[Stormsmith]

The idea that the tax cuts were going to line workers’ pockets was always a mirage. Most people will enjoy only a modest and temporary tax cut — families earning $25,00 or less will save on average just $60 on their federal tax this year, and those making between $48,600 and $86,100 will save $930, according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Families in the top 1 percent, on the other hand, will save an average of $51,140.

I read a blurb on this yesterday:

The average CEO of the largest 350 companies in the U.S. received $18.9 million in compensation last year, up from $16 million in 2016. The main difference in pay came from stock awards and cashed-in stock options, not salary growth, the analysis found.

Under the Republicans’ tax plan, passed in 2017, companies spent 37 times more on stock buybacks than on bonuses or increased wages for workers. These buybacks bolstered share price and benefited top executives, who tend to receive stock as part of their compensation package.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-ceo-pay-wages-tax-cuts-1076795?amp=1

Anyone who was 21 when Bush jr was initially elected albeit questionably so, witnessed a devaluation in lifestyles for poor through upper middle class Americans whilst CEOS income were majorly enhanced with a repeat performance of Trickle-downology, yet the core managed to stay all Rah! Rah! until the bitter end when banks were failing and people lost their homes and businesses before they opposed him. Trump Sr, a one termer, who, along with Reagon embraced trickle down economics, didn't fare much better.

Lather, rinse, repeat..

So here you go again, round 3. And yet, some people are still cheering for Trump in spite of losing health care, children being kidnapped, and this fake economy with utterly no mention of raising minimum wage. And now, economists are saying what ever gain people think theyve mae from wage increases will be surprised to learn inflation will put them farther behind. To borrow from Lt Col Ralph Peters, "The people supporting Trump are radicals, these couch-potato anarchists. They’re people that don’t have a program to make America great again. And by the way, America’s great right now. Rather, they’re destructive. They want to tear things down. They want vengeance."

Couch potato anarchists without a plan...

Oh well, more kids, 21 to 35, polled that they would support socialism as the door closed on Bush and Cheney. Maybe this time you'll hire a FTR as president

[jimjam]

President Trump complained to wealthy donors at a fund-raiser in the Hamptons last week that the man he chose as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome H. Powell, has disappointed him by raising interest rates, according to people who attended the event.

“I’m not thrilled with his raising of interest rates, no. I’m not thrilled.” Mr. Trump, in an interview, added “I should be given more help by the Fed”

Here's one of Donald's simple minded tweets:
"....The United States should not be penalized because we are doing so well. Tightening now hurts all that we have done. The U.S. should be allowed to recapture what was lost due to illegal currency manipulation and BAD Trade Deals. Debt coming due & we are raising rates - Really?"

Cash to Donald is like cocaine to an addict. His idea of "economic policy" is to turn the cash spigot wide open and keep it wide open. A short study of history will show that this is a sure path to an economic crash ….. not unlike the crash a drug addict experiences ….. sooner or later. Donald, it seems, cannot sit still long enough to read a page or two let alone a history book. He wants to keep the cash flowing so he can take credit for a pretend economic prosperity …….. future be damned. When the crash comes he can blame it on Hillary's emails. Look at his record ….. spend like a drunken sailor and, after the crash, declare bankruptcy and let the suckers clean up his mess. Really? …… Really!

[Beren]

Donald, it seems, cannot sit still long enough to read a page or two let alone a history book.

Headlines, tweets and Facebook posts may be the only things Trump reads. If he had to read the manual of a rather simple tool or gadget, he'd rather ask someone to do it for him and tell him how the fucking thing works. However, there's no manual to the economy and he just cannot be told in a few minutes how it works.

[annatar1914]

Headlines, tweets and Facebook posts may be the only things Trump reads. If he had to read the manual of a rather simple tool or gadget, he'd rather ask someone to do it for him and tell him how the fucking thing works. However, there's no manual to the economy and he just cannot be told in a few minutes how it works.

Believe me, President Trump prefers that people continue to stupidly think he's stupid, with the attention span of a gnat. The man graduated from the Wharton School of Business and went to Fordham University as well. He may not be the most brilliant among the Elite, but that's almost beside my main point; Trump is a man of action, and will succeed where smarter men do not, because he will do, while they are wasting time weighing all the options, working themselves into indecisive paralysis.

Trump is acting, and his enemies are acting as he wants his image to be. But he is not his image.

[Stormsmith]

I'd like to see interest rates rise

When my grandparents became/were pensoners, interest rates were 6- 8.5%. I don't know if they had stocks, but they had cash in the bank. The interest fleshed out their pension nicely, safely. I was too young to spend my share of the inheritance, so my dad and uncle invested in a private mortgage at 11.5 %. When I bought my 1st home, I had an easy 25 % downpayment.

