What a got damn shitshow. [warning politics]

[PonoBill]

I haven't seen much defense, just irritation at the media coverage for creating a chicken little environment. It has become difficult to separate out the real agenda from the pointless noise. I started off thinking he was a complete dick, and monumentally unsuited to be president.  But it's challenging to see what he's doing with all the screaming.

[lucabrasi]

how does it work? Can congress pass something that says the president can't use twitter? Think that would have any momentum? He sure doesn't seem to be helping himself with it from what I can tell.

[tautologies]

I haven't seen much defense, just irritation at the media coverage for creating a chicken little environment. It has become difficult to separate out the real agenda from the pointless noise. I started off thinking he was a complete dick, and monumentally unsuited to be president.  But it's challenging to see what he's doing with all the screaming.

I think it is hard to see what he is doing because there is no clear ideology, no policy path, no plan and no skill involved. Trump shifts focus and screams at the little things. The problem is of course that people like Bannon knows to take advantage of this. I am willing to bet that if you ask Trump what his executive order is about, he can barely recite the headline.

I am hoping the GOP find its spine. To be honest if they could at the same time ditch the teapartiers and the religiously ultra conservatives that have hijacked the party and at the same time find their conservative ideological roots I think this country would have an opportunity to continue its leadership in the world. Unfortunately, this is not the current path.

[stoneaxe]

I am hoping the GOP find its spine. To be honest if they could at the same time ditch the teapartiers and the religiously ultra conservatives that have hijacked the party and at the same time find their conservative ideological roots I think this country would have an opportunity to continue its leadership in the world. Unfortunately, this is not the current path.

It goes both ways taut...no deflection....you're right. But if the dems at the same time would stop progressing further left we could all stop arguing about this shit and find some compromise in the middle....go surf and have a beer.

[tautologies]

It goes both ways taut...no deflection....you're right. But if the dems at the same time would stop progressing further left we could all stop arguing about this shit and find some compromise in the middle....go surf and have a beer.

haha sure. My foot is still not surfable so I am stuck on a bike.
Do you really think Obama was a very leftist president? To me one of the things I liked about him was his pragmatism of trying to get shit done. His willingness to move across the aisle was ultimately on of Clintons undoing since Comey was a leftover from Bush and conservative.
I agree the if Sanders had gotten the election he would have tried to move the party left, but I doubt Clinton would have moved the bar much left at all. That might just have been her undoing...you now in addition to not doing a good campaign.

I think one of the strengths of the US is its 8 year switch between the two parties...old GOP would push to get a steeper growth curve and the DEMS would temper the curvature. This tends to avoid the huge blowouts like we saw in 2008, yet get a good overall growth.

This is lost on the new GOP because their priorities now aren't economic growth for society, but personal gain and religious indoctrination.

[tautologies]

Looks like these assholes are trying their hardest to fuck up the planet:
                           
H.R.861 - To terminate the Environmental Protection Agency.                             
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/861

Everything is up for grabs. Keep on defending this bullshit. See where it gets us.

[PonoBill]

Damn, that link set me to reading the congressional record "week in review".  It's as bad as reading YouTube comments.

I'd love to see the EPA become less of a governmental agency and more a source of actionable, significant, effective policy. As it is now, it's mostly a burden. Some great work being done in the trenches, but the usual government crapola at the middle to top. But eliminate it? Insane.

I looked at the bills introduced by Gaetz. He seems like a nutball freshman who introduces dipshit bills to get attention.  A few have passed the house, nothing has gone further.  There's no text available yet to see what the bill is about.

[tautologies]

Damn, that link set me to reading the congressional record "week in review".  It's as bad as reading YouTube comments.

Yeah congress is and has been a horrorshow for a while.

I'd love to see the EPA become less of a governmental agency and more a source of actionable, significant, effective policy. As it is now, it's mostly a burden. Some great work being done in the trenches, but the usual government crapola at the middle to top. But eliminate it? Insane.

Yeah like any other agency: give them teeth and independence. Same thing goes for FCC. Their mandate should be directed by policy and not by hires.

I looked at the bills introduced by Gaetz. He seems like a nutball freshman who introduces dipshit bills to get attention.  A few have passed the house, nothing has gone further.  There's no text available yet to see what the bill is about.

Yeah sure, but you can argue that this comes from Trump (or at least is sanctioned by Trump) when he in an interview before the election claimed that he would abolish the"department of the environmental"...in which I assume he meant EPA(?).
 

[tautologies]

So what do you guys think about repeal of the Johnson act? I think they should make every religious organization taxable anyway. If they want to simplify law..just take out the Johnson act and take out the taxable exemption. Religion is a trillion dollar industry and the US needs to increase its tax income. It should be an easy calculation.

Also it annoys me that journalists are not pressing for answers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMEI9NpAQM8

[connector14]

I'd be all for that.  I never have understood why religious organizations get out of taxation on their properties.
Can we individuals all become "ministers" and call our homes religious property? (I worship the "paddle"...and my home is where I store my godly goods....and I invite others here to come visit and "share the stoke" ....so therefore I should not be taxed....by the way,  I am going to retire and I will soon be entirely a "NON-PROFIT"...just like I was mostly the last couple of years

[stoneaxe]

I'd be all for that too.

[stoneaxe]

Tom Brady for President! Bill Belichick for Secretary of State.....

[tautologies]

I'd be all for that too.

HEEEY WE AGREEE! Makes me all warm and fuzzy ;-)

So then this guy comes along: http://billmoyers.com/story/an-epa-nominee-drafted-by-business-interests/

[tautologies]

Yeah Trump is going to be great for industries:

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/business/amicus-brief-by-tech-companies/2322/

[yugi]

^ what's this high tech stuff? Pffffftt. Is it worth anything?

I thought America was a coal based economy.