Obama have left the job of convincing the public and congress of the merits of America’s wars to the military. He sees that approach as dangerous, and believes that elected officials have a responsibility to win political arguments instead of depending on the military to do so. He also believes that such wars must be better resourced, and that America should be in them to win, because its enemies are waging ‘Total War’ against it.
Since he recently retired from military service, General Mattis’s confirmation will require a congressional waiver.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38178625
In other appointments, the President Elect named Campaign Finance Manager Steve Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary. Mr. Mnuchin is a former Goldman Sachs alum (as was his father). He has also been a democrat for much of his life, and at one time owned a Hedge Fund which he started with famous Democratic instigator and multi-billionaire George Soros. He has also owned other businesses with Soros and more recently has funded some very successful movie productions, including last year’s Mad Max – Fury Road as well as American Sniper, X-Men and Avatar.
Mr. Mnuchin has stated that his goal will be to boost US GDP growth to a sustainable 3-4%. His #1 mechanism to achieve that is through comprehensive tax reform (the Trump Administration has recommended cutting the corporate tax rate from 35% to 15%). Furthermore, he stated that proposed additional personal tax reductions on the upper income class will be offset by less deductions under his proposals, so the bulk of the effective tax cuts will go to the middle class and lower income brackets.
He also believes in free but ‘fair’ trade, and has committed to working in concert with the Commerce Department to ensure that trade policies benefit the American worker. Like the President Elect, Mr. Mnuchin feels that bilateral trade agreements are superior to larger multi-country ones, and allow for more accountability and responsiveness. As one of the largest consumer markets in the world, the US has leverage with its suppliers (other countries) and should use it constructively and effectively.
I personally can vouch for what Mr. Mnuchin talks about in the detailed cnbc article below regarding Mexican international shipping treaties being more attractive than those out of the US & Canada. I have a client who is personally shipping American cars (manufactured in Canada) to the Far East out of Mexico rather than out of Canada because he gets a better shipping rate out of Mexico.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/30/trump-cabinet-picks-ross-and-mnunchins-exclusive-interview-with-cnbc.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/30/steven-mnuchin-expected-to-be-named-us-treasury-secretary
Critics have asserted that Mr. Mnuchin is a second rate GS alumni, without the gravitas of former Goldman Treasury Secretaries Robert Rubin (Clinton) and Hank Paulson (W. Bush)
President Elect Trump also nominated Mr. Wilbur Ross as Commerce Secretary. Mr. Ross, an investor, has a penchant for buying into distressed companies, turning them around and then selling them for a profit. Mr. Ross, like Mr. Mnuchin, is also a former democrat. He is a vocal critic of NAFTA, like the President Elect.
“There’s trade, there’s sensible trade and there’s dumb trade. We’ve been doing a lot of dumb trade,” he has said. “The trouble with regional trade agreements is you get picked apart by the first country, then you negotiate with the second country and get picked apart, and then go with the third one and get picked apart again.”
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/30/503253374/trump-taps-billionaire-investor-wilbur-ross-for-commerce-secretary
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article117896743.html
Both Mexico and Canada have indicated they are amenable to renegotiating elements of NAFTA
http://www.bnn.ca/labour-reforms-could-improve-nafta-tackle-migration-fears-mexico-1.615199
In other news, the President Elect has named his Strategic & Policy Forum. The panel will meet regularly with Mr. Trump to put forward their ideas on growing the economy and jobs in the US. Among the panel members are notable CEOs of Blackstone, GM, IBM, JP Morgan, Blackrock, Disney, Walmart, Boeing, GE & EY.
https://www.blackstone.com/media/press-releases/article/president-elect-trump-establishes-the-president-s-strategic-and-policy-forum
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-12-02/schwartzman-to-chair-trump-advisory-panel-with-dimon-on-jobs
Finally, the President Elect is likely to name his Secretary of State pick sometime next week.
In addition to oft-rumoured candidates Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani , Bob Corker, & John Bolton, two new names in the mix are retired General & former CIA Director David Petraeus and former Utah Governor and US Ambassador to China under Barack Obama, Jon Huntsman. It’s difficult to tell which way Mr. Trump will go on this. General Petraeus is a brilliant strategic mind, but is still recovering from his fall from grace a few years back on account of a misdemeanor charge for mishandling classified information by disclosing it to his biographer, who he was having an affair with at the time.
