Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Kaleredar]

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/po...-vance-391306/

Jay Dee Hamel will be going to the US military base in Greenland alone.

Apparently his wife found nobody willing to host her in their home in the entire country so she's not going anymore.

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https://www.peoplefor.org/rightwingw...-hate-our-lord



New reason to defund NPR just dropped: Republicans don't think the news outlet is Christian enough.

Not looking to get into religion discussion as that's against the rules, just highlighting the arguments Republicans themselves are making to support this. I'll note the actual lack of any specifics from him on this.

By “our lord” I’m pretty sure they mean Trump.

[For_The_Horde]

New reason to defund NPR just dropped: Republicans don't think the news outlet is Christian enough.

Not looking to get into religion discussion as that's against the rules, just highlighting the arguments Republicans themselves are making to support this. I'll note the actual lack of any specifics from him on this.

I find most conservatives don't know the first thing about Christianity. I mean it.

Try asking a conservative to tell you which quotes are from the bible and which ones are from Karl Marx.

"Do not rob the poor"
"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender."
"Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty."
"Sell your possessions, and give to the needy."
"Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?"
"Keep your life free from love of money"
"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction."

See how many of them they get right.

[gondrin]

Did your company really "donated" for free? or you get a tax write off or get some other money from Fed?
Because if you are truly donated, this has nothing to do with Trump and his funding.

I guess you don't know anything about how food donation actually works for businesses. The food shelters and food banks that we donate to only track poundage of what is coming in. They don't know the dollar value. We also don't know the dollar value as we only keep track of shrink in and of itself but don't track it for donations. Just that it is being written off. It all gets jumbled up together as an overall loss with things we actually are required to throw away like spoiled food.

And I don't know why you put donated in quotations. There is nothing hidden about donating it. There is no hidden or alternative agenda. We get no money back, nor should we, for donating any product. None.

However, Trump cutting funding literally takes away funding for those food banks and shelters to actually run. We just provide the food. That funding that Trump cut goes into getting NEW food instead of slightly expired or slightly damaged food. It goes to get produce, dairy and other product that cannot be donated for health and safety reasons. Because, like any entity in the US, it requires money to actually run it. It requires money to keep the power on, to pay people to work there, to pay for the trucks to come pick up the product(they actually go around to the stores and pick up the product being donated, not have the product come to them) and other costs that are a necessity of actually running something.

Like today, we donated about 2/3 of a pallet of product of random food items. Other stores could easily have a pallet or more of product. A pallet of product is a 40"X48" chep pallet(big blue wooden pallet) that is typically 5 feet or more tall. The pallet we sent out today was about 3.5 feet or so high.

The fact that you are even making it seem to be nefarious when it is anything but that really tells me that you are a disgusting human being. The typical MAGA voter that I have run into that I don't care to deal with. Extremely selfish and self-centered to the point that if you fell on those same hard times that the people who do visit those food banks(the one we donate to is Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank), I hope they turn you away for being such a person. Because it is what you literally deserve. And that foodbank is one of 4 our company overall deals with.

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https://calmatters.org/politics/2025...od-banks-cuts/



More on Donald and Republicans literally taking away food support that was already ordered and paid for and planned for.

A lot of Americans are going to go hungry and I hope they know it's thanks to Donald and the Republican party.

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it seems that maga folks really have to claw and scratch for anything to try to own the libs nowadays. they still seem to be trying to regain their footing after "oops the drunk secretary of defense and russian asset in charge of intelligence got caught using civilian apps and devices to discuss war plans in real time" embarassment they're still trying to present as a nothingberder and not one of the most stunning and significant opsec failures in US history

The irony is the company I work for is run by conservatives. They are absolutely proud of the fact that we donate to food banks and actually state it as such that those food banks provide that service. It brings in a ton of good will.

And those cuts also affect farmers because that is where a LOT of that funding goes to. The farms that produce the food that normally cannot be donated from stores. Things like fresh produce, fresh dairy products and the like.

In my eyes, if anyone thinks cutting funding to literal charities that are there to give out food to actual needy, actual destitute or otherwise people who have fallen on hard times, they really need to rethink about who they are. But that would required a lot of self-reflection which MAGA folk most definitely do not have.

