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Thread: Life in the Trump Era, Part 2

  1. #31
    I considered changing the banner on the UteNation FB page to this and log off for the weekend. But I’m not one that enjoys watching the world burn. Too much.




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  2. #32
    The commander-in-chief loved last night's trouncing of Mizzou!

  3. #33
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    GOP tax plan:

    - Adding deductions for those who can buy or lease private jets
    - Removing deductions for those with student debt.

    Good god.

  4. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    GOP tax plan:

    - Adding deductions for those who can buy or lease private jets
    - Removing deductions for those with student debt.

    Good god.
    One of my colleagues told me the student loan deduction going "poof" is perceived to be anti-education in general, and biased against Asian-Americans, in particular (since they disproportionately rack up a lot of debt pursuing advanced degrees).

    Republicans-of-old (ie, last year's model) were of the "invest in yourself and your skill sets!" mindset, but the new Trump Republicans are probably aiming at higher education in general, as some large percentage of them view a college education with contempt.

    The Biz Jet deduction? LOL - that's just more of this:
    Money.jpg

  5. #35
    Others Being Blamed: What Trump and FDR have in Common

    https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/flat...hp?f=66&t=3815
    "It'd be nice to please everyone but I thought it would be more interesting to have a point of view." -- Oscar Levant

  6. #36
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Life in the Trump Era, Part 2

    Pretty good piece:

    Donald Trump and his critics have shown an amazing lack of grace

    http://www.ocregister.com/2017/11/25...lack-of-grace/
    Last edited by LA Ute; 11-26-2017 at 10:57 AM.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  7. #37
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Pretty good piece:

    Donald Trump and his critics have shown an amazing lack of grace

    http://www.ocregister.com/2017/11/25...lack-of-grace/
    That is the primary problem with bullying is that is the only language spoken by bullies.

    Eg: “You have to punch a bully in the nose.”

    It becomes a race to the bottom when your President is the bully.


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  8. #38
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Maureen Dowd. I continue to find stuff like this fascinating.

    My Brother Kevin’s Not Tired of Winning

    https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/2....co/5HkoXW80a4

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  9. #39
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    From the article:

    Trump’s minor battles: The N.F.L. players were disrespecting the American flag and were not called out by their gutless commissioner in a timely fashion.
    I was listening to a national radio sports talk show, and they were discussing why we are seeing issues in the NFL and not in the other professional leagues. They had an ex-athlete (I forget who or which sport he was from) and he had a curious explanation that makes some sense.

    When you look at the relationship between the owners and players in the NFL, it is definitely a more adversarial relationship. The Player's Union and the owners are not on particularly equal or friendly terms. He pointed to the recent quote by the Texan's owner equating the players to "prisoners" with the "prisoners running the jailhouse" comment. He didn't think that the owner meant it literally, but it highlighted the attitude that owners do have about the players and how poisoned the relationship is.

    On the other side of the coin is the NBA. The players have a much more symbiotic relationship with the owners and the league than the NFL. Consequently, they're less likely to want to rock the boat with regards to the national anthem.

    I found it a fascinating insight.

  10. #40
    Five-O Diehard Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    From the article:



    I was listening to a national radio sports talk show, and they were discussing why we are seeing issues in the NFL and not in the other professional leagues. They had an ex-athlete (I forget who or which sport he was from) and he had a curious explanation that makes some sense.

    When you look at the relationship between the owners and players in the NFL, it is definitely a more adversarial relationship. The Player's Union and the owners are not on particularly equal or friendly terms. He pointed to the recent quote by the Texan's owner equating the players to "prisoners" with the "prisoners running the jailhouse" comment. He didn't think that the owner meant it literally, but it highlighted the attitude that owners do have about the players and how poisoned the relationship is.

    On the other side of the coin is the NBA. The players have a much more symbiotic relationship with the owners and the league than the NFL. Consequently, they're less likely to want to rock the boat with regards to the national anthem.

    I found it a fascinating insight.
    The NFL’s contracts are basically geared to allow the team an out, rarely are their contracts guaranteed and even when they are only a portion is.

    Contrast this to the NBA where almost all contracts are guaranteed. (MLB and NHL are all guaranteed save buyout clauses)

    That certainly plays a role.


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  11. #41
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Diehard Ute View Post
    The NFL’s contracts are basically geared to allow the team an out, rarely are their contracts guaranteed and even when they are only a portion is.

    Contrast this to the NBA where almost all contracts are guaranteed. (MLB and NHL are all guaranteed save buyout clauses)

    That certainly plays a role.


