monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

. . . Trumplusconi . . .

Well, the thread is doing quite splendidly so perhaps we ought to leave well enough alone.

Board and card games can be fun, challenging and keep family and friends occupied. But one rather risqué game has recently embarked on a more politically strategic challenge.

Cards Against Humanity - "a party game for horrible people," according to its creators - has been mentioned in over 14,000 tweets, at time of writing, after revealing it had purchased a plot of land on the US border with Mexico.

The company is known for self-aware stunts, such as launching a pink edition of the game for women and raising $95,000 (£72,000) to dig a hole for no reason.

According to the company's website, which uses language some may find offensive, the aim is to "make it as time-consuming and expensive as possible" to build US President Donald Trump's proposed border wall.

The Chicago-based company claims it will "save America," having asked for $15 in exchange for six "America-saving surprises."

According to the website, there are no more slots remaining to sign up for the "surprises", but those who have paid will get "an illustrated map of the land, a certificate of our promise to fight the wall, some new cards, and a few other surprises."

It has enlisted the help of a law firm specialising in "eminent domain" - the power of the federal government to acquire private land at a market price.

Many on Twitter have found this highly amusing. Instagram model Crystal Leigh described it as "the best thing" to happen all day.

Even before the latest revelations, Moore was a stereotype of a witless, conspiracy-minded Southern demagogue.

In order for the Republicans to pass a tax cut bill with only 50 votes in the Senate they can only add $1.5 trillion to the National Debt. If they add more than that to the debt the bill would require 60 votes and they could never get 60 votes. Of course repealing the individual mandate that requires people to have health insurance and robbing 13 million people of their health insurance saves $338 billion but that may not be enough. So now the House bill makes the tax cuts for corporations permanent but the tax cuts for individuals would only be temporary and would expire in 2025. This tells you a lot about who the tax cuts are for.

The Senate wants to increase the child tax credit for children from $1650 to $2,000. The conservatives have made welfare a punching bag for the last three decades. The child tax care credit is actually a form of welfare because not only does it return all of the tax money that poor families pay but it gives them back money they never paid in. Let's face it anytime the government pays you money that you didn't pay in it is really a form of welfare. If there was a bill in Congress to increase the welfare of a family of four by $4,000 a year the republicans would be outraged and vote it down. I have a cousin and she and her husband bought a bass boat with their childcare tax credits. I don't have any problem with the poor with children getting an extra few thousand from the government what I don't like is it being part of the tax code. The Republicans are using this program as a tax cut when it fact it pays out money for taxes that are not paid in. This is a welfare program and should be separated from the tax code. The Republicans charge these "welfare payments" against legitimate tax cuts to come up with an "average" tax cut.

I don't have a problem with governments payments to low income couples with children however I do have a problem with calling a government payment a tax refund. The couples could be identified by tax returns but the payments should be called payments not tax refunds. They should not be a big lump sum payment of money paid at one time. They should be divided and distributed throughout the year making a payment right before school starts to purchase school clothes instead of a bass boat for dad or a car.

Calling these tax credits is a lie. Let's own up to the fact that many of the young are working in jobs that don't pay enough to live on. We have a long tradition of hiding from the Truth in America. The tax payers not only pay for welfare we have to subsidize much of the working poor not because they won't work but because the ungodly greedy are getting rich off of their labor. One of the biggest fortunes made in America is Wal-Mart fortune made on tax payer subsidized labor force. The ungodly greedy need to either pay a living wage or have to pay enough taxes to offset all of the government subsidies, for food stamps, housing, medical care of their employees and don't forget the childcare credits.

China denied Thursday that it has abandoned its long-standing proposal to ease the North Korean nuclear crisis after US President Donald Trump suggested Beijing had agreed to drop the policy.

Beijing has long campaigned for a "dual track approach" in which the United States would halt military drills in the region while North Korea would freeze its weapons programs.

But Trump suggested Wednesday following his five-nation trip to Asia, which included meetings with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, that the Chinese leader had ditched the plan.

"President Xi recognises that a nuclear North Korea is a grave threat to China," Trump said. "And we agreed that we would not accept a so-called 'freeze for freeze' agreement like those that have consistently failed in the past."

But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing's position on the nuclear issue remained "consistent and clear-cut".

"We think that under the current circumstances, the suspension for suspension initiative is the most realistic, feasible, fair and reasonable plan," Geng told a news briefing when asked about Trump's comment.

"It can not only ease the current tense situation, but also solve the most pressing security concerns for all parties, provide opportunities and create conditions for resuming peace talks and find breakthrough to get out of the stalemate," he said.