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Like I said, Putin was telling Trump to invade. That means conveniently neglecting to mention something.

Speaking of conveniently neglecting, Elon Musk:



"Isn't cutting a trillion, still a trillion, whether it's 1% or 99%?"

Yes. And he's nowhere near that yet. But that's not the lie he's making by convenient neglection.



While that graph is from 2022, it does point out how much of the budget isn't really up for debate.



Musk doesn't get to cut those just because he feels like it. And while he might yell words like "waste" and "fraud" no arrests have been made (therefore, no fraud) and "waste", besides being subjective, has been nearly nothing. To cut $1 trillion out of discretionary spending would be cutting it in half.

Musk cannot find $700 billion in fraud and waste in Social Security and Medicare. He can only obtain this magical goal by lying.

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Hey, you know who we haven't heard from in a while? Ron DeSantis.

"Okay, but this thread is-"

Florida debates lifting some child labor laws to fill jobs vacated by undocumented immigrants

"...oh. Right."



"Do college students have full-time jobs?"

Yes, it's called "being a college student". Most full-time students don't have a job, and those who do are less likely to graduate.

"Are college students typically 14 years old?"

No. Most college students aren't Tony Stark or Sheldon Cooper. Saying this is about college students is a lie. This is about child labor.

As far as spending goes, he still hasn't gone after the one place where there is actual known waste or fraud abounds. The DoD. It is a known source of it. It regularly fails its own audits. But, as I said weeks ago, the moment he goes after that honeypot, the actual warhawk GOP will turn on him. The GOP that have defense contractors in their states will turn on him. As those are usually some of the largest businesses in those states or those areas.

Musk should know this as he is also considered a defense contractor. And he knows how absolutely protective the GOP is of that. They may bitch and moan about those $30k hammers but you best believe it that they want that continued slush funding to go to that so that those companies don't go up and leave their areas.

[Malkiah]

I find most conservatives don't know the first thing about Christianity. I mean it.

to be fair, neither do most christians.
the people most well versed in the bible and christian history tend to be atheists, in my experience.

[gondrin]

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/po...-vance-391306/

Jay Dee Hamel will be going to the US military base in Greenland alone.

Apparently his wife found nobody willing to host her in their home in the entire country so she's not going anymore.

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https://www.peoplefor.org/rightwingw...-hate-our-lord



New reason to defund NPR just dropped: Republicans don't think the news outlet is Christian enough.

Not looking to get into religion discussion as that's against the rules, just highlighting the arguments Republicans themselves are making to support this. I'll note the actual lack of any specifics from him on this.

Honestly, the visit now makes me laugh. It goes from "She wanted to visit Greenland on a cultural visit" to now "Well, nobody wanted to greet her so now she isn't going". All they wanted was a photo op with friendly locals. Nothing more. And they couldn't get it. So instead of actually still having their cultural visit(which you can do without anyone welcoming you there), Couchfucker Vance is deciding to just go to the AFB there.

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to be fair, neither do most christians.
the people most well versed in the bible and christian history tend to be atheists, in my experience.

And most Atheists also tend to far more charitable than most "Christians". Either in actually donating their time to help out the needy to, like my company does, donate goods or whatever to local food banks and shelters.

[tehdang]

And most Atheists also tend to far more charitable than most "Christians". Either in actually donating their time to help out the needy to, like my company does, donate goods or whatever to local food banks and shelters.

The reverse has been historically true forever.

https://www.hoover.org/research/reli...2044%20percent).

After discounting the ignorant atheists that never knew where the non-religious stood, they generally deflect to griping over how the charitable donations are spent, or a “this proves nothing” sidestep.

[gondrin]

The reverse has been historically true forever.

https://www.hoover.org/research/reli...2044%20percent).

After discounting the ignorant atheists that never knew where the non-religious stood, they generally deflect to griping over how the charitable donations are spent, or a “this proves nothing” sidestep.

Donating money or time could be to a church. Not all churches actually are charitable. I am talking about to homeless shelters, food banks and the like.

The vast majority of religious folk to donate. To their church or local place of worship.

[Xath]

ICE disappeared another student how the fuck is this not being blared constantly the media in general is complicit at this point.

