Trump II

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

That joke was below the belt.

😂😂😂

[Schewe]

Right now though, you seem to be getting pretty mad at the President for something congress handles.

Right no I'm angry that the president is wasting time starting a war with the NFL while apparently (based on Tweets) totally ignoring the plight of millions of American citizens in Puerto Rico...arguing about who is responsible for governing Puerto Rico is irrelevant-that are US citizens and deserve the help and support to recover from hurricane damage just like citizens in the other Caribbean US territories as well as residents of Florida and Texas.

Funny, I didn't think there were different classes of US citizens...

Are you saying because US citizens are in Puerto Rico, they deserve less help and support than US citizens in Florida or Texas?

[Schewe]

I am only implying that Puerto Rico is not a state, and, by law, does not get the same benefits and help that states do.

So, you are ok with Trump ignoring the problems of Puerto Rico's US citizens (even if it ain't a state) while picking a fight with the NFL? I mean, is that what you think is a good expenditure of the president's time?

[Alan Goldhammer]

I am only implying that Puerto Rico is not a state, and, by law, does not get the same benefits and help that states do.  Regardless of the morality of the situation, this is how our constitution works. 

Now the reason for this is because congress is not acting on the referendums, more then likely because Puerto Rico grossly mismanaged their affairs from years of poor governance.  Congress does not want to foot that bill, but they also don't want to be seen executing a no vote.  This is why the referendums are never brought to the floor. 

They are markedly impacted by acts of Congress.  A number of years ago, Congress put into the Tax Code a provision that gave companies a tax break if they established manufacturing in Puerto Rico (Section 936) and a lot of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing moved there.  These were decent paying jobs and helped the country financially.  However, when the tax break was eliminated the jobs all left, many moving to low tax Ireland. 

BTW, there are also lots of other weird things about being a territory, like you can't vote if you are a resident of one.  Is this something you also take issue with?

Not true.  If you are a US citizen you can indeed vote in the state of your last residence.  My sister has lived in Israel since 1973 but is a US citizen and eligible to vote in elections via a California absentee ballot.  Her old home address counts as the domicile.  In addition, you 'could' move to Puerto Rico and not have to pay US tax any longer!!!

[Schewe]

In addition, you 'could' move to Puerto Rico and not have to pay US tax any longer!!!

Well, ya might wanna put that move on hold for a while...reports are the Puerto Rico may be without power for months...

[JoeKitchen]

They are markedly impacted by acts of Congress.  A number of years ago, Congress put into the Tax Code a provision that gave companies a tax break if they established manufacturing in Puerto Rico (Section 936) and a lot of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing moved there.  These were decent paying jobs and helped the country financially.  However, when the tax break was eliminated the jobs all left, many moving to low tax Ireland. 
Not true.  If you are a US citizen you can indeed vote in the state of your last residence.  My sister has lived in Israel since 1973 but is a US citizen and eligible to vote in elections via a California absentee ballot.  Her old home address counts as the domicile.  In addition, you 'could' move to Puerto Rico and not have to pay US tax any longer!!!

I am aware of that tax break code, but was it just for federal taxes or were companies exempt from PR taxes as well?  I would assume just the former. 

Insofar as voting, your example is a little different.  Your sister left the country altogether and uses an absentee ballot.  However, to best of my knowledge, this is not how it works if you move to PR.  Once you become a legal resident of the island, you can no longer vote in national elections.  However, if you move out of PR, assuming you are a citizen, you can vote (again). 

First time I heard of not paying US taxes.  Is this really the case?  If you move out of the country, you still need to pay US taxes; kind of odd you avoid doing so in PR. 

[Alan Goldhammer]

And getting back to my question, which US territories are current receive relief funds?

US Virgin Islands are getting relief effort.  I'm not away of any other territories that have experienced natural disasters this year (I think the only big ones in the Pacific are Guam and Samoa; Marshall Islands are sparsely populated but did receive a large amount of aid and medical help in the 1950-60 time period following all the atomic and hydrogen bomb testing that went on there).

