leh-nerd skin-erd

Sounds like we're on the same page. Vote. Donate to your cause. Don't storm buildings. Follow the law. Don't threaten people. This is what you do in a democracy. The extreme left is dangerous. The extreme right is dangerous. When you voted against Trudeau, were your candidates pure as the driven snow? Were they ever accused of exaggeration or manipulation? Were any controversial or misleading statements made when considered from the position of all stakeholders? Kindly advise.

You fretting over whether or not a President has the power to pardon, then doubling down with silly conspiracy theories is not a debate. There are times I have hope that somewhere deep inside your completely oblivious self, there is a slightly less stupid person screaming to be heard. This isn't one of those times.

Certainly nothing precludes you from making a sign for your next Silver Sneakers Protest and Turkey Shoot. Beyond that, what you favor is pretty much irrelevant. If ignorance was criminal, you would have to register as a felonious bumpkin. Say hello to the fam for me.

Years 1-10 of the Trudeau era…what did you do about it? With regard to Trump, you’re covering ground we have already covered. It’s not illegal for a President to pardon a convicted criminal.

Belated apologies in advance. Now I’ve seen everything.

Well, time will tell. The people have spoken.

You’re incorrect. He’s The President, it’s 100% defensible.

Let’s use a real world example. Let’s say Biden’s son avoided paying his fair share of taxes, and that he violated laws regarding ownership of firearms….that sort of thing. I’d think he should be prosecuted. At the same time, if Trump’s son committed the same types of crimes, I’d think he should be prosecuted as well. Now, I believe that some people are above the law, and have said that for a long time. It’s unfortunate, it’s not fair, but it is the way it is. Let’s say thereafter, the opportunity for Joe Biden to pardon his son arises. I don’t think he should pardon his son, but I understand he’s absolutely, positively going to do that. If Trump was facing the same situation with his son, I believe he would do the same thing. I think lots of people, Fergie, Tibsy, Justin Trudeau, and you maybe would see the Biden situation differently than the Trump situation and support it while becoming outraged if Trump did it. I think since it goes both ways, it’s sorta silly to get too wound up over it.

I cannot speak for you, but I actually know these things to be true: 1. Trump acknowledged pardoning CZ; 2. . Trump's statement from the interview: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/03/trump-60-minutes-binance-cz-pardon.html “I don’t know the man at all. I don’t think I ever met him,” Trump went on. “I have no idea who he is. I was told that he was a victim, just like I was and just like many other people, of a vicious, horrible group of people in the Biden administration.” 3. You typed these words, about me: ...pretending that ugly maga truths don't exist or aren't worthy of discussion... This is patently and demonstrably false. Whether you struggle with comprehension, the truth (well we know that already), or lose focus I cannot say. Maybe see a doctor about that.

I think the fact that the Biden DOJ sought three years, and he was ultimately sentenced to 90 days is pretty interesting as it relates to what the guy did, or didn't do. Typical white collar crime on a large scale. No need to remind me on Trump's comments, it was yesterday. I've already addressed that. I'll take it one step further--I do not think, generally, that a President sits, reviews, and deeply considers the ramifications of every pardon they grant or decline. I don't think they are round-tabled, that victim impact statements are sought or considered. I think recommendations are made, political relevance and the greater good for candidate and party are taken into consideration, and off we go. I think people tend to look very closely at things like this, but only when it's the other guy doing it.

Thanks for the extended explanation. As an average citizen, trying to trust that justice is blind and not partisan, I can only look at outcomes relative to what we are told. From my perspective, it looks pretty bad for the Biden DOJ's assessment of what he was accused of v what the outcome was. Maybe that's just a marketing problem. The pardon seems exactly like what might happen in that sort of case. I literally discussed it. Multiple times. With Frank. With NB. With you. The record is clear, and stop trying to steal my insults!

I'm happy to review any of my past comments where I suggested Biden lying was an "unimaginable, even impeachable action". I have stated, emphatically, that Biden has lied the entirety of his career in office. And, that he's made racially insensitive statements during his time in office. And, that he was pretty handsy with many of the ladies in his orbit. I even recall speaking with you about that---ooops, wait, it may have been another poster, Bob in Mich. Perhaps you know of him? I always considered him an intelligent, left leaning thinking person. Anyway, my premise has long been that righteous indignation that Trump lies was neither righteous nor true indignation, simply that you guys like your liars from a different political party. On the issue of impeachment...probably the greatest travesty of the Biden years was raiding Trump's house, taking material unrelated to whatever investigation they were doing, and leaking selectively to the press to shape a narrative. I assumed, correctly as it turned out, that most politicians at that level would have a fair amount of classified/top secret documents in their possession. I also suggested part of the problem was at that level, classified/top secret seemed to be handled as "Do whatever you want". Still, my point of view was that these people play at the "Above the law" level, that's just the way it is. I'd have been fine with Biden did it, Trump did it, Clinton did it....a little humble pie, a few delicious soundbites, whatever. However, when the Biden DOJ escalates, the R party needs to respond in kind when they are in charge.