[Breccia]

As far as spending goes, he still hasn't gone after the one place where there is actual known waste or fraud abounds. The DoD. It is a known source of it. It regularly fails its own audits. But, as I said weeks ago, the moment he goes after that honeypot, the actual warhawk GOP will turn on him.

Well...too bad for the GOP. Elon Musk can't be removed by Congress. He's not the head of any department, and is technically just an advisor. So it won't be an issue until he does enough damage to impeach Trump, which in turn, would require multiple millions dead. So, basically, WW3.

[tehdang]

Donating money or time could be to a church. Not all churches actually are charitable. I am talking about to homeless shelters, food banks and the like.

The vast majority of religious folk to donate. To their church or local place of worship.

That’s why researchers also characterize nonreligious causes and volunteering. However you want to explain it, it’s important to recognize the gap favors the religious. I say this particularly when some issue comes out where you think secular people outperform: if you can’t admit the facts that contradict your hypothesis, then your issue is with facts.

[Kaleredar]

That’s why researchers also characterize nonreligious causes and volunteering. However you want to explain it, it’s important to recognize the gap favors the religious. I say this particularly when some issue comes out where you think secular people outperform: if you can’t admit the facts that contradict your hypothesis, then your issue is with facts.

I don’t recall Jesus preaching about the “positives of deportations,” “empathy being a weakness,” actively going out of one’s way to not only harm but abolish charity, and other such actions currently undertaken by the current Trump administration.

And yet here we have the conservative Christian right cheering it on. Odd.

See I personally care more about what the result of one’s actions actually are, rather than what they say the reason for it is. Because “well we’re working to offset the terrible things the people we choose to put into power are doing” is a real shit moral doctrine even if it were true that’s what the Christian right were also doing.

And if you’re incensed about “bloviating atheists,” then perhaps you should take issue with the first obviously atheist president of the United States that was put into power twice now by republicans. And musk isn’t attending church services on Sunday either, my dude.

And yet these are the two defacto leaders of the right at this moment. Trying to sell you a bible with his name on it. And conservative Christians applaud and lap it up.

[Nightmare Queen]

MAKE CHILD LABOR GREAT AGAIN

Republicans are really weird. It's almost like they only care about making sure their comfortable upper class lives aren't interrupted regardless of how many orphans must be tossed into the orphan-crushing machine.

Yet Abortion is murder, right?

[Edge-]

Yet Abortion is murder, right?

but the children yern for the mines. the yern

[ringpriest]

ICE disappeared another student how the fuck is this not being blared constantly the media in general is complicit at this point.

They've been complicit for many years.

[SAY HER NAME]

I finally got around to hearing the recordings of the Trumps admin appeal of the TRO and I dont know if they are stupid or like so bad faith to the point of being evil.

Like those were not real arguments. That was a clown show and I am glad its recorded so that its clear to everyone that the Trump administration has no grounding to do the evil shit they are doing.

[gondrin]

I finally got around to hearing the recordings of the Trumps admin appeal of the TRO and I dont know if they are stupid or like so bad faith to the point of being evil.

Like those were not real arguments. That was a clown show and I am glad its recorded so that its clear to everyone that the Trump administration has no grounding to do the evil shit they are doing.

Right now, the Trump administration is basically dancing around they fact that they don't find the judiciary legitimate. They don't come out and say it as it would case a major cascading event but this is pretty much them saying "You made the ruling, now enforce it" type thing.

This is another in a long line of their idea of the unitary executive theory but taking it WAY too far. To them, they feel that the only check and balance to the Presidency is Impeachment. Not the courts, not even Congress passing laws. Only removing The President from office.

That is not nor has it ever worked that way.

[Xath]

They've been complicit for many years.

With sanewashing yes but not to this extent straight up hiding protests was not something that was happening before this administration.

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Right now, the Trump administration is basically dancing around they fact that they don't find the judiciary legitimate. They don't come out and say it as it would case a major cascading event but this is pretty much them saying "You made the ruling, now enforce it" type thing.

This is another in a long line of their idea of the unitary executive theory but taking it WAY too far. To them, they feel that the only check and balance to the Presidency is Impeachment. Not the courts, not even Congress passing laws. Only removing The President from office.

That is not nor has it ever worked that way.

Until the judiciary starts deputizing people that is how it's working unfortunately.