"We hope all relevant parties can have a earnest approach and give a positive consideration to the good faith of the Chinese side," Geng said, adding that using military force was "not an option" to resolve the crisis.

Here’s how a Trump judicial nominee really feels about laws protecting women against discrimination

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday on Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett’s nomination to a federal appeals court. Two decades earlier, however, Willett questioned the need for laws protecting women against discrimination in a memo to his boss, then-Gov. George W. Bush (R-TX).

The memo mocked the policy positions of the Texas Federation of Business and Professional Women, which Bush planned to praise in an official proclamation. “Issue-wise,” Willett wrote regarding the Texas women’s group, “they support the ERA, affirmative action, abortion rights, legislation adding teeth to the Equal Pay Act, etc. and they regularly line up with the AFL-CIO and similar groups.”

The future judicial nominee also urged Bush to strip language from the proclamation supporting women’s right to receive equal pay for equal work, as well as their right to be free from sexual harassment in the workplace. “I resist the proclamation’s talk of ‘glass ceilings,’ pay equity (an allegation that some studies debunk), the need to place kids in the care of rented strangers, sexual discrimination/harassment, and the need generally for better ‘working conditions’ for women (read: more government).”

Willett concluded his brief memo with a rhetorical flourish. “The proclamation can perhaps be re-worded to omit these ideological hot buttons while still respecting the contributions of talented women professionals. But I strongly resist anything that shows we believe the hype.”

Trump only hires the best people

Professor Simon Anholt, who created the NBI study in 2005, comments, “The USA’s fall in the ‘Governance’ category suggests that we are witnessing a ‘Trump effect’, following President Trump’s focused political message of ‘America First’. However, Americans’ assessment of their own country is notably more positive this year than last. A similar fall in global perception of the USA was seen following the re-election of George W. Bush, when the USA fell to seventh place. Previously, America has never stayed outside the top ranking for more than a year at a time: it will be interesting to see whether this holds true in the 2018 ranking.”

50 nations measured in 2017

North America: Canada, the U.S.

Western Europe: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Northern Ireland, Norway*, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK

Central/Eastern Europe: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine*

Asia-Pacific: Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand

Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru

Middle East/Africa: Botswana*, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates.

He raped and assaulted women. He got away with that.

He was impeached for lying under oath about an unrelated matter.

A bumper sticker directing an expletive at US President Donald Trump and those who voted for him has triggered a free speech debate in Texas.

The pick-up truck adhesive prompted a Facebook post by a local sheriff who asked to speak with the vehicle owner.

In his post, the sheriff threatened to prosecute the owner for disorderly conduct unless she changes the sign.

But free speech advocates argue the anti-Trump driver, 46-year-old Karen Fonseca, within her rights.

The controversy began in the Houston suburbs when Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls posted a Facebook photo of the truck displaying the sticker.

"I have received numerous calls regarding the offensive display on this truck," wrote the Republican sheriff, who local media outlets report is considering a run for US Congress.

"If you know who owns this truck or it is yours, I would like to discuss it with you.

"Our Prosecutor has informed us she would accept Disorderly Conduct charges regarding it, but I feel we could come to an agreement regarding a modification to it."

The vehicle owner, Mrs Fonseca, told local media she has no plans to speak to the sheriff, telling the Houston Chronicle: "It's just our freedom of speech and we're exercising it."

Mrs Fonseca, who shares the truck with her husband, said she affixed the custom-made sticker about 11 months ago after President Trump was sworn into office.

"It's not to cause hate or animosity," she told the newspaper, adding that she used to work under the sheriff at the county jail.

"It makes people happy. They smile. They stop you," said Mrs Fonseca.
"They want to shake your hand," she told local station KTRK.

She added that people tell her they "wish they had the guts" to put a similar sign on their vehicle.

After the Facebook post drew attention, the sheriff held a press conference where he appeared to back down from his original suggestion that charges were warranted.

"We have not threatened anybody with arrest. We have not written any citations," Sheriff Nehls said.

"But I think now it would be a good time to have meaningful dialogue with that person and express the concerns out there regarding the language on the truck."

Fort Bend County narrowly voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election by 51%, with 45% for Mr Trump, according to the Washington Post.

Texas state law describes disorderly conduct as intentionally using "abusive, indecent, profane, or vulgar language in a public place, and the language by its very utterance tends to incite an immediate breach of peace".

The law also prohibits making "an offensive gesture or display in a public place" that could have the same effect.

Re: blatham (Post 6539867)
I believe Ivana and Juanita. Do you?

Here’s how a Trump judicial nominee really feels about laws protecting women against discrimination