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  • Infowars and Breitbart are fun places to visit right now. One can imagine that those folks would start killing and eating each other if it was a real life forum
    "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" ~ Epicurus

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    • An historical perspective on Gorsuch and the nuclear option, via the Huffington Post

      It’s been freezing in Washington for the past few months, but it wasn’t the nuclear winter some predicted when Sen. Harry Reid ushered in the most important changes to Senate procedure in a generation.

      Sen. Reid’s announced retirement in 2016 has already led to many retrospectives about the legacy he will leave when he returns to Nevada. A major chapter will be his work to return the Senate to its tradition of providing up-or-down votes on most presidential nominees. It will be titled the “Reid Rule.”

      In the fall of 2013, under Sen. Reid’s leadership, a majority of senators — old bulls like Iowa’s former Sen. Tom Harkin, new voices like Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and independents like Sen. Angus King of Maine — voted to set a new precedent: No longer could 41-out-of-100 senators wield veto power over every presidential nomination.

      The Senate acted in the wake of unprecedented obstruction: Republicans at the time were blocking up-or-down votes on appellate judges, high-level administration officials and even a member of Congress nominated to lead an agency.

      Those leading the blockade were transparent about their motives: They had no problems with the credentials of many of these nominees; they just wanted to leave some vacancies unfilled. And so they invoked the 60-vote filibuster rule over-and-over again, which essentially allowed a minority of 41 senators to grind everything to a halt.

      In the aftermath of Sen. Reid’s decision to end filibusters on most nominations, the Senate confirmed more than 385 nominees to courts and executive agencies, rendering hollow the hyperbolic claims that eliminating the filibuster for most nominations would destroy civilization as we know it.

      If Sen. Reid had not acted, entire government offices would have ceased to function and the judicial branch would have had even more vacancies than it does today, delaying justice for thousands of Americans.

      Eliminating the 60-vote rule for most nominees cut-off the ability of a small faction of senators to shut down agencies and nullify laws they oppose by depriving government of a functioning staff.

      Of course, a senator can still vote against a nominee on the merits — but no longer can a senator require a 60-vote supermajority before the rest of the Senate exercises its right to provide advice and consent on a nomination.

      Still, senators who prefer gridlock have plenty of tools at their disposal. In the aftermath of the Reid Rule, they quickly invented a new tool of obstruction: the slow walk. Before the Republicans took back the Senate earlier this year, they spent much of 2014 demanding superfluous, time-wasting cloture votes and dragging out the clock, spending days on a single nominee even if the nominee enjoyed unanimous support.

      Now, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is using his control of the Senate floor to block a confirmation vote for Attorney General-nominee Loretta Lynch. No longer able to cite a lack of 60 votes as an excuse, Sen. McConnell claims that the Senate is too busy to provide its advice and consent on a potential member of the President’s cabinet. Ms. Lynch has waited longer than the last seven attorneys general - combined.

      These sorts of partisan games are profoundly harmful to a functioning democracy. Nominees who put themselves forward for public service — and the Americans they will serve — should not pay the price of indefinite limbo because a few squabbling politicians are upset with the consequences of an election or unrelated legislation. They deserve the courtesy of at least receiving a yes or no from the United States Senate.

      Senator Reid’s legacy will include his efforts to restore the Senate’s constitutional role as the provider of advice and consent on nominees. But it still takes senators who are willing to fulfill their obligation to do their job - and voters to hold accountable those who do otherwise.
      In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

      Leibniz

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      • Trigger warning: Extreme left wing site The Daily Beast.