[Templar 331]

Right now, the Trump administration is basically dancing around they fact that they don't find the judiciary legitimate. They don't come out and say it as it would case a major cascading event but this is pretty much them saying "You made the ruling, now enforce it" type thing.

This is another in a long line of their idea of the unitary executive theory but taking it WAY too far. To them, they feel that the only check and balance to the Presidency is Impeachment. Not the courts, not even Congress passing laws. Only removing The President from office.

That is not nor has it ever worked that way.

Well there's always the French Revolution version of taking care of a (wanabe) monarch. Although as much as I'd like to see that I don't want us going back to those times.

We need another option to reign in this molesting orange turd. I for the life of me can't think of a good one. Either we fight him which makes his minions support him even more or we do nothing and let him ruin this, and probably other, country. If we go all cake and head chopping what's to stop the next MAGA cult from doing it as well?

God I hate this shit country....

[tehdang]

I don’t recall Jesus preaching about the “positives of deportations,” “empathy being a weakness,” actively going out of one’s way to not only harm but abolish charity, and other such actions currently undertaken by the current Trump administration.

And yet here we have the conservative Christian right cheering it on. Odd.

See I personally care more about what the result of one’s actions actually are, rather than what they say the reason for it is. Because “well we’re working to offset the terrible things the people we choose to put into power are doing” is a real shit moral doctrine even if it were true that’s what the Christian right were also doing.

And if you’re incensed about “bloviating atheists,” then perhaps you should take issue with the first obviously atheist president of the United States that was put into power twice now by republicans. And musk isn’t attending church services on Sunday either, my dude.

And yet these are the two defacto leaders of the right at this moment. Trying to sell you a bible with his name on it. And conservative Christians applaud and lap it up.

You illustrate the point of my post. All this “on the other hand” bit never gets around to acknowledging something that is literally a fact in apparent contention. You can’t or won’t admit to it, and neither has gondrin.

They’re facts whether you can admit it or not. And it deserves acknowledgement if you want to move into interpretation, not that discussion of religion itself is permitted in the thread rules. What he has, and maybe you have, is an ideology regarding religion that would suggest non-religious give charitably and volunteer their time more compared to religious. The reverse is true, so that can either be interpreted as an exception, or a bigger challenge to the ideology itself. Choosing to just ignore it in favor of the next “thing” is not a long term strategy.

[gondrin]

You illustrate the point of my post. All this “on the other hand” bit never gets around to acknowledging something that is literally a fact in apparent contention. You can’t or won’t admit to it, and neither has gondrin.

They’re facts whether you can admit it or not. And it deserves acknowledgement if you want to move into interpretation, not that discussion of religion itself is permitted in the thread rules. What he has, and maybe you have, is an ideology regarding religion that would suggest non-religious give charitably and volunteer their time more compared to religious. The reverse is true, so that can either be interpreted as an exception, or a bigger challenge to the ideology itself. Choosing to just ignore it in favor of the next “thing” is not a long term strategy.

And I am dismissing the study outright because it is using outdated data. Studies do need to be refreshed on a regular basis as things do constantly change. The one you posted was from 2003 done from the previous decade. It is no different than, lets say someone from 1995 saying "Oh, the internet is only a niche thing and will never catch on."

https://www.newstatesman.com/science...about-internet

On 27 February 1995, the American magazine Newsweek shared the truth about the internet.

“The truth in no online database will replace your daily newspaper, no CD-ROM can take the place of a competent teacher and no computer network will change the way government works,” wrote Clifford Stoll, in a piece that has thankfully been preserved online for the ages. “How about electronic publishing? Try reading a book on disc,” Stoll went on, “Yet Nicholas Negroponte, director of the MIT Media Lab, predicts that we’ll soon buy books and newspapers straight over the Intenet. Uh, sure.”

or "Smartphones? Meh, they aren't anything more than a fad."

https://techcrunch.com/2007/12/06/th...re-just-a-fad/

or better yet "Streaming video? Who would want that? I want to own a physical copy of everything I have.".

And yet, look where we are.

Go find updated data and I'll listen. Otherwise, it would be like saying "Oh, smoking is good for you" like they did back in the 40s and 50s with advertisements and even studies done by cigarette companies that featured doctors and yet, we all know better now.

Better yet, here is one of those ads: