Trump II

[Alan Klein]

Even before tax reforms, stock market is at highest ever (up 20% since the election), GDP for 2nd 1/4 is 2.6% highest in years, unemployment lowest in over a decade, illegal immigration down 40% (Mexico might not have to pay for a wall after all)      

[LesPalenik]

Even before tax reforms, stock market is at highest ever (up 20% since the election), GDP for 2nd 1/4 is 2.6% highest in years, unemployment lowest in over a decade, illegal immigration down 40% (Mexico might not have to pay for a wall after all)   

Partly due to Apple success. The company just announced their 3rd quarter results, beating analyst's expectations, and sending its stock price soaring.
The company’s cash pile, grew to $261 billion which compares favorably to the reported $200 billions in assets owned by V. Putin.


—

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Partly due to Apple success. The company just announced their 3rd quarter results, beating analyst's expectations, and sending its stock price soaring.
The company’s cash pile, grew to $261 billion which compares favorably to the reported $200 billions in assets owned by V. Putin.


—

Ah Apple, I read this earlier today ... :

Apple seeks tax breaks for suppliers to make iPhones in India: sources
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-india-idUSKBN1AH499

QUOTE  August 1, 2017 / 2:23 PM  "NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) has asked the Indian government to extend tax breaks to its suppliers if India seeks to become a manufacturing hub for iPhones and its components.

Government officials say meeting this request would require a new policy that applies fairly to other device makers, too.

The U.S. tech giant has been in talks with Indian officials since May of last year, when CEO Tim Cook and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to set up a production base in the country that goes beyond just assembling the devices, as happens today. "



Not that I blame them, but wasn't "America First" Trump's slogan?

Cheers,
Bart

[Peter McLennan]

I would change my opinion if you provided an actual response.  Otherwise, we have to assume you're in favor of Maduro and Venezuela's Socialism and opposed to Trump's sanctions.

I see.  In your eyes, guilty unless proven otherwise. 

Nice.

[LesPalenik]

Ah Apple, I read this earlier today ... :
Apple seeks tax breaks for suppliers to make iPhones in India: sources
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-india-idUSKBN1AH499

QUOTE  August 1, 2017 / 2:23 PM  "NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) has asked the Indian government to extend tax breaks to its suppliers if India seeks to become a manufacturing hub for iPhones and its components.
Government officials say meeting this request would require a new policy that applies fairly to other device makers, too.
The U.S. tech giant has been in talks with Indian officials since May of last year, when CEO Tim Cook and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to set up a production base in the country that goes beyond just assembling the devices, as happens today. "

Not that I blame them, but wasn't "America First" Trump's slogan?

Cheers,
Bart

What counts is that the Tomahawks cruise missiles are still being made in US. Raytheon keeps busy their workers making replacements for the 59 units Trump took off the inventory earlier this year. It's all well thought through.

As to the traditional industries, in 2014 the entire US coal industry employed 76,000. That compares with 69,088 employed in bowling or 75,036 in skiing industries. Car washes employ 150,000 people, twice as many as the coal industry.
Today, Tim Cook stated that Apple created 2 million jobs in US, mainly in the app development, but also in the manufacturing. Trump can only dream about such numbers.

[LesPalenik]

So tell us how you really feel about what's going on in Venezuela instead of dodging it.

I was in Venezuela in 1980. At that time the country was doing relatively OK. Many poor areas, but the streets were calm and generally they seemed to be better off than today.
Just imagine they hired then Steve Jobs as a president and he would do the same miracle with the country as with his other company. Between 1980 and 2017, a $1 million Venezuela investment would have grown to $276 billions. They could be giving oil free to Cubans.

[Peter McLennan]

Car washes employ 150,000 people, twice as many as the coal industry.

Ah, yes.  But can they be counted on to vote MAGA?

[LesPalenik]

You mean instead of making the cars clean again?

[Robert Roaldi]

Even before tax reforms, stock market is at highest ever (up 20% since the election), GDP for 2nd 1/4 is 2.6% highest in years, unemployment lowest in over a decade, illegal immigration down 40% (Mexico might not have to pay for a wall after all)   

There were times during every administration, including Obama's, when markets did well and jobs were being created. I'm not sure that's an indication of anything except economic variability. In any case, what do short-term swings in these measures have to do with the office of the President? The effectiveness of strategic plans put into place at high levels can only be measured after many years have passed. Looking at these short-term numbers in this way (even if they are accurate) is as silly as paying a CEO based on this month's stock price. It's how the company does in 2 or 5 years' time that indicates how well the CEO is doing. That's the theory anyway, but it never works out that way. Sort of like how GM continued to pay bonuses to their top brass during the 25-30 years it took them to drive the company into the ground. Then they blamed the unions.