Italy
Matteo Renzi will resign as prime minister of Italy on Monday after having lost his referendum. 'No' took a clean win. While the result had been expected, look for some turmoil in the financial markets tomorrow, a possible ECB bailout of Italy, the Euro zone's third largest economy, and a potential failure of one bank (the world's oldest) Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS).
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38204189
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/04/renzi-battle-survival-italians-go-polls-vote-seen-referendum/
http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/04/italys-referendum-could-be-the-nail-in-the-coffin-for-the-eu/
Austria
Offsetting this result somewhat, Austria tonight rejected Far Right and anti-immigration candidate Nobert Hofer, and voted instead for the Greens-backed independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen, who is more pro-EU. Mr Van der Bellen actually won the election in May, but the result was annulled due to voting irregularities. This time he increased his margin of victory by 10X.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/04/austria-election-norbert-hofer-cusp-becoming-europes-first-far/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38202669
Yes, the box of Pandora has already opened. But everyone who's saying this is good needs to think twice. But anyway, the shit has been piling up too long already.
In any case @BondJames, I do hope you take the problem of 'fake news', conspiracy blogs and other fictional bogus a bit more serious:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2016/12/04/d-c-police-respond-to-report-of-a-man-with-a-gun-at-comet-ping-pong-restaurant/?utm_term=.4ada5f67eb82
It issss a problem. What the world needs is good journalism, on both sides of the political spectrum. Fact-finding, and not more and more insane bloggers who look for news that corrresponds with their own bogus and untrue 'truths'.
I have a feeling Berlusconi may use this failure to make inroads back into Italian politics. He is a savvy operator, and may suggest that Italians were better off under his leadership. He is certainly better than the Five Star Beppe Grillo comedian alternative.
Regarding fake news and that article which you posted. There will always be wackos walking around with firearms in the USA. That was the case over the past 8 years (increasingly) and it will be the case going forward. What is your proposal? Ban free speech? Ban free speech when it is not in agreement with 'mainstream views'? I don't think that's the solution at all. There has to be free discussion and a battle of ideas. Those on the 'fringes' must be ignored if they cannot explain their ideas cogently and coherently. They must be listened to if they can rationally make their case however, and not ignored. I used to be an auditor, and absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. All views must be heard.
I agree with you that 'good journalism' and fact finding is required. There must also be an airing of alternative points of view and a clear discussion of pros and cons. You and I probably disagree on whether such 'good journalism' existed during the recent presidential campaign. I think it was disgraceful for the most part, and has incensed people rather than informed them.
Such 'good journalism' can only occur once the large media conglomerates (with political agendas) are broken up and bifurcated. The same is true of the banking industry, which led to the financial crisis, which we are all paying for to this day.
I don't agree with your point that "too much democracy actually hurts". The problem is that democracy is taking place in a biased environment without fair and informed discussion and without a free and unbiased media. The public seem to have had enough and are rebelling at the ballot box. Leadership is losing credibility since they are not leveling with the people. That's what I believe this is about. Such credibility must be restored and it starts with leveling with the voter.
Al Gore visits Trump Tower to discuss climate change (of all things) with President Elect Trump. Apparently, it's an issue that's of interest to Ivanka, and by extension, has become a matter of interest to Mr. Trump.
Mr. Gore found the conversation "extremely interesting"
The plot thickens.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38211695
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-gore-idUSKBN13U2EV
In other news, as speculated some weeks back, Mr. Trump has selected Dr. Ben Carson to be his Housing and Urban Development Secretary.
“Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities,” Mr. Trump said in a statement Monday morning. “We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities.”
“Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a presidency representing all Americans,” he added. “He is a tough competitor and never gives up.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/05/us/politics/ben-carson-housing-urban-development-trump.html?_r=0
"Saturday Night Live" took another tilt at Donald Trump this week, this time in a sketch that had him paying too much attention to Twitter in order to listen to a security briefing. The Donald was not pleased, and yet again—with no apparent sense of irony—promptly got on Twitter to fire back. "Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable!" Trump tweeted. "Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad."
This brings up all kinds of questions. In no particular order:
• If Trump does not like the show, and is bothered by how he is portrayed, why does he keep watching?
• Does he have some sort of larger political purpose? It's easy to see how attacking the liberal New York Times, or poking the Chinese in the eye, might curry favor with his base. But are there really people saying, "Finally! Someone is telling SNL how it is!"?
