Patterico's Pontifications

Greetings:

Thanks for that input, Counselor and yes, your are tired.

11B40 (6abb5c) — 11/9/2017 @ 7:47 am

ETHICS seem a foreign notion to these people..

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-s-chinese-gas-deal-raises-ethics-issues-wilbur-ross-n818861

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 7:47 am

Heh. It seems in regard to friendship with Trump that ignorance of his smarmy habits is an assist.

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 7:50 am

All in all, I’d like him to golf more.

Kevin M (752a26) — 11/9/2017 @ 7:57 am

Check out how ignorant this guy is. He thinks Melania actually sleeps with Trump.
Yes you are tired/ignorant since the fact that they have son is proof that she did/does/will sleep with him.
How crass.

William Jones (905b9b) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:01 am

Ben!, you are single handedly murdering this blog. Everybody knows you hate Trump we don’t need this childish need of yours to remind us fifty times a day.

Patterico, how does “Check out how ignorant this guy is. He thinks Melania actually sleeps with Trump” add to the discussion? Now’s your chance to insist it isn’t Trump-bashing. Making a statement like that about something you couldn’t possibly know is beneath you. Plus it’s Ben!-level childish.

Rev.Hoagie® (6bbda7) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:13 am

Hoagie:

Your Trump loves are just as redundant but then I don’t write for your entertainment…shocker

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:17 am

i love it when i’m the adult in the room

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:21 am

GARY COHN: The most excited group out there are big CEOs, about our tax plan.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/11/cohn-big-ceos-most-excited-group-about-trump-tax-plan.html

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:22 am

Yes you are tired/ignorant since the fact that they have son is proof that she did/does/will sleep with him.

Your use of slashes has completely fooled all of us into thinking that you refuted what I actually sad. Well done.

Patterico (f985d9) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:23 am

Hoagie, your PDS and your TCDS are showing. Pay attention to what I do. If what I say upsets you, ignore it. Everybody knows I don’t like Trump. Why keep pointing out that I don’t and that it bothers you?

Patterico (f985d9) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:25 am

The fecundity of the Trump line is not Kennedy level, but it’s still substantial. And there are little pills a 71-year old man, who is married to a young and vital woman, can take in the interests of marital morale and domestic harmony.

nk (dbc370) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:26 am

Perhaps you should begin writing for other people’s entertainment, maybe then you’ll write something worth reading. At this point you’ve devolved into little more than an annoying troll. Your pathological hate and distain for Trump are well documented and well noted. There is no need for you to repeat ad nauseam.

Surely there is something more than juvenile trolling and snark you have to offer.

You must have me confused with another, I have no “Trump loves”. I know exactly who and what Trump is and I don’t find it necessary to begin each day reiterating either his shortfalls or his accomplishments.

Rev.Hoagie® (6bbda7) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:27 am

All I ask of Trump supporters is that they rationalize or ignore my mistakes, defend my indefensible acts and pronouncements, and treat me as virtually infallible. It is OK to occasionally acknowledge that I am not perfect, as long as that acknowledgment is overshadowed by praise for me.

Hold me to the same standards to which you hold Trump and we will get along just fine.

Patterico (f985d9) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:30 am

You certainly are busy making excuses for the Schlub. You have script blocker and I encourage it’s use by anyone disturbed by Trump Follies.

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:30 am

Yes Cohn may not be the best indicator

https://mobile.twitter.com/ByronYork/status/927922099129339904

narciso (c408aa) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:31 am

Patterico, I do not understand what you are trying to do. I realize you’re smarter and better educated than I but I still don’t get it. Are you just screwing with the Trumpers here? Or are you trying to get the Ben!’s to yelp their crap? I know TDS but what is TCDS?

Rev.Hoagie® (6bbda7) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:35 am

The observation in the post is not a criticism of Trump. It is a criticism of his cultists with a lighthearted bit of snark tacked on the end. If this gives you the vapors consider lightening up.

Patterico (f985d9) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:35 am

@Rev. Hoagie: Don’t talk to the trolls. If you can’t stop yourself, stop reading the trolls. If you can’t stop reading the trolls, use the blocker, that’s what it’s for, passive troll shielding. (As opposed to passive-aggressive troll shielding, please don’t do that, it gives trolls what they want.)

I don’t know, maybe internet rage helps power through your health issues, if so you should keep it up. But I kind of doubt it. Just skip past those guys. They only post to get a rise out of you.

Frederick (64d4e1) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:35 am

The House will report a bill out of the Ways and Means Committee today and the Senate (or Senators rather) will announce a bill today.

The CBO score means the House still has to find $200 billion in tax increases.

I think they’ll have to go with abolishing the Obamacare individual tax mandate, which, although a tax reduction is scored as a net decrease in the deficit because of all those people who, without the threat of the mandate, will not be buying subsidized Obamacare insurance policies, nor will they go on halthcare.gov or a state website and be directed to Medicaid.

The Senate is less likely to preserve the state and local income tax deductions because almost all the states affected are represented by Democratic Senators. New York: Two Democratic Senators. New jersey: Two Democratic Senators. California: Two Democratic Senators. Connecticut: Two Democratic Senators. Illinois: Two Democratic Senators. Oregon: Two Democratic Senators. Pennsylvania has a an endangered Republican Senator, Pat Toomey, but not a very high maximum income tax rate. (The House has some Republican congressmen from these states affected.)

The Senate may also eliminate the deduction for property taxes. Meanwhile Marco Rubio and I think Mike Lee want to raise the child tax credit above $1,600, which they say is too low.

There’s various details and opinions about the proposed tax law change which cite facts in newspaper editorials and articles. They are proposing to change numerous provisions of the tax law in a very short time.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:37 am

Saudi Arabia wtf

the pervert prince what ordered up the oil glut what devastated the kingdom’s finances now finds himself reduced to stealing from the other perverts to make ends meet

not a robust show of strength there if you look closely

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:37 am

Check out how ignorant this guy is. He thinks Melania actually sleeps with Trump.

I dunno. He’s the greatest negotiator who ever lived – you don’t think he included that in her contract?

Dave (445e97) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:37 am

Trump Criticism Derangement Syndrome. I am play-acting, applying to criticism of me the same attitude that criticism of Trump earns me. It’s all done in a lighthearted vein.

Patterico (f985d9) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:37 am

Anyway Hoagie if you want stop Ben’s dozens of one-line comments, you can’t, the host is cool with them and it’s his place. But you can shut them off for yourself any time you choose, without giving him the satisfaction of knowing whether you’re using the blocker or just find him too small to bother with.

Frederick (64d4e1) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:38 am

Republicans were arguing that the CBO was scoring the effect of the individual mandate on purchases of insurance policies all wrong, but now they can take advantage of it.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:39 am

They only post to get a rise out of you.

Bulloney. But thanks for ignoring me instead of calling me out

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:39 am

I think they’ll have to go with abolishing the Obamacare individual tax mandate

the sleazy dysfunctional congresstrash kinda needed to get their act together on this before everyone went through open enrollment in the exchanges and at work

but they know demented torture-turd McCain’s gonna tank any meaningful tax reform so it’s probably hard for them to get too excited about it

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:40 am

Many of these princes have paid the dangers to various group like al queda in the past Islamic state now, for that reason the Prince is,playing a dangerous game

narciso (c408aa) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:40 am

@Sammy:Republicans were arguing that the CBO was scoring the effect of the individual mandate on purchases of insurance policies all wrong, but now they can take advantage of it.

CBO is apparently putting an asterisk on this work, trying to have it both ways.

CBO is completing a major re-evaluation of its approach to the individual mandate, and that when it’s finished in the next few months it will mean that CBO dramatically reduces its assessment of the mandate’s effectiveness, and therefore of the coverage losses and cost-savings involved in repealing it. After its score of the mandate’s coverage effects basically killed Republican efforts to replace Obamacare this year, CBO apparently plans to acknowledge that actually ending the mandate wouldn’t result in all those many millions of people losing coverage after all.

Frederick (64d4e1) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:43 am

he’s reckless perverted and stupid Mr. narciso, and KSA funded the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which makes them extremely hard to root for in the present

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:44 am

See Ben!, this is exactly what I’m talking about: “15.You certainly are busy making excuses for the Schlub.” Now when have I made excuses for Trump? Trump is just a person who you are allowing not only to live rent free in your head but allowing him to sh!t there too.

I’ve disagreed with Trump and his actions much more than I have agreed with him but since you could never agree with anything he does to you I’m “busy making excuses”. That’s ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as saying ” You have script blocker and I encourage it’s use by anyone disturbed by Trump Follies”. Now why would you encourage people you’re trying to reach to block you? It makes no sense Ben!, to comment here and attempt interaction then tell a guy to block you.

Rev.Hoagie® (6bbda7) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:45 am

fakenews apparel just in time for christmas

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:53 am

In the meantime, the IRS, as a parting gift from John Koskinen as he retires from the IRS today, is sending out letters saying the IRS is going to enforce the employer mandate and they should pay back taxes etc.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/koskinens-parting-gift-from-the-irs-1510096614

http://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/11/08/irss-koskinen-to-enforce-obamacares-employer-mandate-during-final-days.html

That would be hard for Trump to overrule, since it’s the law, and he’s all for enforcing the law, and if there’s something wrong with the law he wants Congress to change it.

This is said to be hard for employers of more than a few to comply with because they have to know or get details of the insurance situation of dependents of employees.

It kind of goes counter to the idea of a business tax cut.

Maybe the CBO can help out by scoring abolishing or reducing the applicability of the employer mandate as a reduction in the deficit, except that might be harder to do than for the individual mandate because there’s no subsidy except reductions in tax liability among companies that don’t provide the right kind of coverage.

But maybe they can say fewer employers will provide medical coverage or they’ll provide less of it.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:54 am

those are the sleazy Bill Kristol trash what funded the first round of trump oppo research with Fusion GPS btw

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:56 am

29. Frederick (64d4e1) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:43 am

CBO is completing a major re-evaluation of its approach to the individual mandate, and that when it’s finished in the next few months it will mean that CBO dramatically reduces its assessment of the mandate’s effectiveness, and therefore of the coverage losses and cost-savings involved in repealing it.

But the Republicans plan to pass the tax bill in this session, before the CBO gets a chance to do that!

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:57 am

I miss sock puppet fridays.

mg (60b0f7) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:00 am

@31 Rev Hoagie

Speaking of Pennsylvania

The world will little note nor long remember what he says here today.