[Alan Goldhammer]

First time I heard of not paying US taxes.  Is this really the case?  If you move out of the country, you still need to pay US taxes; kind of odd you avoid doing so in PR.

If you believe the Internet it is possibly true:  https://www.policygenius.com/blog/puerto-rico-tax-savings/

[Schewe]

And getting back to my question, which US territories are current receive relief funds?

Trump already signed a disaster declaration issued for the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands and can apply for Federal aid as outlined in this FEMA alert:

Federal Aid Programs for the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Here's the alert for Puerto Rico:

Federal Aid Programs for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

FEMA staff are on the ground now in Puerto Rico but are facing massive devastation:

FEMA teams in Puerto Rico: 'It's absolutely devastating'

TOA BAJA, Puerto Rico — People in this storm-torn town waded through muddy water, swept thick mud out of living rooms or drove through thigh-high water crossings in cars that sputtered, stalled and started again.

Nearby, a  FEMA response team, with specialists from Indiana, California, Florida and other states, took notes or peered into an iPad GPS. The team was on a reconnaissance mission following Hurricane Maria and one of the first signs of the U.S. government's promised support in the disaster.

"You hear about the destruction, but honestly, until we get out here and see it firsthand, it's hard to frame it all up," said Mike Pruitt, of Indiana, of FEMA's Incident Support Command.  "It's absolutely devastating to see what they've lost."

FEMA teams were already in Puerto Rico earlier this month working on relief efforts following Hurricane Irma and sprung into reconnaissance and search-and-rescue missions as soon as Maria's winds died down. FEMA is widely known as the federal disaster recovery agency, but it's also involved in dispatching rescue teams and gathering intel in the first chaotic days of a disaster.

President Trump has declared Puerto Rico a major disaster and pledged the full support of the U.S. government.

The last Tweet about Puerto Rico seems to have been posted on Sept 19th when he said:

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!
7:23 PM - 19 Sep 2017

But he's had the time to tweet over 17 times about the NFL and pro athletes?

What a bum...(that's what LeBron James called him...bit too mild for my taste)

[Alan Goldhammer]

So who is it up to, to initiate relief?  The president or congress? 

Seriously, I have no idea. 

My thought was that unless congress approve the spending, relief will not be sent. 

Additionally, how well funded in FEMA currently?  I remember reading recently they were pretty much out of money.

FEMA is an executive branch agency so it's in the Prez's hands to mobilize aid.  FEMA has a reserve fund to draw on but I think it would be gone following the Texas hurricane. 

[Schewe]

So who is it up to, to initiate relief?  The president or congress?

 

The president declares an emergency and direct FEMA to respond.

But that response is way too little:

Trump Is Ignoring Puerto Rico’s Suffering

The administration’s feeble response to Hurricane Maria rivals Bush’s after Katrina.
SEPT. 25 2017 4:44 PM

When it struck the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico six days ago, Hurricane Maria was the strongest storm to hit the American territories in 80 years. “Its force and fury stripped every tree of not just the leaves, but also the bark, leaving a rich agricultural region looking like the result of a postapocalyptic drought,” according to one New York Times dispatch from Puerto Rico. In its wake, more than 3 million Americans now live without electricity or adequate food or water, and under the specter of looting and disorder. Some 80 percent of island’s agriculture has been destroyed, decimating a source of food as well as a chunk of Puerto Rico’s economy. Ninety-five percent of cellphone towers on Puerto Rico are out, depriving locals of a way to ask for help—and crippling any government response, too. The situation will likely worsen as emergency supplies run out and as the local government finds itself unable to deliver support or maintain order across such a wrecked landscape.