• Does he not realize that his Tweets have an impact quite the opposite of what he wants? First, by drawing attention to the sketches, he effectively guarantees that every news outlet links to the video or plays a clip, and that two or three times as many people see the sketch. Second, SNL loves sparring with politicians, and will keep pumping out Trump sketches as long as they keep getting a rise out of him. Especially since Trump portrayer Alec Baldwin is a die-hard liberal who loathes The Donald.
• Does he really think he can rein in SNL, either through official or unofficial influence? They might be the most bulletproof program on television. First of all, they are an institution, one that has been on the air for more than four decades, poking politicians in the eye that entire time. Second, they air at 11:30 p.m., which means there is no "Think of the children!" censorship argument. Third, and finally, they are a money-printing machine for NBC. As long as producer Lorne Michaels wants to keep going, SNL is going to keep going.
• Is there any way Trump's petulance doesn't reflect badly on him? If Tricky Dick, Jerry, Jimmy, Ronnie, George, Bill, W., and Barack could take it, why can't The Donald?
Trump's instincts have proven right many times, and so perhaps there is something we are overlooking here. However, we cannot conceive of what it might be, for the life of us. Which leaves us, for the moment, with the conclusion that he really is too thin-skinned and too impetuous for the job he's about to take over.
REGARDING TAIWAN
Donald Trump is smarting after all the criticism he has received for taking Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen's call, and decided—once again—to take to Twitter to blow off some steam, calling out the Chinese government. "Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency" and "build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea?" he asked. "I don't think so!"
Trump's campaign rhetoric was predicated on the notion that China is fairly weak, and can easily be pushed around by the mighty United States. Let us hope that he does not actually believe that. Someone whom he listens to needs to impress upon him that the current status quo between Taiwan and China is fraught with peril. Taiwan believes strongly that it is independent, and functions that way, without making a point of actually saying it out loud. China believes strongly they are not, but looks the other way as long as the Taiwanese don't force the issue. This is not something to be trifled with; one of us has taught many exchange students from the two places, and partisans on both sides are as earnestly serious about their points of view as Iranians and Iraqis, or Sudanese and South Sudanese, or Russians and Ukrainians. If Taiwan's leaders think they have the United States' support to take a more aggressive stand, Trump could end up being responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, or for dragging the United States into a conflict even more burdensome than Iraq or Afghanistan.
While it may not be clear exactly what Trump is thinking, there is one thing that has already become crystal clear: He is being played by some world's leaders. Tsai Ing-wen never got Barack Obama on the phone, and likely never even tried. On the other hand, she jumped at the opportunity to ring Trump, and then promptly let everyone (translation: China) know the call had taken place. Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif went even further, not only getting a call through to The Donald, but then releasing the transcript, so that everyone (translation: India) could see it. These are shrewd operators, with decades in public service, who sense that there is an amateur in Trump Tower just waiting to be exploited. The longer that Trump & Co. deny this, the more damage that will be done.
REGARDING TRUMP'S TAX PROBLEMS
Many people have strongly urged Donald Trump to sell his company to avoid conflicts of interest. It wouldn't be easy at all, due to the tax consequences. Under a federal law passed in 1989, officials who have to sell their assets or put them in a blind trust where the trustee sells them, don't have to pay capital gains tax. But to get a certificate that qualifies one for the exemption, an official has to be required by law to sell his assets. The law does not cover the president or vice president, so Trump might not qualify for the certificate. He could issue an executive order requiring himself to sell his assets, but critics would instantly jump on that saying he just issued an order relieving himself of millions (maybe billions) in taxes.
Another problem is his stated intention of passing his business to his children. If he gave the business to them now, there would be a gift tax of 40% on essentially the entire amount when he dies. If the kids found outside financing and bought the business for fair market value, there would be no gift tax, but a lot of people would be concerned with why the outsiders did it and what they expected in return. There is no clean way out for Trump. If he keeps the business, he has conflict of interest problems and if he sells it, he has tax problems.
TO SUMMARIZE
I am sorry for not engaging into a lengthy discussion with others. But I do think it is pivotal to post some different views on The Big Donald. Because make no mistake, Mr Trump is not a president that will unify the country....or other parts of the globe. Democracy spoke, and we have yet to see how Mr Trump will actually govern as of January 20th. But the above news should already be a good proof of some substantial problems with 'Tricky Donald'.
Just to be clear, I will continue posting in a similar fashion from now on. No direct conversation in here, but simply posting 'the other side of the story' in here. Because some people in here do exactly the same :-).