Pinandpuller (1f503a) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:11 am

The fact that certain individuals bashed Obama’s golfing for years and ignore Trump’s golfing tells me it was never actually about the golfing — it’s about perceived tribal membership. Obama was part of a different tribe, Trump behaves like he’s part of their tribe.

aphrael (3f0569) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:13 am

Hoagie your Trump critiques seem thin for commitment. Admit it. You find it hard to speak ill of him.

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:14 am

Yes aphrael. The Nativists are uncomfortable with other tribes

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:15 am

No, at your #12, in an ideal world, Melania _________ by now would be in tv commercials wearing a blue nighty hawking those kind of pills.

urbanleftbehind (4c830b) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:18 am

Allahpundit picks up on a subject I raised earlier in another thread: Trump’s historic and ignominious surrender to China’s human rights abuser Xi:

Trump Joins Xi In Refusing To Take Questions From The Press In China

Trump, of course, previously praised the bloody 1990 massacre of peaceful pro-democracy students in Tienanmen Square, so he has a long history of kowtowing to China’s communist despots.

Dave (445e97) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:18 am

’ve said for some time that whatever merit there is to the Russian investigation, it risked focusing too closely on just Russia, and not Trump’s other corrupt ties. Jared’s plans (and his claims about the scope of his meetings with other Ambassadors) were always far broader than just Israel.

And no one in Trump’s orbit have the sophistication to understand if they’re being snookered by the Saudis and Israelis.

So I wonder whether this picture isn’t designed to do far more than gloat about the election.

https://www.emptywheel.net/2017/11/09/is-there-more-to-trumps-thumbs-up-picture/

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:19 am

I am third gen AMD from steelworkers, those jagoffs wouldn’t believe I actually exist.

urbanleftbehind (4c830b) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:19 am

I’ve said all along it’s not about collusion with Russia so much as emoluements and collusion with Mammon

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:22 am

there’s no onus on President Trump to talk to a bunch of CNN Jake Tapper fake news propaganda sluts in China, especially not after they did fake news all up in the koi pond

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:23 am

And no one in Trump’s orbit have the sophistication to understand if they’re being snookered by the Saudis and Israelis.

this argument sounds very silly after sophisticated harvardtrash buttworm barack obama got rolled by the iranians and on top of it traded a filthy deserter from the dysfunctional US Army for 5 hardened terrorists

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:27 am

I think what everybody is saying is if you want to pluck the McDonald’s sesame seed out of Trump’s mouth first dig out the spinach from between your own teeth, Mr bb

Pinandpuller (1f503a) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:29 am

You could remove my splinter or you could extract your log, pin. You have permission.

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:32 am

i called dibs on the sesame seed

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:32 am

Six broken ribs from a tackle? Osteoporosis from Randian menopause?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/09/politics/rand-paul-rene-boucher-kentucky-assault/

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:36 am

So I wonder whether this picture isn’t designed to do far more than gloat about the election.

Whoa, whoa…when did Hope Hicks suddenly become drop-dead gorgeous?!

Could she be under consideration for the role of Fourth Lady?

Dave (445e97) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:38 am

Yes stAlinist fan bois would try to make that point,

narciso (c408aa) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:41 am

Like many in business and entertainment Trump has chosen to serve mammon so there’s no conflict Luke warm is worse than cold or hot.

Plus if he was all up in Russia he would be serving mammoth. Msybd you should worry about Magog more than Gog.

Pinandpuller (1f503a) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:45 am

Yeah but he talks about God and stuff…so there’s that.

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:48 am

I should think his veneer of Christian faith would inspire many hypocrites to proudly carry that banner.

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:50 am

More Layoffs Planned at Carrier Plant Trump Promised to Save

Are we great again yet?

“Trump came in there to the factory last December and blew smoke up our asses,” Brenda Darlene Battle, a longtime Carrier employee, told The New Yorker. “He wasn’t gonna save those jobs.”

Who could have predicted this unimaginable turn of events?

Dave (445e97) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:51 am

150% of steel in PIPELINE wull b ‘Merican steel and ‘look! There’s a pony under all that manure’

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:54 am

42. The Tiananmen Square massacre took place on June 4, 1989. It was 1990 when Trump, in an interview,, spoke about it in an equivocal way.

Chinese censorship is so thorough that some of the (younger) censors don’t recognize references to it and let things through. A problem for the censorship agency.

Trump seems to be surrendering on everything with regard to China including trade, which he does care about. He’s accepting that China is trying to stop North Korea.

I read that China thinks that treating Trump like a really important person helps them.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:56 am

Assaults on senators are considered the new normal or something.

narciso (48ecae) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:02 am

narciso @28 on 11/9/2017 @ 8:40 am

Many of these princes have paid the dangers to various group like al queda in the past Islamic state now, for that reason the Prince is,playing a dangerous game

I think part of what’s motivating this (in addition to maybe wanting to Saudi Arabia out of the associationwth terrorism business) is hat he figures he needs to eliminate other power bases if he is to become king. His father is 81, and naming someone not a brother as Crown Prince is a departure, as is bypassing the (many considerably older) sons of all other brothers, and his father Salman may become disabled or die.

He doesn’t know how much time he has and may think (or have reason to believe) he could have very little.

This goes into it:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29792691

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:05 am

As this is an open thread, a pleasant, if not wistful, historical note, if I may, this November 9.