So far, the Trump administration has dispatched an anemic Federal Emergency Management Agency mission and sundry military units to assess the situation and provide support. But in some cases it took the federal government days to even contact local leaders in Puerto Rico’s major cities, let alone deploy aid. Only the most rudimentary military support is now on the ground. This is inadequate and calls to mind the lethargic response by the Bush administration to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The U.S. military has a unique expeditionary capability to deliver humanitarian support, logistics, and security anywhere in the world, far above what FEMA or any other civilian agency can muster. American citizens are suffering and dying and need all their government can do for them (including the military). Unfortunately, their president and the military at his command appear focused elsewhere. Unless this changes, more Americans will die.

--snip--

The situation for 3.5 million Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands grows more precarious by the day. These Americans can no longer wait for a response slowed by bureaucratic lethargy and political indifference. To paraphrase the military proverb: The best time for action was yesterday; the second-best time is now. President Trump must focus attention on this disaster and deploy appropriate military resources, immediately, or else bear the responsibility for deaths and suffering that could have been prevented.

Which is why I think it's a real sad commentary that the president is giving more attention to a spat with the NFL than bringing attention to the plight of US citizens in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...

Oh, and if you are wondering about funding for FEMA, in previous trial budget discussions, Trump was cutting FEMA and other federal agency budgets...


Trump would slash disaster funding to the very agencies he’s praising for Harvey response

...The budget released by the Trump White House in March cuts roughly 9 percent for disaster-relief programs across the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies. The cuts are in keeping with the president’s goal of creating a leaner, more efficient government that asks more of the private sector and the states, a goal FEMA Administrator William B. “Brock” Long has reiterated in recent days.

The cuts also shift away from Obama-era “resilience” efforts to prepare for climate change.

Trump officials recently struck down an Obama administration rule requiring building projects in line for federal funding to strongly consider climate change risks — for example, by elevating structures in flood zones away from the reach of rising water.

But hey, at least NASCAR is standing with Trump:

Donald J. Trump ‏Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
So proud of NASCAR and its supporters and fans. They won't put up with disrespecting our Country or our Flag - they said it loud and clear!
4:25 AM - 25 Sep 2017

[Schewe]

But hey, at least NASCAR is standing with Trump:

Oooops...Donny spoke too soon, seems NASCAR has just released a statement that, uh, kinda takes issue...

NASCAR Statement NASCAR.com  September 25, 2017  at 12:49 pm

“Sports are a unifying influence in our society, bringing people of differing backgrounds and beliefs together. Our respect for the national anthem has always been a hallmark of our pre-race events. Thanks to the sacrifices of many, we live in a country of unparalleled freedoms and countless liberties, including the right to peacefully express one’s opinion.”

Free Speech 1
Trump          0

Sorry Donny...now what about Puerto Rico?

[Schewe]

And no Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Mr NASCAR) said this:

Dale Earnhardt Jr.  ✔ @DaleJr
All Americans R granted rights 2 peaceful protests
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable-JFK
6:54 AM - Sep 25, 2017

[Schewe]

Oh goodie...Trump finally posted some tweets about Puerto Rico...guess what he said.

Trump declares Puerto Rico is in ‘deep trouble’ as questions mount about his commitment

President Trump, facing mounting questions about his commitment to Puerto Rico’s recovery, took to Twitter Monday night, saying the U.S. territory is “in deep trouble,” in part because of problems that predated Hurricane Maria.

Trump said Puerto Rico was already suffering from “broken infrastructure,” including an old electrical grid, which he said was “devastated” by Hurricane Maria, as well as “massive debt.”

“Food, water and medical are top priorities — and doing well,” Trump said in his series of tweets, which credited the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He noted that, by contrast, Texas and Florida, hit by earlier hurricanes, “are doing great.”