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    Does anyone else see the NFL as today’s version of Rome’s gladiators? Seems that way to me, much more than MLB or the NBA.


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    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  12. #42
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Does anyone else see the NFL as today’s version of Rome’s gladiators? Seems that way to me, much more than MLB or the NBA.


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    I've said the exact same thing.

    But mostly in the context of it being a huge distraction for the common folk while those in charge steal and cheat everything.

  13. #43
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Life in the Trump Era, Part 2

    Must-Reads for 2017: Mysteries of the White Working Class

    https://www.bloomberg.com/view/artic...-working-class

    Megan McArdle again.

    Nov. 8, 2016, left a lot of people standing around with dumb looks on their faces. Including me. (Okay, I was sitting on my sofa when I realized that Donald Trump was going to win. But the dumb look was definitely there.) In the wake of his election, a lot of folks in the Acela Corridor have become interested in exploring the sociology and history of that exotic creature, the White Working-Class Male.

    How did this person come to vote for a guy who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and managed -- by dint of cheating his tradesmen, playing on his father’s political connections and strategically declaring bankruptcy -- to turn it into a gold one? Was their support all about racism? Sexism? Anger toward the elites? Or something else?

    Any number of books have been put forward to explain what’s going on in the heads of people who don’t even like arugula. Many of them have useful things to say. But there are three, in particular, that I have found helpful in thinking about what has happened to the white working class over the last 40 years, and how that led them to vote for Donald Trump last fall....

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  14. #44
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    Flynn to plead guilty for lying to the FBI about his contact with Russian ambassador.

    This article points out how this sets up some interesting questions about what Flynn lied about. It points out that the things he lied about are pretty innocous, so that begs the question: why lie about them?

    https://www.bloomberg.com/view/artic...s-box-in-trump

    Possibly because of this:

    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/mi...rticle/2642282

  15. #45
    That’s what makes sense. Why lie about contact if it isn’t to protect the guy you are working for. If the ABC report is true that is pretty damning for Trump.


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  16. #46
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    Flynn to plead guilty for lying to the FBI about his contact with Russian ambassador.

    This article points out how this sets up some interesting questions about what Flynn lied about. It points out that the things he lied about are pretty innocous, so that begs the question: why lie about them?

    https://www.bloomberg.com/view/artic...s-box-in-trump

    Possibly because of this:

    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/mi...rticle/2642282
    It’s going to be fascinating to watch. Several possibilities:

    1. He’s another Scooter Libby and the prosecutors are just going to move on now. I doubt this is the case. It would mean they couldn’t get a conviction on the crime they were out to prosecute, but they caught him in a lie during their interviews with him and got him for that. This happens all the time. People are stupid and don’t want to admit to anything embarrassing, so they tell white lies or shade the truth, and it comes back to bite them big-time. Here, I think Flynn had counsel throughout the process so maybe that’s not what happened here. (He may have tried to talk to the FBI alone, early on, thinking he could make this go away. Common error.)

    2. He is making a deal with the prosecutors in exchange for his testimony against another subject or target of the investigation. This is also very common — a standard approach by the feds to such matters. It’s also the one that has Democrats hyperventilating.

    3. The news report you link to makes it clear that someone with an agenda is leaking information. It’s probably not Fynn’s people because he looks like a snitch and I doubt he wants that. I guess some of the prosecutors just couldn’t contain themselves. If so, I have no respect for them. Lawyers have to keep secrets.

    I can see it now. Trump is impeached or resigns, Pence pardons him, and Joe Biden is elected in 2020, despite millions of YouTube views of him being all over that woman who was the wife of an Obama appointee. Biden runs with Al Franken, who by then has converted to Christianity and has represented and been absolved by the Rev. Wright, Obama’s jettisoned pastor. The country moves forward.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  17. #47
    Senior Member Scorcho's Avatar
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    The OnionVerified account @TheOnion 20m20 minutes agoMore



    White House Begins Christmas Season With Ceremonial Lighting Of Cross https://trib.al/oyqFICe






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  18. #48
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    I can see it now. Trump is impeached or resigns, Pence pardons him, and Joe Biden is elected in 2020, despite millions of YouTube views of him being all over that woman who was the wife of an Obama appointee. Biden runs with Al Franken, who by then has converted to Christianity and has represented and been absolved by the Rev. Wright, Obama’s jettisoned pastor. The country moves forward.
    When in Rome?

    Seriously, I think the demographics on the left are more complex. There are plenty of Dems who are genuinely religious, but they don't wear it on their sleeve so much. And the quickest growing religious group in America, the "Nones", would see Franken becoming religious as a sign of weakness (at best) or cynical pandering.