I heard an interesting statistic about Mexico the other day (might have been on the podcast Planet Money, but I can't pinpoint it right at the moment). The high point of Mexican immigration into the USA happened about 10 years ago. It began to decrease at that time and for about a year or two now there has been a net flow of Mexican citizens from the USA to Mexico. They're leaving. It appears to be in part related to the growing Mexican economy. This seems to suggest that a lot of election year emotion about Mexican immigration was beside the point. But it wouldn't be the first time that public discourse was out of touch with reality.

[Alan Klein]

Partly due to Apple success. The company just announced their 3rd quarter results, beating analyst's expectations, and sending its stock price soaring.
The company’s cash pile, grew to $261 billion which compares favorably to the reported $200 billions in assets owned by V. Putin.


—

Apple is only in the NYSE/Dow.  However, all the exchanges are up big time (ie. NASDQ up 24%, S&P 500 up 14%).  For 8 years liberals have credited Obama for the re-bound of the markets.  So you have to give Trump credit also.  Frankly, neither of them deserve so much credit.  Trump's getting it because people are waiting for tax reform especially for business that will give a shot in the arm.  De-regulation has started to help some already. 

[Alan Klein]

Ah Apple, I read this earlier today ... :

Apple seeks tax breaks for suppliers to make iPhones in India: sources
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-india-idUSKBN1AH499

QUOTE  August 1, 2017 / 2:23 PM  "NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) has asked the Indian government to extend tax breaks to its suppliers if India seeks to become a manufacturing hub for iPhones and its components.

Government officials say meeting this request would require a new policy that applies fairly to other device makers, too.

The U.S. tech giant has been in talks with Indian officials since May of last year, when CEO Tim Cook and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to set up a production base in the country that goes beyond just assembling the devices, as happens today. "



Not that I blame them, but wasn't "America First" Trump's slogan?

Cheers,
Bart

Foxconn, the Chinese company that makes the iPhone for Apple in China, is going to build a plant for LED's in Wisconsin.  They're going to spend ten billion dollars and hire 13,000.  Wisconsin was actually out-bid by another state but won anyway.  My guess, Trump twisted Foxconn's arm and told them he'd appreciate if they picked Wisconsin, one of the states that help win Trump the presidency.  He's fulfilling his promise to the "deplorables" to get them jobs.  http://fortune.com/2017/08/01/wisconsin-foxconn-factory/

Meanwhile, my Senator in New Jersey, Cory Booker just announced he's issued a bill in the Senate to legalize weed.  Well, if you;re out of work, you could always stoke up on a blunt to help you forget you have to live with your parents because you don't have income.  Booker wants to run for president in 2020 against Trump.  Who do you think Wisconsinites will vote for? https://www.theroot.com/cory-booker-for-the-win-nj-senator-introduces-bill-to-1797441749

[Alan Klein]

...
I heard an interesting statistic about Mexico the other day (might have been on the podcast Planet Money, but I can't pinpoint it right at the moment). The high point of Mexican immigration into the USA happened about 10 years ago. It began to decrease at that time and for about a year or two now there has been a net flow of Mexican citizens from the USA to Mexico. They're leaving. It appears to be in part related to the growing Mexican economy. This seems to suggest that a lot of election year emotion about Mexican immigration was beside the point. But it wouldn't be the first time that public discourse was out of touch with reality.

It seems that you have your facts wrong because you only read the liberal fake news.  Heck, we won't need the wall if this keeps up and Mexico can save its money:

"Empowered by a president who has "taken the handcuffs off of law enforcement," the nation's chief immigration official revealed Tuesday that deportation targets have surged and that he's planning to deploy more agents and resources to "sanctuary cities" to arrest illegal criminals.
Thomas D. Homan, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in an interview that since Trump entered office, illegal border crossings have crashed by almost 70 percent, "an historic low," arrests inside the country have jumped 40 percent and that demands for illegal criminals in local jails has skyrocketed 80 percent.