Here's what he tweeted:

Donald J. Trump  ✔ @realDonaldTrump
Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble..
7:45 PM - Sep 25, 2017

Donald J. Trump  ✔ @realDonaldTrump
...It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars....
7:50 PM - Sep 25, 2017

Donald J. Trump  ✔ @realDonaldTrump
...owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well. #FEMA
7:58 PM - Sep 25, 2017

So, is Trump dissing Puerto Rico for their power grid and financial situation with Wall Street and banks and not bothering to reach out and offer hope and encouragement...Typical bullshit response which sounds like somebody told him to tweet about Puerto Rico and this was the best he could come up with...and that line "Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well." is total crap...FEMA has been slow to react and doesn't have either the personnel nor equipment to do much other than make a bunch of assessments.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

"Last September, Reuters conducted a survey in the wake of Colin Kaepernick's "taking a knee" for the national anthem and found that, although a majority said he had a constitutionally protected right to protest, 72% of Americans thought his display was "unpatriotic," and 61% disagreed with him doing it."

Trump's gut knows that America agrees with him on NFL controversy - CNN
https://apple.news/A6U0omhAaQgKKJcwiVIn-_w

[Schewe]

"Last September, Reuters conducted a survey in the wake of Colin Kaepernick's "taking a knee" for the national anthem and found that, although a majority said he had a constitutionally protected right to protest, 72% of Americans thought his display was "unpatriotic," and 61% disagreed with him doing it."

Yep...a year ago...and Colin Kaepernick's taking a knee has largely pushed him out of the NFL...he suffered for his actions. But that was last year...what just happened to make Trump decide to call NFL players who take a knee sons of bitches? Seriously, since the pre season and the first 2 weeks of the season what's happened to suddenly make this an issue?

Read a transcript of Trump said (and reports are they were not prepared remarks and were completely ad-libbed):

00:38:51-00:43:13

Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners when somebody disrespects our flag to say get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he's fired, he's fired. [Applause, Audience Chants USA] You know, some owner is going to do that.

He's going to say that guy that disrespects our flag, he's fired. [Applause] And that owner, they don't know it, they don't know it, they're friends of mine, many of them, they don't know it, they'll be the most popular person for a week, they'll be the most popular person in this country because that's a total disrespect of our heritage, that's a total disrespect of everything that we stand for, OK? Everything that we stand for.

And I know we have freedoms and we have freedom of choice and many, many different freedoms. But you know what? It's still totally disrespectful. And, you know, when the NFL ratings are down massively, massively... [Applause] The NFL ratings are down massively.

Now, the number-one reason happens to be that they like watching what's happening on, you know, with yours truly. [Applause] They like what's happening. Because, you know, today if you hit too hard, right, they hit too hard, 15 yards, throw him out of the game. They had that last week.

I watched for a couple of minutes and two guys just really a beautiful tackle, boom, 15 yards. The referee gets on television, his wife it sitting at home, she's so proud of him, they're ruining the game. Right? [Applause] They're ruining the game. Hey, look, that's what they want to do, they want to hit, OK? They want to hit.

But it is hurting the game. But you know what's hurting the game more than that? When people like yourselves turn on television and you see those people taking the knee when they're playing our great "National Anthem."" [Booing] The only thing you could do better is if you see it

Not the same game anymore anyway. Now, one of the things we've done, and when I say "we"" it's us

Right? We cherish our magnificent Constitution and we believe judges must interpret the Constitution as written and that includes defending, as I just said, our great Second Amendment. [Applause] We support the rule of law and we stand strong with the incredible men and women of law enforcement. [Applause] We protect our citizens, uphold our traditions and we will always defend our borders. [Applause] These are Alabama values.

I understand the people of Alabama. I feel like I'm from Alabama, frankly. [Applause] Isn't it a little weird when a guy who lives on 5th Avenue in the most beautiful apartment you've ever seen comes to Alabama and Alabama loves that guy. I mean, it's crazy, it's crazy. [Applause]

So, what prompted this? But I suspect Colin Kaepernick is sitting back and watching and contemplating that it took an entire year for his protest to take root. Good for him...even if he never plays another down, he's had an impact.