Now, With interest rates being so low, anyone could borrow money, but poor people who have used credit cards to pay it back, have been charged at 19 to 21 % interest. The Wealthy have benefitted for 20 years. It's time we all made a little moola.

Believe me.....

How often do you pop over for a Coke and chat?

[Beren]

Believe me, President Trump prefers that people continue to stupidly think he's stupid

Whether he's stupid or not, he's intellectually lazy and doesn't read, which is a problem. It's also a problem that Bush I may have been the last Republican president that wasn't like that, and he reigned more than 25 years ago. Both his son and Trump are idiots or suffer from dyslexia perhaps.

[jimjam]

Whether he's stupid or not, he's intellectually lazy and doesn't read, which is a problem. It's also a problem that Bush I may have been the last Republican president that wasn't like that, and he reigned more than 25 years ago. Both his son and Trump are idiots or suffer from dyslexia perhaps.

My unprofessional opinion on TRUMP'S BRAIN is that he is/was quite intelligent. His brain isn't what it used to be however. His age and unhealthy lifestyle are taking a rather obvious toll. The questions are: how fried is his brain and what is the timing of it's downward trajectory?

[Beren]

My unprofessional opinion on TRUMP'S BRAIN is that he is/was quite intelligent. His brain isn't what it used to be however. His age and unhealthy lifestyle are taking a rather obvious toll. The questions are: how fried is his brain and what is the timing of it's downward trajectory?

It depends on whether what intelligence is, even dogs and rats can be intelligent, maybe Trump could tell us a lot about that. I don't think he was ever smart, like Dubya was never smart and his kids are also not smart, they're just establishment. His father, like Dubya's father, may have been smart though, but he didn't care about being smart like his kids don't care about that too. In my opinion his son-in-law is not smart as well.

[annatar1914]

Whether he's stupid or not, he's intellectually lazy and doesn't read, which is a problem. It's also a problem that Bush I may have been the last Republican president that wasn't like that, and he reigned more than 25 years ago. Both his son and Trump are idiots or suffer from dyslexia perhaps.

Most people these days are intellectually lazy and don't read. Trump, not an idiot or dyslexic (funny thing, i'm mildly dyslexic, but very much a Bibliophile, perhaps a reaction because it's harder and I enjoy a challenge) is one of these guys who already knows what he knows, is convinced utterly in his ideological worldview, and looks at everything through that filter.

I recognize that filter not only because I know of the community of business leadership he ran in, but also the master persuader techniques he's picked up, consciously and un-conciously, over the years.

It doesn't matter what you or I think; the guy is out to save the system which made him (and us, to a degree!) from itself, that's what is in his mind.

[Beren]

Most people these days are intellectually lazy and don't read.

And shouldn't be president.

[annatar1914]

And shouldn't be president.

The best of two choices perhaps in a system which preserves the illusion of democracy. Again, I didn't vote for either, as neither represented me.

[Istanbuller]

Trump’s stance on economy is the most dangerous thing he has. He wants to kill free trade to put China in his place. But this is destroying all us emerging economies. You are attacking on allies more.

He doesn’t understand what he is doing with Turkey’s economy. Unstable Turkey economy means more and more migrants flocking to Europe and North America. This also contradicts with his immigration policy.

[Godstud]

Trump demonstrated he knows fuck-all about tariffs. This has been demonstrated time and time again.

Tariffs tax the people, since the cost is transferred to them for imported items. Putting a tariff on steel helps steel workers, but hurts everyone else associated with steel products.

[blackjack21]

Tariffs tax the people, since the cost is transferred to them for imported items. Putting a tariff on steel helps steel workers, but hurts everyone else associated with steel products.

Taxes hurt people? For the last 30 years, tariffs have been the lowest taxes of all. We should cut the income tax, because that has a top rate of 31%. That's very painful. We should definitely cut income taxes. Tariffs aren't too much of a problem.

[Godstud]

Just because you don't see the effect of a tariff on your pay check, in black and white, doesn't mean it doesn't affect you. It affects almost everything you purchase, by making them more expensive.

So what if it's not SEEN as a tax. It's still taking money from your pocket.

This is his tariffs and Dumb Economics at work:
Evidence That New Tariffs, Not Immigrants, Are Costing Jobs

The Trade Partnership analysis concluded:
“The tariffs, quotas and retaliation would increase the annual level of U.S. steel employment and non-ferrous metals (primarily aluminium) employment by 26,280 jobs over the first one-three years, but reduce net employment by 432,747 jobs throughout the rest of the economy, for a total net loss of 400,445 jobs;

“Sixteen jobs would be lost for every steel/aluminium job gained;

“More than two thirds of the lost jobs would affect workers in production and low-skill jobs.

