Mhan7 Wrote:It was decided long ago, that as a collective, we believe that government has a responsibility to protect and care for its citizens. We all love to spout off about our rights - but very few of us are as adamant about our responsibilities. Those responsibilities aren't just to Jesus and the NRA. You want something better for your country? Educate yourself. Make sure that others get the same chance. Because if you don't, your political opponents will.

It's pretty much the same line of thinking as being a parent. Any man with even 2 brain cells, knows that if he doesn't pay attention to his daughter, some other guy will. It's literally exactly the same thing. For freedom and culture, and community to thrive, one must invest themselves in it. Otherwise, as per usual, welcome to the shit show.

LucasJ Wrote:We can thank trump for killing 265,000 Americans with the trump virus. Is it still a hoax? trump has spent 4 years lying and dreaming up conspiracy theories. How anyone can accept his behavior or think he has done any good for our country is beyond my comprehension.

Quote:September 1, 2020 -- About 94% of people who have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. also had other contributing conditions listed on their death certificates, according to new data released by the CDC.

LucasJ Wrote:We can thank trump for killing 265,000 Americans with the trump virus. Is it still a hoax? trump has spent 4 years lying and dreaming up conspiracy theories. How anyone can accept his behavior or think he has done any good for our country is beyond my comprehension.

41bear Wrote:You don't know me and I don't know you but when anyone says/writes that they "Hate" anything and then spouts off about personal responsibility including treatment of their fellow man I then have to question that person's investment in such things. As for seeing the world, and paying for it on your own dime, my dime was in the 5+ years served though I did miss India, Russia and China. Thus my dime was my responsibility to this great country I was born in and clearly way more valuable to me, and the country, than any monetary output by a non military citizen on a pleasure trip.

LucasJ Wrote:We can thank trump for killing 265,000 Americans with the trump virus. Is it still a hoax? trump has spent 4 years lying and dreaming up conspiracy theories. How anyone can accept his behavior or think he has done any good for our country is beyond my comprehension.

LucasJ Wrote:We can thank trump for killing 265,000 Americans with the trump virus. Is it still a hoax? trump has spent 4 years lying and dreaming up conspiracy theories. How anyone can accept his behavior or think he has done any good for our country is beyond my comprehension.

TomSawyerNW Wrote: I love these statements, co-manufactured by the DNC and bigtime propaganda media such as CNN and CBS, and played hourly for months like it was the new #1 on the top 40 chart.

Mhan7 Wrote:Trump was a dunce, whose defiance, undoubtedly enabled a lot of morons. However... Let's get real, son. The power to deal with the response was ALWAYS with the states. Why do we constantly scream to the federal government, to handle a thing that is immediately within our own power?

The truth is, the US isn't even in the top ten for COVID related deaths, per capita. NOT EVEN IN THE TOP TEN. Or at least, so says John Hopkins, who arguably have some of the best stats on record.

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

Was "The Donald's" behavior and public conduct reprehensible? Sure. But let's not confuse the issues.

Covid is not, was not, a hoax. However, since it was so highly politicized, and came to us first through the mouths of politicians, not doctors - we have to live with the fallout. Is there proof that it wouldn't have claimed the same numbers? Nope. Even in the most leftist states, where adherence to recommendations are as fanatical as the defiance in the more right leaning areas, there is not clear advantage in case count. I had residences in both Washington State and Florida. Washington - fanatical. Florida - defiant. Numbers advantage - Florida. That's a huge WTF for me.

The idea of just having a conversation to bash Trump is ludicrous to me. We all know that the vast majority of America votes on party line, and they'll craft whatever narrative they have to, to justify their personal investment. We all know that it gets even worse, when we isolate demographics. So what's the point? No minds are changed. We all know what the issues with The Donald are/were. You're just being obtuse, at this point.

LRRPF52 Wrote:I agree with your overall message that differing opinions, when discussed politely, lead to a better society. The most uplifting political conversations I’ve had have been with people I disagree with. I’ve not found echo chambers to be very uplifting when discussing politics.

I disagree with the common statement that Trump is a dunce though, and challenge anyone who believes it to print the statement out with a picture of Trump and his custom 757, Trump Towers, and even a modest assessment of all the people he has employed and given opportunities to that didn’t exist prior, then print your own accomplishments out and place them side-by-side on your bathroom mirror.

LRRPF52 Wrote:I disagree with the common statement that Trump is a dunce though, and challenge anyone who believes it to print the statement out with a picture of Trump and his custom 757, Trump Towers, and even a modest assessment of all the people he has employed and given opportunities to that didn’t exist prior, then print your own accomplishments out and place them side-by-side on your bathroom mirror.

Mhan7 Wrote:Just out of curiosity... If these are your criteria... How do you feel about, say... Jeff Bezos? (who, correct me if I'm wrong - has never filed for bankruptcy)

I really shouldn't go there, but my curiosity is killing me.

LRRPF52 Wrote:I’m not a big fan of monopolists who throw their power around because they can, killing competition for sport.

It’s very rare to find people in the billionaire club who haven’t managed profit-losing ventures with strategic bankruptcy for that entity. Most people seem to be unaware of this, since people know basically nothing about money other than what they’re told to do (be a debt slave), so it isn’t surprising.