        Don’t Get Fooled, Trump Is Winning
        While the focus is on a few high-profile losses and messes, the president is quietly, steadily racking up big wins.
        Matt Lewis
        MATT LEWIS

        04.07.17 5:00 PM ET
        They don’t hold Rose Garden signing ceremonies when a governmental regulation is repealed. But if they did, Donald Trump’s still-nascent presidency would be getting a lot more respect.
        While the media focuses on sexy topics—Russian spy intrigue, botched Muslim bans, White House palace intrigue, emerging foreign policy challenges, and the health care bill’s collapse—Team Trump has been quietly rolling back job-killing regulations and appointing a boring (by design), yet highly competent, Supreme Court Justice who almost certainly will be confirmed on Friday.
        Despite evidence to the contrary, President Trump is making changes in his first 100 days that will affect America for decades to come.
        One of his key weapons has been the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a 1996 law that allows Congress to repeal recent regulations. Before Trump took office, this law had been used just once. Since taking office, however, President Trump has signed 11 of these CRAs into law, effectively reversing several last-minute Obama-era regulations.
        The window for using this tactic is closing; the CRA can only be used within 60 days of Congress being informed of a new regulation. But here’s where things have the potential to get very interesting: Once a regulation is repealed, agencies are also banned from issuing new rules that are “substantially similar” to the one that was just vetoed.
        Behind the scenes, some shrewd Republicans are quietly toying with the idea of anticipating liberal regulations and preemptively introducing them. It’s like the PreCrime unit in “Minority Report.” A Republican Congress and president would effectively sow the earth with salt to prevent any future regulation from being introduced. It would be a bold gambit, but this would transform the CRA from a purely defensive weapon into an offensive one.

        President Trump is also targeting regulations that aren’t susceptible to the CRA. Last week, he signed an executive order to thwart the “Clean Power Plan,” which President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency unilaterally instituted to curb carbon dioxide emissions (or kill the coal industry—take your pick).
        Because this regulation isn’t recent enough to fall victim to the CRA, it will be harder to roll back. There will be court challenges. Nobody said this was going to be easy.
        Of course, the most obvious evidence that Trump is changing the future is the Neil Gorsuch nomination. Supreme Court Justices are given a lifetime appointment, so it’s hard to overemphasize the potential impact of confirming a young nominee who shares your worldview. But this could be just the beginning. Rumors swirling about the possibility that Justice Anthony Kennedy might soon announce his retirement serve as a reminder that Trump could dramatically shift the balance of the Supreme Court for decades.
        It’s also important to note that there is a link between judicial appointments and regulations. As I noted back in January, Neil Gorsuch has criticized Chevron Deference—an extra-Constitutional principle that says that courts should defer to agencies in terms of their interpretations of statutes. In the future, Republicans hope to move these decisions back into the purview of the legislative branch.
        The rap on Trump is that he gets media buzz and attention but doesn’t do the work. But what if the story of his early administration is quite the opposite? While the media has focused on the shiny objects—the scandals and legislative failures—they have all but ignored the fact that the Trump administration has been quietly changing America. Whether by design—or by coincidence—Trump’s gains have been overshadowed by the chaotic, the urgent and the interesting.
        In a world that fetishizes positive action and putting points on the board, there’s endless breathless play-by-play for a game where the trash-talking, flashy quarterback is sacked repeatedly. Meanwhile, the real action is taking place under the radar, where the team is assembling an impressive roster of defensive linebackers who can handle blocking and tackling in the trenches for years to come.
        Although this stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s action-oriented rhetoric, it doesn’t lessen the fact that, slowly but surely, he is moving the country in a more conservative direction. There’s no telling how many federal judges, never mind Supreme Court Justices, he might appoint. There’s no telling how many bureaucratic regulations he might repeal.
        Most political change is incremental. The greatest trick Donald Trump ever pulled was convincing the world that his presidency was floundering.
        In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

        Leibniz

        Comment


        • Well isn't this interesting

          Trigger warning: Reuters
          China will offer the Trump administration better market access for financial sector investments and U.S. beef exports to help avert a trade war, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing officials familiar with the matter.

          China is prepared to raise the investment ceiling in the Bilateral Investment treaty and is also willing to end the ban on U.S. beef imports, the newspaper also reported.