Happy 50th birthday, Saturn V.

Half a century ago this very morning, Thursday, November 9, 1967, the door to putting Americans on the moon was opened with the thunderously successful ‘all-up-test’ launch of America’s first Saturn V moon rocket: Apollo-Saturn 501, aka Apollo 4. It was unmanned with many unknowns and a huge management and engineering gamble which in the end, paid off big; and is known in the space community as ‘The Big Shot.’

The stats on this behemoth can be found online today; tall as a 36 story building, weighing as much as a navy destroyer and assembled across the United States by marshalling industry, academia and government resources.

If you were alive at the time– it was must-see TV for school kids and an interested nation hoping to turn the page on the deadly Apollo fire just ten months earlier. Most television viewers tuned in around 7 AM, EST, to CBS News’ Walter Cronkite, ‘live from the Cape’ and watched the normally laconic anchorman exclaim, ‘Look at that rocket go!‘ as the tremendous roar from liftoff made his studio shake and ceiling tiles fall in around him as the rocket ‘left town’ — galloped into the sky.

Today there are three remaining Saturn Vs– all museum pieces– on display in Houston, Huntsville and at Cape Canaveral. And space enthusiast Jeff Bezos recently recovered two Saturn V F-1 engines from the bottom of the Atlantic confirmed to be from Apollo 11, the first moon landing flight.

Chances are most of you have seen clips of the launch; it has been spliced into movies and a plot line for an episode of classic Star Trek. But if you have some time, watch these YouTube clips below of Cronkite at liftoff– or the back story of the people who engineered this magnificent machine into existence. It may seem quaint today– but it was all very new and very risky in 1967. It’s worth noting that the Redstone, Atlas and Titan missiles used to launch America’s Mercury and Gemini spacecraft were all modified military rockets– even the recent space shuttles were designed with the military in mind. But the Saturn V was built for Apollo and solely to explore space.

I’ll admit watching these old video clips can still bring a tear to my eyes, particularly watching the ‘can-do’ confidence expressed by competent, ordinary people working together for years to solve problems and accomplish extraordinary things. Managing and engineering dreams into realities back in the day is what ‘made America great’- and earned the awe and respect of the rest of world. As CBS News’ Dan Rather said of that era, ‘That other America; they did things differently there.’

Truly great things, Mr. Trump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uoVfZpx5dY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cke5ly4mZo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o39UlJlMce8

DCSCA (797bc0) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:06 am

60. The assault on Senator Rand Paul was tootally non-political – just an argument between neighbors – but may have some political consequenes if Senator Rand Paul is going to miss some votes because f his broken ribs. Only those votes where he would vote with the majority of the Repoublicans, though.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:07 am

62. I was not aware of this launch, although I had (maybe still do) a scrapbook with some newspaper articles bout the Gemini flights. There were no astronauts on board. The first manned Apollo mission was Apollo 7. I was never really all that clear what happened to the Apollos 1 through 6 and felt that they shouldn’t have used the same designation for something that never took any astronauts off he ground.

Was Apollo 1 where they had the fatal fire? I think I read that maybe.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:12 am

July 30 of this year Zero Hedge had it hat Salman might abdicate – maybe he is already out of it;

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-30/saudi-kings-health-wanes-war-architect-bin-salman-set-become-king

Here’s how the previous Crown Price was replaced:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/18/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-nayef-mohammed-bin-salman.html?_r=0

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:17 am

Op ed piece by Elliot Abrams, whom Rex Tillerson wanted as his deputy but Donald Trump declined to name:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/06/opinion/crown-prince-saudi-arabia.html

Recently I asked a Saudi friend why Salman chose Crown Prince Mohammed as his successor, given that he is not his oldest son. The answer: “The King thinks Mohammed is the toughest. He’ll pull the trigger when he needs to.” This weekend, he did just that.

But why take such rapid action rather than a slow and steady series of changes? The answer is not yet clear. Some Saudi watchers believe that a coup attempt was uncovered or had begun, and that Crown Prince Mohammed crushed it. All those suspected of being involved are now being purged. A helicopter crash on Sunday near the border with Yemen killed one Saudi prince and several other officials, leading some to speculate if this was truly an accident. Meanwhile those arrested are being detained at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh. Only in Saudi Arabia could a Ritz-Carlton pass for a jail.

Another theory suggests that King Salman, who is 81 and reportedly not in the best of health, may soon abdicate, and Crown Prince Mohammed is acting now while his father is king by removing rivals and critics.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:24 am

Patterico may not be perfect but at least Hillary didn’t win.

Davethulhu (fab944) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:27 am

Remember Prince talk was behind the ground zero misque that stay puft supported

http://donsurber.blogspot.com/2017/11/de-funding-terrorism.html?m=1#more

narciso (f848af) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:37 am

Paul and some of his other neighbors don’t think this attack was merely a dispute between neighbors, Sammy. In fact, several other neighbors dispute that Paul did any “trivial” neighbor thing that Boucher’s lawyer suggested was the reason for the attack.

DRJ (15874d) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:39 am

Here is a link if you are interested.