Kaepernick's Triumph

When he began taking a knee during the National Anthem, earning the attention of the president and the entire press was the best outcome he could possibly have desired.

Friday morning, things didn’t look great for Colin Kaepernick.

The former San Francisco 49er had made headlines around the world last season for kneeling during the National Anthem. The offseason had seen a raging debate about the fact that he hadn’t been signed from free agency, which boiled down to whether teams were justified in deciding that his controversial protest outweighed his talent. Despite some comically atrocious performances by quarterbacks on NFL rosters in the first two weeks of the season, Kaepernick remained unsigned. A few fellow players said publicly that he deserved a roster spot somewhere, and some had taken up his protest, but it remained a niche question, and the cause to which Kaepernick wished to draw attention—police brutality against people of color—had faded a bit from the headlines, overwhelmed by the onslaught of Trump-related news.

Then came President Trump’s riff during a rally in Alabama Friday night.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out,’” Trump said. “‘He’s fired. He’s fired!’”

By the close of the weekend, the president wasn’t contending just with Kaepernick. He was facing off with hundreds of NFL players, who had either taken a knee, like Kaepernick, or stayed in the locker room during the playing of the National Anthem. He’d been scolded by multiple team owners, including his personal friend Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots, and the NFL commissioner. The dispute had spilled over the bounds of NFL and included LeBron James and Steph Curry. Even Michael Jordan, who (supposedly) long evaded politics because “Republicans buy sneakers too” criticized Trump.

Many barrels of pixels have been spilled already trying to analyze the political implications for Trump of the spat, but just as important, and perhaps less recognized, is what a coup this is for Kaepernick. Over the course of a single weekend, Kaepernick was transformed from a down-and-out athlete into an icon of protest. What loftier goal can a symbolic protest like Kaepernick’s kneeling have than to capture the attention of the president of the United States and to dominate the news?

So, you think Trump wins this?

[Alan Klein]

What are the football players actually protesting?  Are they dissing the flag to get back at Trump because he calls that action unpatriotic?

[Alan Klein]

Yep...a year ago...and Colin Kaepernick's taking a knee has largely pushed him out of the NFL...he suffered for his actions. But that was last year...what just happened to make Trump decide to call NFL players who take a knee sons of bitches? Seriously, since the pre season and the first 2 weeks of the season what's happened to suddenly make this an issue?

Read a transcript of Trump said (and reports are they were not prepared remarks and were completely ad-libbed):

00:38:51-00:43:13
So, what prompted this? But I suspect Colin Kaepernick is sitting back and watching and contemplating that it took an entire year for his protest to take root. Good for him...even if he never plays another down, he's had an impact.

Kaepernick's Triumph

So, you think Trump wins this?

If Kaepernick'' protest was so important,  why didn't you once mention what his protest was about?  No,  you'd rather sacrifice his career on the alter of anti Trumpism.

[Chris Kern]

...what just happened to make Trump decide to call NFL players who take a knee sons of bitches? Seriously, since the pre season and the first 2 weeks of the season what's happened to suddenly make this an issue?

Our Trumpalyzer (not to be confused with "Trump's a liar") has been working around the clock since his latest Category 5 tweetstorm made landfall in an attempt to answer precisely this question, and has been able to narrow down the explanation to two possibilities:

• There was growing opposition to the latest Republican effort to blow up the government's medical insurance program.  Trump found this very frustrating.
• Every time he turned on the 24-hour cable news channels, instead of coverage of him all he saw were reports about hurricanes destroying small islands he had never heard of and earthquakes devastating cities in Mexico, which still isn't paying for his wall.  Trump found this very frustrating.

Clearly, he felt a need to change the subject: Trump has discovered that when he gets agitated, the best way for him to calm down is to say something that will stir up his supporters and get everyone else upset.  We reached out for further information to two confidential White House sources who are very related to Trump.  However, the private email addresses we have been using to contact them suddenly appear to have been shut down.

[scyth]

who is kopernick ?