All_Pro_Bills

This is where thinking moves into the realm of idiots. Useful idiots. An elected representative that exercises their Constitutional and democratic rights governing the rules, processes, and procedures of the Senate in order to question and scrutinize policy and spending decisions along with requesting the executive branch to demonstrate justification and oversight for such initiatives is NOT a traitor. Dissent and criticism are not treason. They're basic elements of the democratic process. And they're not conditional on whether or not you or I or anyone else likes it or not. Including this tool Jon Cooper. If you check he's probably on the payroll of some big defense contractor or some think tank or lobby funded by them.

If there's one thing the Washington war machine is great at its exaggerating and producing lots of melodrama associated with the threat assessments they provide to the public through the various media outlets. Which pump it up to the max. All kinds of dangers posed by all kinds of players and countries out to harm "American interests" I recall the hype around the dangers that Saddam's Iraq provided as the "world's 4th largest army". How'd that go exactly? I think that's the case here with Russia. Does the true threat posed by Russia as demonstrated by their disastrous performance in Ukraine justify all the defense spending, troops in Europe or even NATO itself? The U.S. spends over $800B and Russia about 10% of that. And as demonstrated in combat our weapons systems and military branches are superior to anything they've shown to date. It seems unimaginable that Russia which can't even handle Ukraine has any capability to muster any sizable opposition to NATO or even American forces on their own. Their weapons and tactics appear to be obsolete, their military is poorly trained and unmotivated, their chain of command, organization, and troop discipline seems non-existent, and even being right next door to Ukraine their logistics operations with troops and supplies are dysfunctional. Now I'm not downplaying the real death and suffering Russia has imposed on Ukraine and its people but that hardly equates to an existential threat to the United States. And while lots of people are pounding the table about the virtues of protecting democracy everywhere the hard truth is, moral and ethical arguments aside, that whatever the outcome here there will be no material impact to life in America thousands of miles away across the Atlantic. And Finland and Sweden joining NATO seems like piling on. Is Russia a threat to them? It seems ridiculous that Russia would have aspirations or plans of invading Europe in some kind of massive assault. The belief they could somehow succeed in occupying, controlling, and ruling over Western Europe is comical. But if you want to spend $800B plus on weapons and other systems and personnel and project power across the planet you have to justify it by identifying enemies, real, imagined, and exaggerated. It also doesn't hurt to beat the patriotic drum when necessary to garner lots of support and marginalize dissenters.

So you agree.

So the administration should have anticipated a global pandemic, safety and health issues at a major producers facility that the FDA is slow-walking to a resolution, along with the dysfunctional economic agenda of its successor to forecast a shortage of baby formula about 5 years into the future when crafting trade rules? And therefore exempted those products from the final arrangement? That seems like a weak attempt at cause and effect given the amount of time between the two events.

Until recently I've chalked it all up to incompetence or stupidity but recently have concluded it malicious intent and simply that the goals and objectives of politicians and government everywhere, and in most cases, do not align with the needs and desires of the citizens they represent.

Opposing war is unpatriotic. This message brought to you by the defense industry. Schummer and McConnell put on a good show of pretending there's some discourse or difference between the leadership of the two parties but their unwavering duty to any and all wars and massive spending reveals they all answer to the same powers. As I see more and more of these senseless wars over my lifetime I've come around to the conclusion that just because the leaders of my country have a gripe with the leaders of some other country doesn't mean me and people like me in these other countries need to kill each other. I've got no gripe with anybody. I expect they feel the same. How about this. Maybe let the leaders kill each other and leave the rest of us out of it? And save the $40 billion!

I'm happy you're fine with the current situation where a homicidal maniac and an old guy with a mind a couple cans short of a 6 pack are playing chicken and pointing 1,000s of nuclear warheads at each other while using the people and country of Ukraine as a punching bag.

Developing more efficient and effective ways of killing people. And all for only $800B a year. So yes, very happy.

As with all things Ukraine the standard 10% for "the big guy"? The rest to the bottom lines of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Textron, Boeing, etc., with a slice going to Senate campaign coffers.

Check your calendar. It's May 2022. And with mid-term election season and primaries kicking off the statute of limitations on blaming the previous administration has officially expired. Contact U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack with questions. https://www.usda.gov/our-agency/about-usda/our-secretary For some clue on why everything is getting FUBAR'd please refer to his official bio. To quote one gem. "Secretary Vilsack continues to take bold, historic action to reduce barriers to access for historically under-served communities. By working to ensure all aspects of civil rights and equity are integrated, USDA is rooting out generations of systemic racism and building systems and programs inclusive of all USDA employees and customers." What that means in terms of action to get more and safer food to Americans I haven't a clue. But the statement checks all the social score boxes in the pretend, do nothing, know nothing fantasy world this administration lives in.

So now you've got 40 gallons of free gas but no gun to carjack somebody.

Yes, Trump raised my taxes too. $11,800 in unexpected medical expenses last year that I cannot deduct because of SALT limits and itemized deductible limits of tax "reform" bill. Part of the reason why every time some ding-doong here suggests I'm some Trump cult member I imagine hitting them on the head with a big rock.

As mainly political operatives and social activists with advanced degrees in all kinds of disciplines that are worthless outside of government and academia while also never working for a commercial enterprise in any management or ownership capacity they have no idea how the economy functions. They view more government, more laws, and more regulations as the solution to all problems.