DRJ (15874d) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:40 am

#9
…but have those CEOs read the whole tax reform proposal or just the headlines about it? Are they really gung-ho for this:

“Which brings me to the GOP tax plan. Bloomberg reports that:
Under current law, businesses can write off as much as $1 million in compensation expenses for chief executive officers and four other top-paid bosses, plus any amount beyond that if it’s tied to performance targets. The Republican proposal unveiled Nov. 2 would keep the $1 million threshold but eliminate the exemption for pay linked to results, denying companies the option to write off large equity awards.”
http://www.professorbainbridge.com/professorbainbridgecom/2017/11/will-the-gop-tax-plan-kill-pay-for-performance.html

Here’s the Bloomberg piece:
https://m.ca.investing.com/news/economy-news/how-house-republicans-want-to-rewrite-tax-law-a-users-guide-637301?ampMode=1

BigCompany CEOs have garnered a whole lotta wealth out of cashing in on stock options, etc., esp. in this market where there’s been stock buybacks, industry consolidation, FB/GOOG/et al. stocks rising on ephemeral valuations, and so on.

ColoComment (13c772) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:51 am

@Sammy:But the Republicans plan to pass the tax bill in this session, before the CBO gets a chance to do that!

By announcing the change now, CBO is putting an asterisk on the work, as I said. They are trying to have it both ways, giving good-scoring when the law is passed and announcing an asterisk on the methodology when the law is changed, and then in the future using the new methodology.

Frederick (64d4e1) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:59 am

My computer is a snitch. It told Red State’s ad server that I’m shopping at Ali Express.

In any event, is the motive relevant? I can see a requirement that the attacker knew that Paul was a U.S. Senator, but does the motive need to be political for him to be subject to the federal offense? Because, I’ll tell you, on a Planet For Texans, beating up a politician for political reasons is not a crime. 😉

nk (dbc370) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:03 am

Sorry, nk. It remembers my browsing history, too, but so do a lot of places.

As for federal charges, I don’t know if Paul’s status as a Senator is all it takes. Does anyone who intentionally hurts a federal officeholder face federal charges? What about recklessly, or hurting someone intentionally without knowing their status?

DRJ (15874d) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:12 am

it’s now abundantly clear that this extraordinarily toxic and menacing presidency has sparked a truly unprecedented grassroots response, different in both scale and character from anything we’ve seen before.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/09/resistance-trump-blossoming-movement-la-kaufmann

Ben burn (05fad7) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:14 am

As for Texas politicians, there may be statute(s) that enhance the charges or penalties for intentional acts targeting them. If so, there may be a jury nullification issue if it comes to trial.

DRJ (15874d) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:16 am

The assault on Senator Rand Paul was tootally non-political – just an argument between neighbors – but may have some political consequenes if Senator Rand Paul is going to miss some votes because f his broken ribs. Only those votes where he would vote with the majority of the Repoublicans, though.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:07 am

With how much nonsense and excuse making you post carrying water for the left I cannot tell if this is sarcasm or not.

Just another day at the office for Sammy.

NJRob (9f728d) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:20 am

Breaking- Roy Moore now accused of being child molester.

And so it goes. As for endorsers… ‘see how they run; see how they run…’

DCSCA (797bc0) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:21 am

Hoagie,

Just ignore the troll Burnie. He’s just the Joker character in the Dark Knight. He wants to watch the world burn but thinks he’ll escape untouched. A nihilist at heart.

NJRob (9f728d) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:22 am

lol if we have to get all the pedophiles out of the Senate we’re just gonna be sitting there watching Susan Collins pick her damn nose all by herself

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:22 am

Ben Burn, at 40:

>Yes aphrael. The Nativists are uncomfortable with other tribes

To be fair, a lot of the left’s dislike of Trump is *also* about tribal membership — we think he’s part of the nativist tribe (he really isn’t, but both the nativist tribe *and* the left-leaning tribes believe him to be) and that drives a visceral emotional reaction.

aphrael (e0cdc9) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:23 am

Lone Star Planet a/k/a A Planet For Texans. Free online, in several formats including Kindle and EPUB. Beldar liked it.

nk (dbc370) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:26 am

Wanna bet someone in Moore’s defense doesn’t say ” if there’s grass on the field…”?

urbanleftbehind (4c830b) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:27 am

for god’s sake don’t let Rand Paul mow it

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:33 am

They only post to get a rise out of you.

Bulloney. But thanks for ignoring me instead of calling me out
Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 8:39 am

[ignored] in my imagination [he] is!

my gorge rises at it.

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:40 am

The jury in the Menendez corruption trial is on the fourth day of deliberations. There are 18 counts to decide so it’s not a shocker but if they don’t wrap up by tomorrow they have to bring in an alternate juror.

Do alternates attend all deliberations prior to substitution?

Rick Ballard (a99308) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:48 am

> Do alternates attend all deliberations prior to substitution?

No. (I’ve been an alternate, and I’ve been a juror, although not in a federal case).

So if they bring in an alternate they’ll have to begin again.

Also, I found this *astonishing*:

> On their first full day of jury deliberations at the bribery trial of Senator Robert Menendez, a juror asked the judge a basic question: What is a senator?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-07/senator-menendez-juror-asks-trial-judge-what-is-a-senator

aphrael (e0cdc9) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:58 am

that’s a good question especially if you have a cowardly weirdo Senator like John McCain what only represents the voices in his deranged bitter head

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:01 pm

63. 69. 70. 73. 74. I thought the statement that this was a dispute about plants was based on some real knowledge, and was something Rand Paul would agree with.