"You can like President Trump, not like him, like his policies, not like his policies, but one thing no one can argue with is the effect they've had," said Homan, the former chief ICE enforcement boss and a 30-year immigration agency veteran.
He said that the change in immigration enforcement has been radical — and welcome — under Trump. "You'd think everybody would be celebrating these policies," he said during the 45-minute interview in his office.
 
One group he says are cheering: Border Patrol and ICE agents. "Now they have meaning to their jobs," said Homan. "What this president has done is taken the handcuffs off of law enforcement officers who are charged with enforcing immigration laws," he added.
The drop in illegal crossings has given ICE a chance to redirect resources to interior United States and immigrants locked up in jails, illegally working jobs and on the run.
A key target is the 300-plus sanctuary cities and counties that do not cooperate with ICE and ignore requests that they detail criminal illegals for ICE arrest and deportation proceedings.
Homan called sanctuaries "ludicrous," adding, "In the America I grew up in, cities didn't shield people who violated the law."
 
A New York native who took his first immigration job during the Reagan administration, Homan said that he plans to flood sanctuary cities with agents. He has been OK'd to hire 10,000 new agents and many will help track down illegals in those havens.
"The president recognizes that you've got to have a true interior enforcement strategy to make it uncomfortable for them," he said.
He ripped cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, and San Francisco that refuse to let ICE officers into jails to seize illegal criminals. He explained that it is much safer for ICE targets, police and citizens to make the arrest in jails than on city streets.
 
What's more, he said that the sanctuary policies create more fear in immigrant communities by forcing ICE agents to hunt down fugitives at their homes or work. "I'm going to arrest him and anybody else with him because there is no population off the table any more. So if you really want to tap down the fear in the immigrant community, I would think the counties would want me in their jails," he said.
Homan testified before Congress recently that under Trump, no illegal immigrant is safe from deportation, though the administration is prioritizing criminals, fugitives, threats to national security and those who illegally reentered the U.S.
"I don't think that there is a magic number that we need to get to," said Homan.
"What I want to get to is a clear understanding from everybody, from the congressmen to the politicians to law enforcement to those who enter the country illegally, that ICE is open for business. We're going to enforce the laws on the books without apology, we'll continue to prioritize what we do. But it's not OK to violate the laws of this country anymore, you're going to be held accountable," he added.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com"

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/ice-chief-80-jump-in-illegal-targets-readies-national-sanctuary-crackdown/article/2629001

[LesPalenik]

Apple is only in the NYSE/Dow.  However, all the exchanges are up big time (ie. NASDQ up 24%, S&P 500 up 14%).  For 8 years liberals have credited Obama for the re-bound of the markets.  So you have to give Trump credit also.  Frankly, neither of them deserve so much credit.  Trump's getting it because people are waiting for tax reform especially for business that will give a shot in the arm.  De-regulation has started to help some already.

Not all businesses are doing well. Many retail stores are closing.

[Schewe]

Well, at least Podesta has company (but these are just embarrassing not injurious because the guy is just a prankster).

Trump White House Officials Fall For The Perfect Email Prank

One prankster just proved that anybody can be the victim of an email scam. Even White House officials.

The British "email prankster," who goes by @Sinon_Reborn on Twitter, recently duped White House officials into believing he was not only their colleagues, but in the case of Eric Trump, his own brother.

Using fake email addresses like "reince.priebus@mail.com" and "donaldtrumpjr.trump@gmail.com," @Sinon_Reborn was able to get the likes of Eric Trump, Anthony Scaramucci, Trump's Russian ambassador pick Jon Huntsman, and even Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert to respond.


Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert? Wow ya wouda thought ol' Tommy might have a clue but no...

[The emails are on tweeter in an image format so I won't bother with all of them, just the one from fake Reince Priebus to the Mooch and his reply]



According to CNN, Scaramucci replied, "You know what you did. We all do. Even today. But rest assured we were prepared. A Man would apologize."

He also replied later, telling the fake Priebus to "read Shakespeare":

You would think that the Trump White House (considering the fact they benefited by the democrats getting hacked) would have better digital policies and procedure that would prevent this sort of stupid behavior...

[Schewe]

According to Trump...

Trump: Boy Scout Leader Said I Gave 'Greatest Speech Ever'

The leader of the Boy Scouts of America called Donald Trump and told him his recent speech was, "the greatest speech that was ever made to them," according to the comments the president made to The Wall Street Journal as published by Politico.

But then...

Boy Scouts of America disputes leadership praised President Trump's jamboree speech as 'greatest' ever

President Trump boasted that the Boy Scouts of America called him to say his jamboree pep talk was by no means “mixed” — it was the “greatest.”