When you're dealing with health care in the context of generational poverty where infant mortality is the highest there are many more circumstances and factors to consider than access to health care. The obvious solutions all assume throwing more money at the problem will lead to improvement or resolution of the problem. In this case infant mortality rates. But viable solutions need to consider how to address the culture of poverty. The specific set of norms and customs that people operate under. There are many factors beyond financial resources such as personal behaviors, emotional, mental, and nurturing support of the mother and the home environment. A focus on the present and an inability to identify the consequences, sometimes to the unborn child of actions taken or not taken. As well as things like a lack of support systems available to the mother and what can be the hidden rules that dictate relationships and behavior inside these communities and homes. A fundamental obstacle in defining and implementing effective solutions to infant mortality and health care issues for people stuck in generational poverty is both an inability and an unwillingness to accept the fact that poor people do not think and act like middle class individuals that define solutions. So solutions that are defined with a middle class to professional perspective tend to fail. Addressing the needs of people in a manner consistent with how they operate, not how the providers operate could be more effective.

Oh its happening. The idea is to release 1M bbl/day into the market for a period of 60 days. For the purpose of adding supply and bringing down prices. So far, so good. But the problem is 1M isn't all that much on the world market. And it doesn't seem to have had much impact as we move into peak demand season for gasoline. But here's the fun part. The US DOE has put out RFP's for the purchase of 60M bbls at some point in the Fall. Or most likely after the mid-terms. At which time prices may be lower. Or they may be higher. My guess is higher. But there's more. Here's another brilliant idea. https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-NOPEC-Bill-Could-Send-Oil-Prices-To-300.html From the very same political class that has no problem with the Treasury department intervening and managing prices in all kinds of markets via the Exchange Rate Stabilization Fund or the President's Working Group on Markets. Or what people in the markets call the Plunge Protection Team. Which authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to intervene in any market at any time without notice or disclosure. This isn't a Biden creation but rather something that's been official but unspoken US government policy for a few decades. It just points out the duplicity. We can manipulate prices and markets but you can't.

When this misinformation gig flames out and fails because its both comical and ridiculous along with being a completely transparent and unconstitutional attempt at government censorship that only the most dim-witted will fall for, I suspect the only job offer she'll get is as some sort of S&M dominatrix beating the "johns" with a ridding crop until they're forced to tell the truth and denounce their allegiance to Putin!

Truth is they'll the one's that are afraid. Afraid of what is going to happen to them when a critical mass of the American public across the political and social spectrum figures out how they've been getting fed constant bullsheet by douche bags at the likes of the NY Times and the American Nationalist.

Or have they? Higher property taxes due to inflated home prices.

April Y/Y CPI released this morning at act 8.3% vs. est of 8.1%

Biden's pitch comes off as weak, and full of excuses while providing no solutions and sounding like a loser. He sounds consistent with what I recall of what was a typical Dick Jauron post-game press conferences after a loss.

Well, what we have currently is the law enforcement arm of the Federal government functioning as an extension of the ruling political party which gives a pass to legal transgressions by supporters but punishes the opposition for similar actions or speech.

What's comical is that if the shoe was on the other foot clowns like Schumer and Pelosi would be demanding the President condemn the protesters and label them domestic terrorists that are putting people's lives at risk and along with rhetoric which equates to violence against the justices and their families.

I agree with you about control of your own body but we've already established the precedent and "right" of government to tell us what to do with the imposition of vaccine mandates through agency and executive orders and coercion of private businesses to threaten non-compliers with termination of employment. So that point might be moot. But read the COVID mandate threads and the same people posting here screaming about the right to choose also expressed the idea that it was okay to force people to take an experimental vaccine or else. My view. I think the women's right to choose should be protected but at some point on the 9 month continuum of pregnancy the "rights" of the child need to be brought into the conversation. At what point that is? I'm not medically or otherwise qualified to decide and I suggest neither are most of the morons and idiots yelling in the streets and harassing Supreme Court justices at their residences.

Well, cancelling Keystone on day one comes to mind which would have provided 800+K BBL/Day of input to Gulf Coast refineries. From which product pipelines move finished product up the East Coast to mid-Atlantic and New England states. Where there happens to be a Diesel fuel shortage which by chance the Canadian oil sands heavier grade is perfectly suited to produce. I think all of this is pretty well known so are "links" necessary? Its a matter of record that Biden did cancel Keystone. 800K is the approximately the baseline throughput of the pipeline, gulf refineries are configured to process heavier crude, the Colonial pipeline and others do exist, and oil sands grade is of the heavier variety, and keeping that oil from coming to market supports higher prices of crude and refined products.

The economy will be a much larger issue than anything else and will unfortunately for us all get progressively worse as we approach the mid-terms. The pain and consequences won't care what party you belong to or what ideology you hold. The Fed has set out on a rate increase policy which will be enough to break the markets and the economy but they're not willing or able to do nearly enough to stop inflation. Anybody think they'd go full-Volker and take rates up to 10% to put the brakes on inflation? The only question in my view is how much damage has to occur before they reverse course? I'd go so far as to suggest we could find ourselves in some type of inflationary depression if all the wrong kind of factors and conditions continue to align. The oddest this I heard this weekend on Roe vs. Wade was protesters expressing the view that "9 un-elected judges" should not have the ability to take away their rights. While not explaining or comprehending that it was "9 un-elected judges" that granted them in the first place and the irony of their supporting the process when it suits their fancy but opposing it when it doesn't. Or apparently having any basic comprehension of the function the judicial branch service in our constitutional system. But I guess when all that matters is you want what you want, politics and social causes of all kinds and of all views are full of contradictions and inconsistencies.