But anyone who has been in business for over a decade and studies the markets knows this. The A players don’t really “own" much. They control financial and business entities that they lease or rent from. You’ll find most billionaires lease or rent their properties and vehicles from legal entities that they control, because of the convoluted tax laws in the US and most nations. A lot of the foreign businessmen place their assets in overseas holdings due to the confiscatory tax laws in most places.

But Bezos is someone I’m still studying. I really dislike Amazon’s destructive trends in competing against their merchant partners, who they then buy-out after running them into the ground with price-cutting and slave labor manufacturing.

Bezos’ vision for the future is very dystopian and ominous. He sees people as serfs that need to be managed by people like himself, with grandiose ideas of space colonization as a result of the global environmentalist messaging (which is profoundly unscientific). Jeff Bezos Elysium vision of humanity

Relevant to the right to keep and bear arms and even free speech, Jeff Bezos is quite an enemy to both of these basic human rights, and very much in-alignment with global agendas of a prison-like world where people are managed like slaves of elites like him.

LRRPF52 Wrote:I’m not a big fan of monopolists who throw their power around because they can, killing competition for sport.

It’s very rare to find people in the billionaire club who haven’t managed profit-losing ventures with strategic bankruptcy for that entity. Most people seem to be unaware of this, since people know basically nothing about money other than what they’re told to do (be a debt slave), so it isn’t surprising.

Mhan7 Wrote:So how can you be entirely sure that he isn't just a narcissist, that reads well between the lines? There have been despots that have risen to power, with nothing more than a legion of people - like yourself - who were willing to defend their character, from any who would impugn, in the slightest.

Mind you, I'm ASKING. Since you have become a de facto spokesperson for the Trump brand, this should be well within your wheelhouse.

Also... I'm curious to know how you, as a moderator, would feel if somebody brought their alpha "shark-ism" into the forum. By your logic, you'd necessarily be obligated to tolerate them - even if it brought your entire platform into discord. I strive for logical continuity, so I have to understand why some ideas are tolerated at a high level, but not at a low level.

Also... How do we feel about Jeff Bezos? Jeff wants to go to Mars. His company touts social justice, has raised wages, seeks to hire the most talented technical people, and pays really well. He's as polarizing as Donald Trump. Now, from a non-ideological perspective, how do you feel about that? I mean... He's filthy rich, so he must be on par with Donald Trump.

Mhan7 Wrote:That's the direction of American economics. Even the family farm is being absorbed by corporate farmers. Your urban problems are just going to be compounded over the next decade. There are some of us who refuse to believe or accept that Modern Capitalism has a dark underbelly. Do so at your own peril. For my part, I refuse to have a love affair with the likes of either Donald Trump or Jeff Bezos. We need investment and infrastructure. But we are also balls deep in globalization, and both of these men swim in the pool. (or Shark Tank, if you like)

I understand the strategy. But what it ignores, is the fact that somebody DOES have to pay for it, and as there is no such thing as a "good" bankruptcy. The bigger the "entrepreneur", the bigger the string of bankruptcies tends to be. Is that OK? There are substantial costs to the nation. There are litigation costs, personal costs, and tangential costs. The only people that ever win, are the "entrepreneur" and the bankruptcy attorneys. Is it reality? Yes. Is it acceptable, or something to be nonchalant about? Hell no.

I've got a family business that's been continuously in operation since the 1860's. Never once filed bankruptcy. We don't own much, don't take much for salary. Most goes straight back into the business. There's nothing wrong with that model, so long as one doesn't use their personal life to embezzle from their livelihood, or push through the already gaping tax loopholes. (I mean, you use what's available to you legally)

LRRPF52 Wrote:Most leaders that actually accomplish something tend to have a streak of narcissism.

LRRPF52 Wrote:I think Trump harnesses what a lot of people think and believe, but have been conditioned to not say because....reasons. He has a peculiar insight into that from decades of interacting with wide samples of people, as he prefers mingling with laborers, managers, and the people that do the nuts and bolts of a project. Combined with his access to actual ratings on largely-viewed networks over many years, he knows the electorate better than any previous Presidential candidate.

LRRPF52 Wrote:There was a senior Secret Service agent assigned to candidate and former Governor Ronald Reagan in 1980 who asked him one day, “Do you really think you can pull this off?” Reagan looked at him with an overly-confident grin and immediately spit back, “Of course. I’m the only candidate that knows what he looks like from the all the camera angles.” This was of course a reference to his over 100 films and TV shows he had acted in.

LRRPF52 Wrote:Trump takes that do a different level because not only does he know what his appearance looks like to others, he knows from massive amounts of entertainment and financial industry data covering decades how people respond to his brand, message, and product.

LRRPF52 Wrote:This forum isn’t about politics as a focus. It’s about helping people with questions about the 6.5 Grendel cartridge. It’s always been about a friendly environment where people can share their experiences and not be subjected to the typical personal attacks and juvenile behavior found on most other forums, which is what attracted me to it. I logged in one day and saw a new title under my name, which I didn’t ask for nor turn down. It isn’t my forum, but I’m happy to continue the good treatment and respect that I was shown when I first came here in 2009.

LRRPF52 Wrote:I know you’re capable of this on your own because you already pointed out very astutely and without bias the death rate per capita statistics that don’t support the narrative that Trump is responsible for COVID-19 deaths in the US. You were able to employ accuracy, relevance, clarity, and logic while also using brevity-something everyone can see that I struggle with.