Except the Boy Scouts did no such thing, according to a source within the organization.

The Boy Scout source disputed that its leadership called Trump to praise the July 24 speech in Glen Jean, W.V., as claimed by the President in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

“We are not aware of any calls from national BSA leadership to the White House,” the source said.

Boy Scouts chief after Trump speech: We regret that ‘politics were inserted’

The head of the Boy Scouts of America apologized for President Trump's political speech at its national gathering.

"I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree," chief executive Michael Surbaugh wrote in an open letter posted on the Boy Scouts website Thursday. "...We sincerely regret that politics were inserted into the Scouting program."

He lies like dog that he is...

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Foxconn, the Chinese company that makes the iPhone for Apple in China, is going to build a plant for LED's in Wisconsin.  They're going to spend ten billion dollars and hire 13,000.

And Wisconsin subsidizes it with 3 billion of tax payers' money over a period.

Wisconsin to consider $3 billion Foxconn incentive package
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-foxconn-wisconsin-idUSKBN1AG2DK

Activists attack Wisconsin's Foxconn deal as harmful to wetlands
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-foxconn-wisconsin-idUSKBN1AH5EF

QUOTE  "The draft bill allows Foxconn to discharge dredged or fill material into some wetlands without state permits. The legislation also would allow Foxconn to connect artificial bodies of water with natural waterways without state permits.

Gou told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Wisconsin was appealing in part because of its proximity to abundant fresh water from Lake Michigan.

"New business is great, but it shouldn't come at the expense of our water and air," Clean Wisconsin said on Facebook. "



Cheers,
Bart

[Otto Phocus]

According to Trump...

Trump merely rejects your reality and substitutes his own.

[Robert Roaldi]

It seems that you have your facts wrong because you only read the liberal fake news.  Heck, we won't need the wall if this keeps up and Mexico can save its money:

I'll try to locate that podcast's source for the immigration data, but I believe it's from immigration department statistics. Or do you not believe those either.

I remember the number 13 million bandied about during the election, being the number of illegal Mexicans in the US (or was that total illegal immigrants, not just Mexicans, I don't know). It's kind of obvious to me that if there are that many, then it must mean that the USA wanted them or easily absorbed them anyway, in the sense that the majority of them must be working, or else how could they eat and pay rent (or pay doctors) every day? And if they are working, thus contributing to the economy, then what, exactly, is your problem with immigration. I don't buy the notion that illegal "aliens" steal jobs. If americans wanted to work,  all they have to do is fill out an application for the damn job like everybody else. What exactly is the problem here?

And you can't make the simultaneous arguments that illegal aliens represent a low-cost source of labour that undercuts americans while at the same time complain that the minimum wage is too high.

You also keep complaining that regulations are strangling american enterprise. There is a UN ranking of country competitiveness (can't remember its name) that is done by some economic development agency that ranked the USA as fourth in the world for ease of starting a business. That, and given the huge wealth in your country, your assertion that federal government regulation is harming business is a little difficult to swallow. It's just not plausible.

[Alan Klein]

Robert. The cost of labor is determined by scarcity.   Illegals allow employers to pay less for labor because there's more people to choose from. So instead of Americans getting the jobs,  many illegals get them. This is even worse because illegals are often willing to work for less than minimum wage. American workers can't even compete. 

Also,  the cost of illegals is not offset by the taxes they pay.   School costs, Medicare,  Obama care,  welfare,  food stamps,  etc. are paid for by citizens.   These costs much higher than the taxes the illegals pay.   Illegals are great for employers who lower their production costs.   But they're terrible for society in general as it increases costs for everyone else.

[Alan Klein]

...

You also keep complaining that regulations are strangling american enterprise. There is a UN ranking of country competitiveness (can't remember its name) that is done by some economic development agency that ranked the USA as fourth in the world for ease of starting a business. That, and given the huge wealth in your country, your assertion that federal government regulation is harming business is a little difficult to swallow. It's just not plausible.

Federal regulation costs America $1.9 trillion dollars annually.  That's equal to the entire GDP production of goods and services for Italy, the eighth most productive country in the world.  Imagine, we can pay for another Italy.
https://fiscalnote.com/2016/04/07/the-trillion-dollar-cost-of-regulations-in-the-united-states/

Federal cost doesn't include local state and municipal regulations which add a lot more.