“Every state will experience a net loss of jobs.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartande ... a1bfd7313f

[Rugoz]

He doesn’t understand what he is doing with Turkey’s economy. Unstable Turkey economy means more and more migrants flocking to Europe and North America. This also contradicts with his immigration policy.

Trump is just pouring oil into the fire. Turkey has been running a large current account deficit for ~15 years, a correction is overdue.

[Istanbuller]

Trump is just pouring oil into the fire. Turkey has been running a large current account deficit for ~15 years, a correction is overdue.

Wrong. It is not limited to 15 years. Current account deficit is with us since Turkey passed to open economy in 1980.

Appearently current account deficit is not the reason behind recent turmoil. The West is Erdogan-phobic and this is why you are targeting us economically.

[Nonsense]

This latest TRUMP rant against another nation , is proof positive of the FACT that TRUMP is the DUMBEST IDIOT ON THE PLANET.
The only other question to ask is, "Which is the next country to be the target of this, " Maw, Turkey's got my 'DUMMY', they are going to pay for it" maniacal STUPIDITY.
I tell you this. it will NOT be *Britain, because Theresa MAY is an arse wipe, who will use this country as TRUMPS whipping boy.

NOTE: * I say 'Britain'-NOT, 'Great' Britain(it's NOT), it's not the United' Kingdom (it's NOT) it is 'dis'-united.

The MICROSCOPIC SIZED 'BRAINS' of it's political 'leaders' have prostrated 'BRITAIN' on the altar of the EU by BETRAYING THE 23 JUNE 2016 REFERENDUM RESULT,it's NOT 'England', because it's bloody well full of anyone but the 'English', thanks to none other than the TORY Party & 'New' Labour.

TRUMP is a FAT, INADEQUATE,MORONIC,IGNORANT,ARROGANT, INFANTILE,DELINQUENT, HALF-WIT CLOWN, WITHOUT A SCINTILLA of INTELLIGENCE between his eyes, who SCREAMS LIKE A BABY THAT HAS HAD HIS DUMMY TAKEN FROM HIM & WHEN HE DOESN'T GET HIS OWN WAY, USES TANTRUMS AGAINST ANYTHING\ANYONE(in these cases, Countries)
WHO GETS IN HIS WAY BY NOT GIVING HIM WHAT HE WANTS. "


NOW, just think about for a moment, AMERICA, the country that calls itself, The 'defender' of the 'FREE WORLD'(LMFAO), elects(See above paragraph)as it's 'Leader' just such an individual like TRUMP, to PROJECT THE 'REAL' FACE OF AMERICA TO THE WORLD.

It dawns on one that, those whom we 'think' have the 'nous' to maintain the PEACE & STABILITY necessary for the good of such a nation, whose leaders(in the main)are descended from the 'Old Country', are true to their ancestral genetics in that the manifestation of TRUMP's characteristics are IDENTICAL TO THE BUNCH OF INCOMPETENT,DYSFUNCTIONAL, PYGMY 'Leaders' THAT WE IN 'BRITAIN' ELECT.

Again, America, is a good analogy of TRUMP, because it's characteristics are IDENTICAL to TRUMP's, which leads us to the old adage, that, "A COUNTRY GETS THE 'LEADERS' THAT IT DESERVES'.

AMERICA, 'YOU' ELECTED THAT 'TWAT', YOU PUT UP WITH HIM, BECAUSE, IN THE EYES OF THE WORLD, AMERICA HAS BEEN DEEPLY TARNISHED & ELECTING AN IDIOT WHO WANTS TO SMEAR THE WORLD'S COUNTRIES WITH HIS USED TOILET PAPER, IS THE 'LEADER THAT YOU ELECTED', AH! dear me, "GOD BLESS AMERICA", THERE'S PLENTY MORE WHERE TRUMP CAME FROM.

[Rugoz]

Wrong. It is not limited to 15 years. Current account deficit is with us since Turkey passed to open economy in 1980.

Appearently current account deficit is not the reason behind recent turmoil. The West is Erdogan-phobic and this is why you are targeting us economically.

Well it's not like Turkey didn't have crises before, and the deficit has increased substantially since then.



Please spare us the conspiracy theories peddled by Erdowahn.

[Istanbuller]

Well it's not like Turkey didn't have crises before, and the deficit has increased substantially since then.



Please spare us the conspiracy theories peddled by Erdowahn.

Current account deficit is just a part of Turkey’s economy just like it is part of many other economies.

I don’t remember any economic crisis occured due to trade imbalances.

Last one, i remember, was also political. Currency manipulation is based on political reasons. The West cannot keep Turkey under control with diplomacy and politics. You are trying to currency and stock exchange. No surprise that Russia experiences exactly the same.

In real terms, we have a size of economy which is already larger than Spain’s economy.