But without that you wouldn’t say it because a more probable cause is political.

Once this is disputed, and there’s no history to back this up, (just genuinely having some long running argument with Rand Paul isn’t enough) I go with a political motive. I need to be more careful when reading the news maybe.

So we have another James Hodgkinson, albeit he didn’t aim to kill (or did he?) We need some details as to how this went down.

Regarding the difference in the crime between if it was political and if it was not political: It could be more serious than a non-political assault because maybe this would constitute an aggravating factor for a sentence enhancement, or it could violate some other statute besides mere assault and/or could be defined as terrorism. Brandon Morse at Red State may know what he’s talking about, but on the other hand he didn’t explain how and why it could add years to his jail sentence.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:01 pm

Fat Boy Christie needs to do the right thing and nominate Joe Piscopo for that impending vacancy. Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizio might work too.

urbanleftbehind (4c830b) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:02 pm

I was referring to the second book here:
https://www.rbth.com/arts/2015/05/05/russian_sherlock_holmes_to_come_to_british_tv_screens_45735.html

narciso (d1f714) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:02 pm

In Illinois, alternate jurors are discharged when the jury retires to consider its verdict. In other words, they can only replace jurors during the trial. I think this practice of using alternate jurors to replace jurors who dissent from the majority during deliberations is disgusting. Just pass a law requiring less than unanimous verdicts, if that’s what you want.

nk (dbc370) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:04 pm

On their first full day of jury deliberations at the bribery trial of Senator Robert Menendez, a juror asked the judge a basic question: What is a senator?

You would think the juror would have picked that up somewhere just from the trial testimony.

Other questions maybe:

What is the Dominican Republic?

What is a port?

What is Medicaid?

This wasn’t even a question as to what powers a Senator had.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:05 pm

love the Smithereens

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:07 pm

> I think this practice of using alternate jurors to replace jurors who dissent from the majority during deliberations is disgusting.

Yes, *that* would be disgusting.

But I can imagine legitimate situations which would pull a juror out during deliberations. Say, your wife had a stroke and had to go to the ER and is only barely hanging on — EVEN IF you stayed at the deliberations, you wouldn’t be able to fully participate because your mind would be elsewhere.

Bringing an alternate in, who has heard all of the testimony, would seem better than a mistrial at that point.

aphrael (e0cdc9) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:08 pm

Maybe they would have to bring in alternate juror because one juror has to be discharged – but why? It can’t be because of the length of deliberations, because I never heard of any such thing.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:08 pm

> You would think the juror would have picked that up somewhere just from the trial testimony.

Yes.

aphrael (e0cdc9) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:08 pm

Trump, of course, previously praised the bloody 1990 massacre of peaceful pro-democracy students in Tienanmen Square, so he has a long history of kowtowing to China’s communist despots.
Dave (445e97) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:18 am

Ha I see what you did there! You gotta grab ’em by the queue!

You were there in Tienamen Square, Jake! You saw what happened.

Rapid Fire

Brandon Lee v gweilo

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:11 pm

So creepy degenerate on stage Louis Ck….

narciso (d1f714) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:14 pm

Read the whole thing, you guys. There’s a legitimate question about what a Senator can do for his constituency and what he can do for everybody else. In other words, is Menendez a Senator for, as well as from, New Jersey, or is he a Senator for the whole United States?

nk (dbc370) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:15 pm

Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) called on Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore to “immediately step aside”

torture-turd mccain is a known liar

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:17 pm

From what I have read, it’s not a matter of a hung jury. It’s considerably dumber – one juror has a vacation scheduled due to the unfounded assurance of the judge.

The judge mab be dumber than the What’s a Senator? juror.

Rick Ballard (a99308) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:18 pm

More than the star trek wearing juror on the Stevens jury:
https://mobile.twitter.com/WardDPatrick/status/928714571002580993/video/1

narciso (d1f714) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:23 pm

If one of the criminal justice systems of the United States is a joke and a laughingstock, it is the federal one. Most of the States respect the Bill of Rights in their constitutions and statutes more than the federal system, on whom it was originally intended to be binding, does.

nk (dbc370) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:24 pm

The first manned Apollo mission was Apollo 7. I was never really all that clear what happened to the Apollos 1 through 6 and felt that they shouldn’t have used the same designation for something that never took any astronauts off he ground.

Was Apollo 1 where they had the fatal fire? I think I read that maybe.

Yes, and Apollo 1 (not 7) was the first manned Apollo mission. It was numbered Apollo 1 “posthumously” to honor the astronauts. The original designation of the mission was AS-204.

There were no missions numbered Apollo 2 or Apollo 3. Apollo 4, 5 and 6 flew, but were unmanned.

There is a whole Wikipedia article on the subject…

Dave (445e97) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:29 pm

William Conrad is alive, he used to do the intro for the buck rogers show back 40 years ago.

narciso (d1f714) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:31 pm

William Conrad is alive,

William Conrad died in 1994.

He also the the narration for “The Bullwinkle Show”

Chuck Bartowski (211c17) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:34 pm

The fellow in the diner, looks like him:

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2017/11/the-blabbermouth-angle-2.php

narciso (d1f714) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:37 pm

Saw on twitter yesterday:

“So that’s why Obama was excused from jury duty right? He also had no idea what a US Senator did.“

harkin (b4548f) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:40 pm

Denial, intransigence and hubris..

