1. #94961
    'Ignorant': Trump gets schooled as he proposes new agency to collect tariffs

    But it seems his newly announced External Revenue Service is redundant because an agency has been collecting external revenue for almost as long as the U.S. has been a sovereign nation.

    "The president-elect appears ignorant of the fact that there’s been an 'external revenue service' since July 31, 1789," posted Andrew Feinberg, White House correspondent for The Independent. "That’s when George Washington signed legislation creating the US Customs Service, the forerunner of what is now [the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency]."


    “But this isn’t the end. I promise you, this is not the end, and we have to regroup and we have to continue to fight and continue to work day in and day out to create the better society for our children, for this world, for this country, that we know is possible.” ~~Jon Stewart

  2. #94962
    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowferal View Post
    'Ignorant': Trump gets schooled as he proposes new agency to collect tariffs

    But it seems his newly announced External Revenue Service is redundant because an agency has been collecting external revenue for almost as long as the U.S. has been a sovereign nation.

    "The president-elect appears ignorant of the fact that there’s been an 'external revenue service' since July 31, 1789," posted Andrew Feinberg, White House correspondent for The Independent. "That’s when George Washington signed legislation creating the US Customs Service, the forerunner of what is now [the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency]."
    Look Trump still thinks trade balance is a check that the US sends to China every year.
    You can't expect the President to know how the government works...
    It ignores such insignificant forces as time, entropy, and death

  3. #94963
    Quote Originally Posted by Gorsameth View Post
    Look Trump still thinks trade balance is a check that the US sends to China every year.
    You can't expect the President to know how the government works...
    I mean, sure, he already did it once before, but that was four years ago! Surely everything has changed since then, right?

  4. #94964
    He has demonstrated, repeatedly, despite the fact that dozens of people have corrected him over YEARS, that he apparently does not understand how tariffs work. Something that even 5 seconds on google could explain to a 5th grader.

    And now he's demonstrated that he lacks a fundamental understanding of how international trade works by trying to claim that Trade Deficits are, infact, subsidies.

    Congrats, America. You elected an ignorant dipshit for president. Again..

  5. #94965
    Quote Originally Posted by Surfd View Post
    He has demonstrated, repeatedly, despite the fact that dozens of people have corrected him over YEARS, that he apparently does not understand how tariffs work. Something that even 5 seconds on google could explain to a 5th grader.

    And now he's demonstrated that he lacks a fundamental understanding of how international trade works by trying to claim that Trade Deficits are, infact, subsidies.

    Congrats, America. You elected an ignorant dipshit for president. Again..
    Maybe the Democrats should have been better ?

  6. #94966
    Old God PhaelixWW's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Specialka View Post
    Maybe the Democrats should have been better ?
    The Democrats were fine. Maybe the voters should have been smarter. At least the few percent who shifted the wrong direction this time.

    Instead, we'll all suffer for their ignorance and gullibility.
    R.I.P. Democracy


    "The difference between stupidity
    and genius is that genius has its limits."

    --Alexandre Dumas-fils

  7. #94967
    Quote Originally Posted by PhaelixWW View Post
    The Democrats were fine. Maybe the voters should have been smarter. At least the few percent who shifted the wrong direction this time.

    Instead, we'll all suffer for their ignorance and gullibility.
    Ah yes, shift the blame to the stupid masses and voters. That worked well.

  8. #94968
    Quote Originally Posted by Specialka View Post
    Ah yes, shift the blame to the stupid masses and voters. That worked well.
    Why not blame everyone? Biden screwed the pooch with his ego and ineptitude when it came to bringing Trump to justice, voters should know what they are voting for. There is no excuse for voting for something you don't understand. Trump was pretty straight forward about what he was going to do put on tariffs deport tons of immigrants. If you voted for him and didn't know or care what it would do to the economy then that's on you.

  9. #94969
    Quote Originally Posted by Specialka View Post
    Ah yes, shift the blame to the stupid masses and voters. That worked well.
    Blaming voters for who they vote for? yeah who would ever do that...

    At some point people are responsible for their actions, they saw 4 years of him in power, they saw all the shit that went wrong and what a moronic narcissistic child he is. If they then go back and vote for him again that's on them, not on his opponent.
    It ignores such insignificant forces as time, entropy, and death

  10. #94970
    I Don't Work Here Endus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Specialka View Post
    Ah yes, shift the blame to the stupid masses and voters. That worked well.
    It turns out, the voters are the ones who vote and, thus, are the only people responsible for which candidate gets voted into office.

    Baffling that you'd try and deflect responsibility for that collective decision.


  11. #94971
    The Unstoppable Force Kathandira's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Endus View Post
    It turns out, the voters are the ones who vote and, thus, are the only people responsible for which candidate gets voted into office.

    Baffling that you'd try and deflect responsibility for that collective decision.
    Can we be sure to include the Electoral College as part of 'voters'? Just so people don't try to exclude them from fault.
    RIP Genn Greymane, Permabanned on 8.22.18

    Your name will carry on through generations, and will never be forgotten.

  12. #94972
    I Don't Work Here Endus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kathandira View Post
    Can we be sure to include the Electoral College as part of 'voters'? Just so people exclude them from fault.
    I mean, they are voters, and while the EC can screw up the popular vote, in practice, they don't. Often by actual legal requirement in their State.

    If there was a massive swing of faithless electors this time around, feel free to point it out, but as far as I'm aware, the EC didn't rock the boat and just did what the popular vote suggested.

    In general, I'm just so fuckin' tired of people claiming voters have no agency and just operate on mind-control by the parties, who thus carry the only blame. It's a bullshit argument, on its face, and no one offering it is a very serious person. Mind control isn't fuckin' real.


