The Rose Garden and White House happenings: Listening to voters’ concerns

An infrastructure program will never get done if the R's hold any of the three branches. The R's want to privatize infrastructure and will insist on handing over much of the control of rebuilding to private enterprise. The D' are unlikely to accept, as well they shouldn't.

Also, the R's will never accept the obvious need of increasing taxes to fund the plan.

hope springs eternal

Pessimism lives in some souls

mtierney said:
hope springs eternal
Pessimism lives in some souls

 there's a sucker born every minute 

ml1 said:

mtierney said:
hope springs eternal
Pessimism lives in some souls

 there's a sucker born every minute 

 What comes around goes around.

mtierney said:
hope springs eternal — pessimism promotes defeat

 hope is not a strategy

without hope, there is no strategy possible

mtierney said:
without hope, there is no strategy possible

If I have a good strategy, I don't need to hope.

I'm not sure why you keep trying to convince us that Trump can be trusted to live up to his end of a deal.  Because objective reality tells us repeatedly that he can't.  I certainly hope there's a $2Tn infrastructure deal that comes to pass.  And I certainly hope that there's a Hudson tunnel as part of the deal.  But I know that there's about a 99% chance that Trump will renege on this before the end of this month, if not sooner.

ml1 said:
Trump would be more credible on infrastructure if he'd put the Gateway funding back on track. 

I just don't want you to get disappointed, so I am here to tell you that there is 0% chance on a Hudson tunnel project to even start in the next 2 years because the beneficiaries would be mostly Democrats. 

basil said:

ml1 said:
Trump would be more credible on infrastructure if he'd put the Gateway funding back on track. 

I just don't want you to get disappointed, so I am here to tell you that there is 0% chance on a Hudson tunnel project to even start in the next 2 years because the beneficiaries would be mostly Democrats. 

There is no hope for the 2 trillion infrastructure. Its already being walked back. Didn't take too long. Less than two weeks?

A $2 trillion infrastructure deal outlined this week by President Trump and top Democrats is already losing momentum, as the president’s own chief of staff is telling people inside and outside the administration that the effort is too expensive and unlikely to succeed.

Is anyone under the illusion that in the White House his chief of staff will without Trump's permission say anything opposite to Trump? Trump can now simply forget it or say, "Sorry, I tried but there's no money."

Even though there is trillions for the recently passed tax cut for corporate America.

Maybe he can bring it up again before the 2020 elections. Get the suckers who depend on him for hope to again vote him in.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-bipartisan-infrastructure-plan-already-imperiled-as-mulvaney-gop-lawmakers-object-to-cost/2019/05/03/bc1d1e74-6dae-11e9-be3a-33217240a539_story.html

BG9 said:

basil said:

ml1 said:
Trump would be more credible on infrastructure if he'd put the Gateway funding back on track. 

I just don't want you to get disappointed, so I am here to tell you that there is 0% chance on a Hudson tunnel project to even start in the next 2 years because the beneficiaries would be mostly Democrats. 

There is no hope for the 2 trillion infrastructure. Its already being walked back. Didn't take too long. Less than two weeks?

A $2 trillion infrastructure deal outlined this week by President Trump and top Democrats is already losing momentum, as the president’s own chief of staff is telling people inside and outside the administration that the effort is too expensive and unlikely to succeed.

Is anyone under the illusion that in the White House his chief of staff will without Trump's permission say anything opposite to Trump? Trump can now simply forget it or say, "Sorry, I tried but there's no money."
Even though there is trillions for the recently passed tax cut for corporate America.
Maybe he can bring it up again before the 2020 elections. Get the suckers who depend on him for hope to again vote him in.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-bipartisan-infrastructure-plan-already-imperiled-as-mulvaney-gop-lawmakers-object-to-cost/2019/05/03/bc1d1e74-6dae-11e9-be3a-33217240a539_story.html

I don't think anyone in NJ/NY believes Trump (or the GOP in general, remember Christie) will support a tunnel. Even though it would economically support a region that is one of the engines of our economy.

However, do any of the 2020 Dem candidates support infrastructure improvements?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/upshot/unemployment-inflation-changing-economic-fundamentals.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/business/economy/jobs-report-april.html

NJ has more problems than the tunnel. Gov. Murphy is one of them.

mtierney said:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/upshot/unemployment-inflation-changing-economic-fundamentals.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/business/economy/jobs-report-april.html
NJ has more problems than the tunnel. Gov. Murphy is one of them.

you'll think the tunnel is big problem if one or both of them fails and the value of your home plunges by 40%

mtierney said:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/upshot/unemployment-inflation-changing-economic-fundamentals.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/business/economy/jobs-report-april.html
NJ has more problems than the tunnel. Gov. Murphy is one of them.

 One might think that after citing two links and then mentioning Governor Murphy, that the two links might mention Murphy.

One would be wrong.

As for the unemployment numbers:

“The drop in the unemployment rate was encouraging, but it was for bad reasons,” said Michelle Meyer, head of United States economics at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. “The lower participation rate is a little bit of a disappointment, but it’s a volatile number.”