          "China was prepared to (raise the investment ceilings) in the BIT but those negotiations were put on hold (after Trump's election victory)," the Financial Times also reported citing a Chinese official involved in the talks.
          In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

          Leibniz

          Comment


          • Hello,
            I am writing to you from France. Like everyone i saw the news and reports about the chemical attacks in Syria/the 59 Tomahawks retaliation. What do you think of the response of the US government? And in more general, what do you think will happen next (in Syria, the Russia/US relation, Assad etc)? In France we have some of the information but i must say that the journalists weren't very good because all their articles are confusing for a reader who is not really aware of what is happening. Luckily i know where to look for more info but your views and opinion would be of a great help!

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            • Originally posted by Parihaka View Post
              Well isn't this interesting

              Trigger warning: Reuters
              Good thing I pretty much don't eat beef anymore. Given how many Chinese there are, and the prices they are willing to pay, beef is sure to rocket up in price at home sooner than later.

              Comment


              • Originally posted by tbm3fan View Post
                Good thing I pretty much don't eat beef anymore. Given how many Chinese there are, and the prices they are willing to pay, beef is sure to rocket up in price at home sooner than later.
                Yup. They're doing the same thing with our lamb exports. Used to be only frozen was allowed, now suddenly they'll take chilled.
                In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                Leibniz

                Comment


                • I see China also pretty much stopped coal import from North Korea and increased imports from Russia and the U.S.

                  Wonder how much arm twisting Trump did to Xi to increase that amount, which I believe was appx. 400,000 tons by February.

                  It's a smart move by both countries.

                  It'll show the Norks that both China and the U.S. are serious this time as a Nork coal ban by China is going to hurt Norks alot.

                  It'll also alleviate pressure on coal towns and with Trump undoing the Office of Surface Mining's Stream Protection Rule, maybe they can take some baby steps to get back on their feet...esepcially the Appalachia.

                  Of course the cyclone affecting the output fro Queensland didn't hurt. :)

                  From China's point of view, the way their economy has slowed down, I think Xi went to Florida pretty much ready to conceed within reasons from their point of view.

                  And the Russians are still smarting from the Tomohawks attacks in Syria but they'll come around as well.

                  Hate to sound melodramatic but the situtation kinda reminds me of the Reagan era (note: I so much wanted not to make this comparison, especially since so many yahoo conservatives are doing it) where everybody thought he'd start WW3 but by the time he left, the world was a much more peaceful place.

                  All the bullshit aside, he's doing better than I expected.

                  Now if he'd just lay off Twitter.....

                  Goong back to vacation....I'll let the Evil Kiwi rule this thread once again... :P
                  Last edited by YellowFever; 11 Apr 17,, 07:39.

                  Comment


                  • Originally posted by tbm3fan View Post
                    Good thing I pretty much don't eat beef anymore. Given how many Chinese there are, and the prices they are willing to pay, beef is sure to rocket up in price at home sooner than later.
                    At the pre-ban peak, China + Hong Kong imported only about 15% of US beef exports. The China market can't afford Kansas City porterhouse steaks (although there is a tiny market for such cuts in Hong Kong), and wouldn't eat that much beef at one sitting. I suspect most of the US beef exports to China are byproducts.
                    Trust me?
                    I'm an economist!

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                    • Originally posted by YellowFever View Post
                      I see China also pretty much stopped coal import from North Korea and increased imports from Russia and the U.S.
                      China has an annual quota for coal imports from the DPRK.
                      When the ban came into effect, the quota had already been filled for the year.
                      Pain-free "compliance" with a US request.
                      Trust me?
                      I'm an economist!

                      Comment


                      • Opening up Chinese financial sectors could be a huge deal, depending on what exactly that means. I'm too lazy to research at this point. There are some huge banking opportunities there, especially since the equity markets are...uhhh...spotty.

                        Would be nice if some of these nations can fix their damn financial sectors so they stop using New York Condos as their preferred investment vehicles.

                        At least in the GV Social Circle, Outrage Fatigue has set in. There are a few die-hards that are still raising holy hell, but most people are sick of hearing it and want to move on with their lives. The approval ratings and recent events show that Trump has lost enough base support to pretty much make him a lame-duck President for the rest of his term...I'm not seeing a lot of that in my Social Circle, but the Conservatives I know are of a different cut (you have to be pretty contrarian to be a Republican in Illinois, after all).