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/09/trump-voters-polling-election-244644

Ben burn (05fad7) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:50 pm

Dundee: What tribe are you, Gus?

Gus: Tribe? Man, I ain’t from no tribe.

Dundee: You’re a black fellow, aren’t you?

Gus: Last time I looked.

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:51 pm

William Conrad died in 1994.

He also the the narration for “The Bullwinkle Show”
Chuck Bartowski (211c17) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:34 pm

Robert Conrad? Of Battle of the Network Stars Fame?

Speaking of Grizzly Adams lol

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:59 pm

No his was jake and the fat man.

narciso (d1f714) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:01 pm

You could remove my splinter or you could extract your log, pin. You have permission.
[Black Knight] (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:32 am

T’is but a scratch. You know I do still have 20/15 in my left eye. That’s good, right?

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:10 pm

@42 Dave

Mr. Rat, I have a writ here that says you are to stop eating Chen Lee’s cornmeal forthwith. Now, It’s a rat writ, writ for a rat, and this is lawful service of same! [to Mattie] See? He doesn’t pay any attention to me. [shoots the rat] You can’t serve papers on a rat, baby sister. You either kill him or let him be.

True Grit

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:14 pm

111.

IIRC he was a Harlem Warlord.

harkin (33654e) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:15 pm

63:
Do tell what was the “argument between neighbors” about that left one with 6 broken ribs? This being the argument between one who is a democrat and socialist (or so I heard), and the one who is a libertarian and got the 6 broken ribs?

And if this was an “argument,” what do you call an assault?

Harcourt Fenton Mudd (5e0a82) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:19 pm

“And no one in Trump’s orbit have the sophistication to understand if they’re being snookered by the Saudis and Israelis.”

In contrast to Obama’s genius-level response to Romney’s dead-on assessment of Russia in 2012, O’s “red line” announcement, his Solyndra “investment,” his near TR response to Russian hacking “cut it out”), and the bang up job he did for Chicago as an organizer.

Harcourt Fenton Mudd (5e0a82) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:24 pm

Six broken ribs from a tackle? Osteoporosis…

Obstreperous Ben burn piling on. (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:36 am

Maybe he was a little senator, again like True Grit

Mattie Ross: Are you some kind of law?
[LeBoeuf draws back his coat to display a star]
LeBoeuf: That’s right. I am a Texas Ranger.
Mattie Ross: That may make you a big noise in that state; in Arkansas you should mind that your Texas trappings and title do not make you an object of fun. Why have you been ineffectually pursuing Chaney?
LeBoeuf: He shot and killed a state senator named Bibbs in Waco, Texas. Bibbs family put out a reward.
Mattie Ross: Well, how came Chaney to shoot a state senator?
LeBoeuf: My understanding is there was an argument about a dog.

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:33 pm

Was Frozen Mammoth or Giant Ground Sloth Served for Dinner at The Explorers Club?

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:43 pm

What about recklessly, or hurting someone intentionally without knowing their status?
DRJ (15874d) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:12 am

Mr nk can probably cite pages of off duty or plainclothes cops who charge people with resisting arrest or assaulting an officer.

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:50 pm

Wanna bet someone in Moore’s defense doesn’t say ” if there’s grass on the field…”?
urbanleftbehind (4c830b) — 11/9/2017 @ 11:27 am

He likes his ladies like he likes his Scotch.

But not on Sundays.

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:54 pm

Just pass a law requiring less than unanimous verdicts, if that’s what you want.
nk (dbc370) — 11/9/2017 @ 12:04 pm

Or give every juror a +1.

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:57 pm

nk @C

Archaeologists believe 2,000-year-old “clock” was donated by a victorious politician to his small Roman town.

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 2:06 pm

No his was jake and the fat man.
narciso (d1f714) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:01 pm

I meant, Robert Conrad is still alive, was that the confusion? He’s a radio host now. 79 years old.

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 2:14 pm

I hop Trump comes home with some wall building techniques.

mg (60b0f7) — 11/9/2017 @ 2:18 pm

hope

mg (60b0f7) — 11/9/2017 @ 2:18 pm

When a person assists a criminal in breaking the law before a crime, we call him an accomplice. When a person assists a criminal in breaking the law after a crime, we call him a defence lawyer.

mg (60b0f7) — 11/9/2017 @ 2:25 pm

http://www.liveonthebigisland.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/beach.jpg
Why not…

mg (60b0f7) — 11/9/2017 @ 3:39 pm

narciso

I get the William Conrad thing now. It was visual.

Pinandpuller (943acd) — 11/9/2017 @ 4:04 pm

117. Harcourt Fenton Mudd (5e0a82) — 11/9/2017 @ 1:19 pm

Do tell what was the “argument between neighbors” about that left one with 6 broken ribs?

They didn’t say what it exactly was about, except there’s been a dispute running for years. But actually theer was no argument. Rand Paul was blindsided, and there are witnesses.

The attacking doctor is charged with a misdeame nor.

This being the argument between one who is a democrat and socialist (or so I heard), and the one who is a libertarian and got the 6 broken ribs?

No argument, although the attacking doctor, aneighbor for 17 years, hasn’t talked to Rand Paul in years.

And if this was an “argument,” what do you call an assault?

I thought there was an argument that led to an assault.

The CBS Evening News says nobody believes this was about landscaping.