It's referred to as "Pulling a Fergie". Nothing new. No thoughts on the 3 mos sentence for CZ?

That was already addressed upthread a bit. I believe Trump knows who he pardoned and utilized the power of his office for political purposes. It happens with regularity, so I don't really care. I do wonder, and asked Frankish for his feedback--how this supposed threat existential threat to our national security ended up being sentenced under the Biden admin to a whopping 90 days. What are your thoughts on that? To me, it seems reasonable to consider that the guy was pursued politically by the Biden DOJ. 90 days? 36 months sentence for being a threat to our country? By the way, NB suggested that the Trump admin would use a Biden auto-pen. That's demented, too.

It seems clear to me you didn’t think this one through. It happens. As a gentleman and citizen of the world, I’ll move on.

Thank goodness his mother wasn’t from Coxsackie, I guess.

I don’t know why that would matter in a pardon under the Trump admin, Bill. But maybe.

Thanks for the update. Still, I get hung up on a guy at this level getting 90 days in prison, when the full weight of the US Government was brought down upon him. Steve Bannon did four frigging months for ignoring a subpoena. My accountant has brought up the tax question on crypto in the past, and since I do not play in the crypto markets, it hasn't been an issue for me. I think you're probably correct in your assessment.

I'm glad you brought that up. When I first heard about the pardon, my initial thought was WTF? Big picture, I think sweetheart deals between dems, repubs, and independents are part of the American political system. I think money changes hands, power dynamics are leveraged, and some people named Biden and Trump make out very, very well. So, I don't stress that all that much. On CZ, I had no idea who we was/what he did or whatever. From what I can see, the Garland DOJ went after him hard, said he was a threat to our American way of life...and asked for a 3 year prison sentence for him. 3 years--national security threat, money laundering? As it turned out, he received a 36 month sentence. With your background, maybe you can help me understand how the government only looks for a 3 year sentence, and judge sends him in on Memorial Day and tells him he'll be home by Labor Day. Just being candid here--it sounds a bit like it could have been a shakedown by the Biden admin, for political purposes. To your point, sure, I believe Trump knew who he was and pardoned him for political purposes. See my first paragraph.

These are the people who believed in the magic of Joe Biden intellect and ability to lead the country. They believed so passionately they put him out on a debate stage and watched him implode, and still believed in him thereafter. They thought it happened because he had da sniffles. Surely you can convince them of something as straightforward as doing what they have always done, in a time when they should always do it. Maybe try the crossword puzzle thing?

This time around, the S in Shutdown stands for Schumer. Well, technically it stands for Shutdown but it could actually be the first letter in Schumer, too, in a crossword puzzle format. Appeal to your leadership to end the shutdown. This is on them.

Correct, and as I mentioned earlier, I've had my issues with health insurance cos. Due to immediate family history with colon cancer, I started screening when I was 41 or 42 and I'm approaching mid-60s. Zero issues so far, no polyps over 20+ years. However, according to...someone, somehwere...my screening is not considered preventative due the family history, I believe they refer to it as diagnostic. I have spent considerable time and effort with the insurance company, the doctor's office on their coding, and get absolutely nowhere. Now, back to perspective and context--at some point along the way, I realized that my issue was just a dollars and cents issue, and that there are people with real life challenges and on a scale of 1-50, my problem was a 5. Comparing my financial situation with Ned's, well, my outcome was pretty darn good. And most importantly, having witnessed advanced colon cancer in one of the most important people in my life, things ultimately became pretty clear to me. I wrote the check.

Thanks for the reply., I read it as you saying $1,000/month premium (you and your wife total), $8,000 deductible each, and that you met your deductibles. That $12,000 + $8,000 + $8,000 = $28,000/3 = $2,300/month. Now, going up to $1,300/month, same deductibles and presumably you end up at $2,600 per month all in. Again--I don't quite understand how routine care adds $8,000 each to your cost last year, but that's only because my experience is different. In years where I paid out of pocket for a colonscopy @ $2,700, we're still well below $5,000 total for routine well-care. Anyway--I agree that $2,300 - $2,600 out of pocket is a significant expenditure. Context matters though--if you're a fat cat like Fergie with substantial assets and wealth, it's quite affordable. Probably less than (or not much more than) his country club dues/rounds of golf/club house obligations. I think I'm in your camp as to where it should be--a range for a couple in the $1000-1,500/mo, with sensible deductibles in the $5000 range, $7,500 total for a family. However, until we address all the issues----regulation, government overreach, health insurance company costs and efficiencies, and care costs w/ physicians/hospitals/tests etc nothing gets accomplished. All this said--in the event of a serious illness, I am firmly convinced that $2,300 is money very well spent.

Time to reset the parameters for the money grab. Stick around long enough and the next big thing replaces the last big thing.

Yes.