                        The various "Woke" social movements are setting in pretty hard-core, though. Maybe not all of the Transgender movements (among my generation, people still seem a bit weirded out by that), but the various race- and gender- and intersectional-conscious arguments are definitely in the water supply. They are not yet treated as New Deal-level Gospel, but they are about on par with "Exxon is bad." Even the more "moderate" Democrats are swinging in that direction.

                        More worrying are the more market-oriented "moderate" Democrats increasingly convinced capitalism is broken/net bad, the same folks that just a decade ago were pretty on-board with the neo-liberal consensus. Bernie Sanders and BLM have had a definite effect and are Body-Snatching moderate Dems (as I pretty much guessed they would).

                        We'll see if it continues. It'll be a lovely political environment in 20 years at this rate, I'll probably have to diversify into Russian real estate to ensure my holdings are not expropriated by the next generation.
                        "The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood"-Otto Von Bismarck

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                        • GVChamp,

                          More worrying are the more market-oriented "moderate" Democrats increasingly convinced capitalism is broken/net bad, the same folks that just a decade ago were pretty on-board with the neo-liberal consensus. Bernie Sanders and BLM have had a definite effect and are Body-Snatching moderate Dems (as I pretty much guessed they would).
                          the driver of this was the Great Recession, not Bernie Sanders and BLM.

                          that's why even Republicans (a la the Bannon nationalist faction) are advocating policies that would have sounded incredibly leftist even a decade ago.
                          There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by astralis View Post
                            GVChamp,



                            the driver of this was the Great Recession, not Bernie Sanders and BLM.

                            that's why even Republicans (a la the Bannon nationalist faction) are advocating policies that would have sounded incredibly leftist even a decade ago.
                            I see the Great Recession causing some shifts in attitude, but the actual movements and leaders of movements probably matter. I don't remember hearing this much Socialism back in 2009 or 2010, since Obama was still leading the ship (and Obama is more Third Way than Sanders).

                            BLM is a good test on this: There's no reason race issues should have been on the national docket after the Great Recession. It's the movement, and the shouting from the rooftops, that's killing Third Way.

                            Either way, Third Way is going the way of Bourbon Democrats and the Do-do bird.
                            "The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood"-Otto Von Bismarck

                            Comment


                            • GVChamp,

                              BLM is a good test on this: There's no reason race issues should have been on the national docket after the Great Recession. It's the movement, and the shouting from the rooftops, that's killing Third Way.
                              not sure that I follow that "BLM is killing Third Way"-- as you say, BLM is a race-relations movement and the Third Way has always primarily been about economics. moreover, BLM started in 2013, which was well into recovery phase of the Great Recession...and long after the Third Way disappeared as an independent political force, which pretty much died with Al Gore and the immediately following internal Democratic turmoil of the Iraq War.

                              Either way, Third Way is going the way of Bourbon Democrats and the Do-do bird.
                              -has already- gone that way, again, as an independent force. however, its imprint will long remain given party makeup, funding sources, and beliefs-- even with the prominence of Sanders. i'm sure you saw the squabble between Tom Perez and Sanders as part of the so-called "unity" tour.

                              contrast the US Democratic Party with Labour in the UK, for instance-- the latter having done a more complete job in taking over the levers of power from the Blairite Third Wayers and remaking the party into the Old Labour image.
                              There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov

                              Comment


                              • The Trumpet's budget chief, Mick Mulvaney, said, "This president should be allowed to have his highest priorities funded even though the Democrats rightly have a seat at the table because of the Senate rules."

                                That’s odd.

                                I thought the House of Representatives controlled the purse strings, and the White House’s only constitutional role is to sign or veto. I also thought that Democrats "rightly have a seat at the table" because they were ELECTED, not because of Senate rules.

                                http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-actio...re-border-wall
                                Trust me?
                                I'm an economist!

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