So in this case, the lower number actually points to a problem. It is not a good sign. I like the way the Times buries that most important factoid, which pretty much undercuts the entire point of the article.

drummerboy said:

I like the way the Times buries that most important factoid, which pretty much undercuts the entire point of the article.

 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factoid

mtierney said:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/upshot/unemployment-inflation-changing-economic-fundamentals.html

The last time that people were saying that things were going so well and that the "old laws of economics had changed or are no longer relevant" was during the dot-com bubble in 2000, shortly before the economy crashed.

Wait a year and see where we stand.

things could have been different indeed...

https://nypost.com/2019/05/04/now-hillary-clintons-loss-is-being-blamed-on-jon-stewart/

DaveSchmidt said:

drummerboy said:

I like the way the Times buries that most important factoid, which pretty much undercuts the entire point of the article.

 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factoid

 well, I'll be. I didn't know factoid had an actual definition.

drummerboy said:

well, I'll be. I didn't know factoid had an actual definition.

Coincidentally, a colleague shared this tidbit with me just a few days ago. It was new to me, too.

Just look at what’s was happening in Washington while everyone was otherwise occupied...

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/04/opinion/sunday/trump-2016-investigation.html

mtierney said:
Just look at what’s was happening in Washington while everyone was otherwise occupied...
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/04/opinion/sunday/trump-2016-investigation.html

 Ross Douchehat. That guy is like stale curry flatulence in an unventilated elevator.  He just won't go away.

(A warning for folks who were thinking about following a blind link.)

i thought I would never say this, but I actually agree with Trump on China

Hmmm, what is it called when split personalities have a difference of opinion? 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/07/opinion/happiness-joy-emotion.html

“We live in a cruel time, when people attack you when they see a hint of vulnerability. So, it’s extra important to stick with emotional honesty even after people take advantage of your vulnerability to inflict pain. Vulnerability is the only means we have to build relationships, and relationships are the only means we have to experience joy.“

On the Twitter this morning, Trump said this:

"China has just informed us that they (Vice-Premier) are now coming to the U.S. to make a deal. We’ll see, but I am very happy with over $100 Billion a year in Tariffs filling U.S. coffers...great for U.S., not good for China!"

China doesn't pay the tariffs.  WE pay the tariffs, when we buy the products on which the tariffs have been imposed.  Trump is celebrating the fact that Americans would pay an additional $100 billion (who knows what the actual number is) because of him.

nohero said:
On the Twitter this morning, Trump said this:
"China has just informed us that they (Vice-Premier) are now coming to the U.S. to make a deal. We’ll see, but I am very happy with over $100 Billion a year in Tariffs filling U.S. coffers...great for U.S., not good for China!"
China doesn't pay the tariffs.  WE pay the tariffs, when we buy the products on which the tariffs have been imposed.  Trump is celebrating the fact that Americans would pay an additional $100 billion (who knows what the actual number is) because of him.

 How does the effect of tariffs differ from sales tax?

proeasdf said:

nohero said:
On the Twitter this morning, Trump said this:
"China has just informed us that they (Vice-Premier) are now coming to the U.S. to make a deal. We’ll see, but I am very happy with over $100 Billion a year in Tariffs filling U.S. coffers...great for U.S., not good for China!"
China doesn't pay the tariffs.  WE pay the tariffs, when we buy the products on which the tariffs have been imposed.  Trump is celebrating the fact that Americans would pay an additional $100 billion (who knows what the actual number is) because of him.

 How does the effect of tariffs differ from sales tax?

Its not.

But hey, its one way to help reduce the much larger deficit caused by the tax cut benefiting the 1% and corporations.

Be you can be sure almost all of the "National Sales Tax" will be paid for by the middle class. Example Washing Machines:

https://www.news4jax.com/news/washing-machines-are-going-to-get-more-expensive

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/08/us/politics/donald-trump-jr-subpoena.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/08/us/politics/trump-executive-privilege-mueller-report.html

Ever wonder what might be happening in Washington if Congress actually did what the members were paid to do? 

Investigating the investigators, negating a $30M two year long report, all to bring down the President. All it is doing is to amp up his base. The over-crowded Democratic field will soon start attacking each other (2016 comes to mind) and nothing important to our national and international security gets accomplished.

The rest of the world has a ring-side seat as America self-destructs.

Meanwhile in Florida, President Donald J. Trump told an audience they can get away with shooting immigrants as long as they stay within the Florida Panhandle.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-laughs-at-supporters-proposal-to-shoot-immigrants

Fun Fact:  Florida Panhandle doesn’t share a border with Mexico.

Well, not yet.

Maybe that crack Daily Beast contributor should get a refund for his Photography degree from Mizzou- STL.

Robert_Casotto said:
Fun Fact:  Florida Panhandle doesn’t share a border with Mexico.

That may be true but I bet Donald Trump doesn't know. 

I've long thought that we should give Florida, panhandle and all, to Cuba.  Either that or build a wall and a mote across the top of it and make the whole thing a wildlife preserve.  

Does a “mote” come with an umbrella swizzle stick?