  13. #94973
    The Unstoppable Force Kathandira's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Endus View Post
    I mean, they are voters, and while the EC can screw up the popular vote, in practice, they don't. Often by actual legal requirement in their State.

    If there was a massive swing of faithless electors this time around, feel free to point it out, but as far as I'm aware, the EC didn't rock the boat and just did what the popular vote suggested.
    This time around I didn't hear anything. But I do recall in a previous election cycle there was narrowed eyes aimed at the EC for not going with the will of the voters.

    My point was more so to put it out there before some ignorant fool comes in on a rant while ignoring the existence of the EC. Covering bases is all.
    RIP Genn Greymane, Permabanned on 8.22.18

    Your name will carry on through generations, and will never be forgotten.

  14. #94974
    Quote Originally Posted by Kathandira View Post
    Can we be sure to include the Electoral College as part of 'voters'? Just so people don't try to exclude them from fault.
    Outside of a few states, most states have the requirement that they are required to cast their vote for whomever the popular vote is in the state. Some even have harsh penalties if they don't. Goes from a possible fine all the way up to jail time.

  15. #94975
    I know people in my life that voted for Trump because they think he'll bring prices back down to where they used to be. They also think tariffs are something other countries pay and won't be passed along to consumers. And then there's delusional bro voters that see the woke boogieman around every corner.

    I'm not a fan of blaming voters, but you absolutely have to place responsibility on them for believing this shit.

  16. #94976
    Quote Originally Posted by Kaleredar View Post
    It should be clear...

    They don't want someone to govern for them. They want someone to punish for them.

    California. Liberal state. Even worse, liberal state with money. More money than proper, Trump-fearing states like Texas and Alabama. Not fair. Rich liberal state Say bad words about Trump. Must punish for lack of allegiance to orange man.
    And in turn, they deserve to be punished.

  17. #94977
    The Lightbringer tehdang's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DarkTZeratul View Post
    And Republicans spent millions of dollars fighting Biden, but tell me: when did Democrats even remotely suggest that aid to hurricane victims in Florida or North Carolina be conditional on policy changes?

    Name me one goddamn fucking time.
    Republicans continuing with a special session to appropriate tens of millions of dollars to fight the federal government would be a disastrous political move at the same time they're begging the federal government for help without strings attached.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ivanstone View Post
    And how much fighting over the costs were there? Lots.

    A Dem will cheerfully fund disaster relief. The GOP will either complain that it’s not going strictly to their own state OR will complain that it’s going to a blue state OR complain about how it’s a waste of tax payer money and everyone just needs some bootstraps.
    I love how quickly we went from "The GOP withholds disaster relief as a standard operating principle" and it's dropped unceremoniously to say "The GOP fights too much over costs, but does not withhold disaster relief as a standard operating principle."

    Quote Originally Posted by gondrin View Post
    No, I stand by my statement. You seem to forget that the actual States themselves are actual sovereign entities. They are not bound to help out the federal government nor any other state do its job. If the feds want to go into a state and try and deport people, they can do it with their own personnel and their own resources. Otherwise, all it is, is force conscription. And the last time I checked, there is no such thing as force conscription that deals with matters of domestic policy.
    Good. You should probably tell others that the federal government isn't bound in the same ways that you point out that the state government isn't bound.

    Quote Originally Posted by Edge- View Post
    That you keep trying to pretend these are remotely the same thing is pretty interesting to me. It's incredibly dishonest and doesn't make a lick of sense, but it's interesting.

    Remember all those times that Democrats and Joe Biden and Barak Obama and Nancy Pelosi made disaster aid for Republicans states contingent?

    Surely you can share all those examples of Democrats establishing this precedent, no?
    I think it's dishonest to see political actions in the wake of Democrats as being justified because you like them, and Republicans as being unjustified because you don't. I think if you were more honest, you'd be telling me that the California Democrats are making a major political error in engaging in partisan political actions. It totally undermines any argument that Republicans are playing politics in the wake of a disaster. They clearly have the budget and priorities that reflect partisanship, so they should expect the same fairness in return.
    "I wish it need not have happened in my time." "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

  18. #94978
    Quote Originally Posted by Specialka View Post
    Maybe the Democrats should have been better ?
    Is that any way to defend a rapist?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Specialka View Post
    Ah yes, shift the blame to the stupid masses and voters. That worked well.
    Well, you do support a rapist.

  19. #94979
    Quote Originally Posted by tehdang View Post
    I think it's dishonest to see political actions in the wake of Democrats as being justified because you like them, and Republicans as being unjustified because you don't. I think if you were more honest, you'd be telling me that the California Democrats are making a major political error in engaging in partisan political actions. It totally undermines any argument that Republicans are playing politics in the wake of a disaster. They clearly have the budget and priorities that reflect partisanship, so they should expect the same fairness in return.
    In which I guess every "political action" is equal because that's the only way you can pray you have a point and I'm really not sure you want to open that incredibly dishonest can of worms.

  20. #94980
    Merely a Setback Kaleredar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Specialka View Post
    Ah yes, shift the blame to the stupid masses and voters. That worked well.
    If someone touches a hot stove top and burns their hand and you tell them “don’t touch that, it’s hot,” and then they reach back and touch it again… are you responsible for it because you didn’t “give them something better to do than touch a hot stove top?”
    “Do not lose time on daily trivialities. Do not dwell on petty detail. For all of these things melt away and drift apart within the obscure traffic of time. Live well and live broadly. You are alive and living now. Now is the envy of all of the dead.” ~ Emily3, World of Tomorrow
    Quote Originally Posted by Wells View Post
    Kaleredar is right...
    Words to live by.

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