Trump Thread

[rory_20_uk]

I don't really think he is flip-flopping, he just has different standards for poor people and for the children of rich people.
When rich people talk about how to increase social mobility, most of them are simply lying. I doubt they actually want to become poor and/or see others become as rich as they are.

He is constant on self-enrichment for him and himself and "winning" things.

But look at Stormy Daniels saga - the story repeatedly changed. He was for and against the Iraq war. Mexico was going to pay for the wall and then he said he never said that; he's great at technology and also said he doesn't do the email thing; the President is responsible for government shutdowns under Obama, took responsibility for it at the start then now it is everyone but his.

Whenever I've heard people talk about social mobility and redistribution of wealth I've yet to hear any of them express the view that they'd loose something by this: those poorer in the UK think they should get more from the richer, not that everyone in the UK should be giving to the truly poor abroad; of course the UK housing should be sorted out... but I've yet to hear home owners advocating schemes that would impact on them.

[Husar]

He is constant on self-enrichment for him and himself and "winning" things.

But look at Stormy Daniels saga - the story repeatedly changed. He was for and against the Iraq war. Mexico was going to pay for the wall and then he said he never said that; he's great at technology and also said he doesn't do the email thing; the President is responsible for government shutdowns under Obama, took responsibility for it at the start then now it is everyone but his.

Whenever I've heard people talk about social mobility and redistribution of wealth I've yet to hear any of them express the view that they'd loose something by this: those poorer in the UK think they should get more from the richer, not that everyone in the UK should be giving to the truly poor abroad; of course the UK housing should be sorted out... but I've yet to hear home owners advocating schemes that would impact on them.

Absolutely, I just don't think his flip-flopping is necessarily responsible in this case, because it's the same with many people who hold these "positive thinking" speeches in front of students. To some extent it even seems as though the students at elite universities get to hear different things than other students.

And yes, obviously people who complain about factory relocations to China don't give a damn about unemployed Chinese people. That's one reason I don't like these "national socialists" like Corbyn a whole lot either. They'll throw people in other countries under the bus to help "their own" either because they're stuck in tribal thinking or because it would be too complicated to think of solutions for everyone.

[Montmorency]

Whenever I've heard people talk about social mobility and redistribution of wealth I've yet to hear any of them express the view that they'd loose something by this: those poorer in the UK think they should get more from the richer, not that everyone in the UK should be giving to the truly poor abroad; of course the UK housing should be sorted out... but I've yet to hear home owners advocating schemes that would impact on them.

One obvious and immediate obstacle is that countries have no jurisdiction over one another. And services need local delivery for sanity and humanity. It's unavoidable that a true transnational framework is necessary to distribute resources between world regions, like... a commonwealth, yeah. I can't think of a way to bootstrap an incipient commonwealth except top-town by revisionist left-wing parties in power.

Globalism remains unfinished in the mirror of Wilsonian ideals. The fact is, in the short-term there are few laterally-cooperative ways for countries to harmonize interests that don't already exist. I do agree that all reformist political organizations should at least be hinting at the need for it, even if few can articulate much on the spot.

Social mobility hot take: no one deserves to be rich.

Social housing: The majority of Viennese live in housing built, owned, or maintained by the government. In the 1960s Sweden expanded its housing stock by 1/4 (net 1/5) as it embarked on the Million Home Program to construct 1 million units all around the country in 10 years (the US equivalent would be 50-million+ units in a decade). To this day there is a housing surplus in much of Sweden. Social housing must be for all citizens, not a dumping ground of the bottom income decile.

By the way, India is having another hundred-million-man strike. We need a billion striking worldwide somehow. While there are a billion to strike.

[Montmorency]

I linked this song in one of the year's first posts here.

Today I heard the song playing in the supermarket.

I feel vindicated.

Social housing: The majority of Viennese live in housing built, owned, or maintained by the government. In the 1960s Sweden expanded its housing stock by 1/4 (net 1/5) as it embarked on the Million Home Program to construct 1 million units all around the country in 10 years (the US equivalent would be 50-million+ units in a decade). To this day there is a housing surplus in much of Sweden. Social housing must be for all citizens, not a dumping ground of the bottom income decile.

A correction here. I underestimated the Swedish population in the 1960s, which was up to 8 million. With a contemporary US population of ~330 million, the equivalent today would be 40+ million units. Or, if comparing 1968 Sweden to 1968 USA (200 mil ppl), 25 million units.

EDIT: And for further context, the US housing stock today is ~140 million units according to the Fed. Proportionally, 1/4 of 140 million would be 35 million - compared to 40. The point is to emphasize the monumental nature of the Swedish program, and how replicating it in the US from Fairbanks, Alaska to Miami, Florida might as well count as a Wonder of the World, a boom of Chinese proportions. TBH we don't need to go that far with rampant construction, which of course is notorious for ecological and social externalities.

I'm tired of local newspapers being filled every week with right wing letters to the editor. Should I improve my writing skills by sending in my own letters and make the medium more competitive?

What if we all - chipped in? Collaborative letters are probably a real thing.

[Montmorency]

A correction here. I underestimated the Swedish population in the 1960s, which was up to 8 million. With a contemporary US population of ~330 million, the equivalent today would be 40+ million units. Or, if comparing 1968 Sweden to 1968 USA (200 mil ppl), 25 million units.