Sammy Finkelman (69aa73) — 11/9/2017 @ 4:10 pm

And the Truth shall set you free

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/09/putin-niece-olga-vinogradova-george-papadopoulos-russia-probe-244758

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/9/2017 @ 4:12 pm

Trump is about to arrive in Vietnam, 50 years late.

Will he regale his hosts with stories of how he heroically spent the war getting laid with his dad’s money and bravely avoiding STDs after dodging the draft?

Will he host a golden shower party in John McCain’s cell at the Hanoi Hilton for old times’ sake?

Dave (445e97) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:38 pm

Last entry 4:12 PM…

Hey Mr nk, could someone’s real name be Abraxas?

I don’t mean Carlos Santana.

Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 11/9/2017 @ 9:59 pm

Let me Google that for you, Pindandpuller. (Considering the subject, Whackoffpedia is as good a source as any.)

nk (dbc370) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:04 pm

@133. 58,000 dead later, Trump makes it to Da Nang and my socks are made in Vietnam.

DCSCA (797bc0) — 11/9/2017 @ 10:34 pm

Ok thanks Mr nk but here was my thought process

Somebody disappears in the West at close to sunset

It’s just as likely to be a horse’s a$$

Abraxas was his mane-oh

Don’t mess with Abraxas

You stay up late for a guy with a real job

Pinandpuller (2df87f) — 11/10/2017 @ 12:09 am

Call the Legends of Tomorrow

Bill Clinton is Dick van Dyke

This Tai Cheng is making me thirsty

Pinandpuller (2df87f) — 11/10/2017 @ 12:12 am

Will Trump visit one of Ivanka’s sweatshops during his stop in Vietnam?

Dave (445e97) — 11/10/2017 @ 12:19 am

Smallville actor Allison Mack is ‘recruiting slaves for cult’

Pinandpuller (2df87f) — 11/10/2017 @ 12:34 am

HBO Removes Louis C.K. Concerts, Says He Won’t Appear on Show

Pinandpuller (2df87f) — 11/10/2017 @ 1:16 am

You stay up late for a guy with a real job

I was watching “John Wick”. You’re right, I should have gone to sleep instead. That is one dumb movie. Cliched, formulaic, and just plain dumb with a capital Silly.

nk (dbc370) — 11/10/2017 @ 8:23 am

Will Trump step down? Will Ivanka give up Mateus Rose..?

Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 11/10/2017 @ 8:30 am

@141. Louis J.O. has issued a long, contrite and windy statement– which is his trademark- saying it is ‘all true’– as if by agreeing to it all, everyone will kiss and make-up. Now that’s funny– because the corporate media universe won’t.

DCSCA (797bc0) — 11/10/2017 @ 10:41 am

More smoking-gun proof of collusion:

Trump, Putin shake hands, chat multiple times at Asia-Pacific summit

What are the odds they’d just happen to wear exactly identical shirts?

Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Dave (445e97) — 11/11/2017 @ 12:12 am

nk

If you have a puppy you have an obligation to keep all your guns upstairs above the concrete.

I had Killing Season on in the background tonight. I came to the conclusion that either army vets or screenwriters are extremely stupid.

Pinandpuller (8b3796) — 11/11/2017 @ 2:25 am

Trump: I believe Putin’s word over America’s military and intelligence professionals.

Trump is very concerned that Putin feels insulted by the allegations.

The Russians deny that the subject came up.

Dave (445e97) — 11/11/2017 @ 9:54 am

the American military is pretty corrupt and sleazy anymore Mr. Dave (joke military)

and the sleazy failmerican “intelligence professionals” have their own agenda what to say the least does not look favorably on democracy and freedom in this country

obama done it that way on purpose and the Republicans seem to like the new regime just fine so far

happyfeet (28a91b) — 11/11/2017 @ 10:05 am

If the Senate bill passes the way it is, it would make sense for a large profitable business to make a capital investment, or incur a regular business expense, next year that actually loses a little money.

Example: Mail catalogs in late 2018 at a cost of $10,000. After taxes, net cost is $6,500, Don’t bill till after January 1, 2019. If profit from the mailing is $9,000 the business makes money because the new tax rate is 20%, so the money remaining in the corporation’s bank accounts is $7,200, for a net gain of $720, even though the business lost $1,000.

The same thing works, albeit ore slowly, for capital expenses that are not reduced, and to a lesser degree, for pass through corporations, which I think have arate reduction of 17% between 2018 and 2019.

This doesn’t need to be stopped. This could be a fantastic economic stimulus. encouraging risk taking.

Sammy Finkelman (8e756e) — 11/14/2017 @ 10:14 am

The New York Daily News mentioned in its editorial yesterday that under the tax bill, corporations would (still – they didn’t say still) be allowed to deduct state and local taxes against income.

Sammy Finkelman (8e756e) — 11/14/2017 @ 11:10 am

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/425452/straw-purchasing-america-needs-to-prosecute-it
That’s probably not teh way togo.

But making it more difficult to do astraw urchase, as would be having numeroius people involved in in approving each purchaser,and penalizing them by making them pay money (insurance) if the gun was ever used in a crime,an accident or stolen,wuld do something.

The real loophole is the straw buyer loophole

Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 11/17/2017 @ 10:14 am

11/9/2017

Open Thread

151 Responses to “Open Thread”

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