    It may be getting closer to the time for Mueller to have a fatal, untraceable heart attack and die. I really, really, really hope not, but that would resolve Trump's biggest threat: "Russia, Russia, Russia".

    We haven't gone there yet in American politics, but... I wouldn't be shocked if we did.

  19. #49
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ma'ake View Post
    When in Rome?

    Seriously, I think the demographics on the left are more complex. There are plenty of Dems who are genuinely religious, but they don't wear it on their sleeve so much. And the quickest growing religious group in America, the "Nones", would see Franken becoming religious as a sign of weakness (at best) or cynical pandering.

    It may be getting closer to the time for Mueller to have a fatal, untraceable heart attack and die. I really, really, really hope not, but that would resolve Trump's biggest threat: "Russia, Russia, Russia".

    We haven't gone there yet in American politics, but... I wouldn't be shocked if we did.
    The one thing that has kept me from freaking out about all things Trump is the fact that he isn't a psychopath on the level of Putin or Kim Jong Un.

    If that changes, we're in deep doo-doo

  20. #50
    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    The one thing that has kept me from freaking out about all things Trump is the fact that he isn't a psychopath on the level of Putin or Kim Jong Un.

    If that changes, we're in deep doo-doo
    The problems with psychopaths is most of the time you don't really know they are until the murderous rampage.

  21. #51
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rocker Ute View Post
    The problems with psychopaths is most of the time you don't really know they are until the murderous rampage.
    That’s what I keep telling my co-workers about myself. I’m just not sure when it might happen, so I want them to be careful.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  22. #52
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Interesting and balanced analysis of the Flynn plea here:

    http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...-bigger-things

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  23. #53
    Five-O Diehard Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Interesting and balanced analysis of the Flynn plea here:

    http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...-bigger-things
    NBC is reporting the “senior” member of the Trump transition team is Jared Kushner.


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  24. #54
    Five-O Diehard Ute's Avatar
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    For some comic relief....




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  25. #55
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  26. #56
    Senior Member Scorcho's Avatar
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    I love twitter


    James Comey
    @Comey



    “But justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” Amos 5:24 https://www.instagram.com/p/BcKtEUUg4Qa/
    10:01 AM - Dec 1, 2017




  27. #57
    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    The one thing that has kept me from freaking out about all things Trump is the fact that he isn't a psychopath on the level of Putin or Kim Jong Un.

    If that changes, we're in deep doo-doo
    I don't think Trump is a full blown psychopath, but his nailing the NPD diagnosis is pretty clear.

    Here's a hypothetical question - if the Russia thing ends up taking Trump down, how much of his antics in office to this point were all a big diversion?

  28. #58
    Quote Originally Posted by Ma'ake View Post
    how much of his antics in office to this point were all a big diversion?
    None. That's just who he is.

  29. #59
    Quote Originally Posted by Rocker Ute View Post
    That’s what makes sense. Why lie about contact if it isn’t to protect the guy you are working for. If the ABC report is true that is pretty damning for Trump.

    LA Ute:
    He’s another Scooter Libby
    Libby was convicted for lying about something that turned out not to be illegal -- since Plame was an analyst instead of a field agent, outing her was not a crime. Additionally, how this "outing" was supposed to discredit her husband remains a mystery . . . at least to me.

    Libby would seem to fit in well in the Trump W.H.
    "It'd be nice to please everyone but I thought it would be more interesting to have a point of view." -- Oscar Levant

  30. #60
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Life in the Trump Era, Part 2

    Quote Originally Posted by USS Utah View Post
    [COLOR=#333333]LA Ute:

    Libby was convicted for lying about something that turned out not to be illegal -- since Plame was an analyst instead of a field agent, outing her was not a crime. Additionally, how this "outing" was supposed to discredit her husband remains a mystery . . . at least to me.

    Libby would seem to fit in well in the Trump W.H.
    Not exactly, but close. Libby was not convicted of anything related to the Valerie Plame affair, but for lying about other matters to the investigators who interviewed him. As I said, that’s how prosecutors get a lot of people. But Libby had nothing to do with what happened with Plame. The guy who actually outed her as a CIA operative was Richard Armitage. Nothing ever happened to Armitage, probably because the prosecutors were already embarrassed enough about how much time and money they’d spent on a nothingburger, and the whole matter had pretty much run its course. The whole thing was a political prosecution in the purest sense.


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    Last edited by LA Ute; 12-01-2017 at 09:40 PM.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

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