EDIT: And for further context, the US housing stock today is ~140 million units according to the Fed. Proportionally, 1/4 of 140 million would be 35 million - compared to 40. The point is to emphasize the monumental nature of the Swedish program, and how replicating it in the US from Fairbanks, Alaska to Miami, Florida might as well count as a Wonder of the World, a boom of Chinese proportions. TBH we don't need to go that far with rampant construction, which of course is notorious for ecological and social externalities.

Jesus, with that sweeping analogy including Miami, Florida - did I somehow forget Puerto Rico existed? Where does a state program of social housing have more relevance in the Union? The bias is real.

And just for even more context on what a build of 40 million units would mean - China's housing stock is currently 'only' (not more than) 250 million units - against US 140 million. And think of how much Chinese stock is outright geographically mal-apportioned from the outset.

5-10 million would be an appropriate level over 10 years for actual policy IMO. Local implementation with federal funding and vigilant oversight. Hopefully also drives down market incentives to disproportionately invest in luxury/high-end development.

40 million. That's Вставай страна огромная-tier. If Sweden can into houses, don't let no mutha tell you America can't.

What if we all - chipped in? Collaborative letters are probably a real thing.

I'm serious, btw.

[Shaka_Khan]

https://www.asbestos.com/news/2018/0...r-deaths-rise/
https://www.asbestos.com/news/2018/1...imports-surge/

[Montmorency]

LaGuardia Airport in New York stops flights (i.e. shuts down) for a short period, and Trump immediately caves and agrees to end the shutdown, which has lasted more than a month, brought economic deprivation to several millions, and could have sent our GDP growth negative had it continued to the end of winter (so what is that - maybe 0.5% shaved off the baseline already?). Trump still threatens to use emergency powers tho.

Also, a lot of other shit has been going on, but while we're on the topic of the shutdown - on why the shutdown would never hurt Trump's core support no matter what:

Ineffective government also played to long-held biases and anxieties about race. One white Kansas parent who identified as a GOP supporter insisted that school budget cuts were justified because “blacks just use school funds to rent party buses.” More frequent were vague concerns about ways that minorities or immigrants usurped undeserved resources, such as when one respondent claimed that, “the Mexicans, their food stamps, everything they want, we’re paying for it.”

Such concerns sometimes led to people standing on “principle” even when it harmed them. I’ll never forget how a man pulling an oxygen tank because of severe lung disease told me he would rather die (and soon did die) than receive benefits from the ACA because it used “my tax dollars” on “Mexicans and welfare queens.” Data that my research team amassed showed how these kinds of mortal trade-offs shortened lifespans, and sometimes disproportionately harmed white communities that form the core of GOP support.

This is the essence.

To the last, I grapple with thee; From Hell's heart, I stab at thee; For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee.


Also, in good news for labor militancy, usually-conservative union leadership may be growing more open to fomenting the general strike in hard times. (To be clear, such a strike would be nominally illegal for federal and many state employees.)

President of Flight Attendants Union Suggests General Strike to End Government Shutdown

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Federal workers here tonight - Stand Up.

Flight Attendants and aviation workers - Stand Up.

Nurses who count on the medicine we deliver on our planes - Stand Up.

Everyone who flew to this conference - Stand Up.

Anyone who believes it is a crime to make people work without pay - Stand Up.

Federal workers, We’ve got your back!

The country sees no solution in sight, but Labor can lead the way. Dr. King rallied us by reaching for the mountain top. He didn’t seek integration of just ONE school, he sought freedom in our schools for ALL children. He didn’t seek integration of just ONE lunch counter, he aspired to have us ALL “sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” And sisterhood, Dr. King!

Today, people are starving for this kind of leadership. They are hungry for answers where some would say there are none. Through our Labor Movement, we have the answers for them and together we can lead the way.

We need to follow Dr. King’s lead and think big. Think big like the hotel workers who took on the largest hotel chain the world and won. Think BIG, like the teachers in Los Angeles who this very minute are taking on powerful hedge funds to save public education for our children.

Dr. King said that “With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together.”

Now listen to me… We can end this Shutdown together.

Federal sector unions have their hands full caring for the 800,000 federal workers who are at the tip of the spear. Some would say the answer is for them to walk off the job. I say, “what are you willing to do? Their destiny IS tied up with our destiny – and they don’t even have time to ask us for help. Don’t wait for an invitation. Get engaged, join or plan a rally, get on a picket line, organize sit-ins at lawmakers’ offices.

Almost a million workers are locked out or being forced to work without pay. Others are going to work when our workspace is increasingly unsafe. What is the Labor Movement waiting for?

Go back with the Fierce Urgency of NOW to talk with your Locals and International unions about all workers joining together - To End this Shutdown with a General Strike.

We can do this. Together. Si se puede. Every gender, race, culture, and creed. The American Labor Movement. We have the power.

And to all Americans – We’ve Got Your Back!

[Strike For The South]

The essence is racism which is cozily cloaked in a "personal freedoms" mantra.

It's one of the reasons I refuse to call the white supremacists who make up the backbone of Trumps coalition Nazis. Calling them Nazis takes the blame off of America. Nazi is something you can use to hand wave America homegrown white supremacy.