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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#169851: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:02:15 PM

"Exclusive: Expecting Trump action, U.S. suspends refugee resettlement interviews" - http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-refugees-idUSKBN15A2TD

Proglottid Since: Mar, 2010
#169852: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:02:25 PM

At least we know who's wearing the pants in the White House when Putin isn't there

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#169853: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:04:41 PM

What Trump will use to make sure Mexico pays for the wall is the rather interesting sort of VAT known as border crossing taxes, which somehow don't count as tarrifs for the purposes of international trade authorities.

fruitpork Since: Oct, 2010
#169854: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:05:02 PM

How long would it take pence to fire bannon? If he became president that is.

edited 26th Jan '17 1:05:18 PM by fruitpork

AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#169855: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:06:50 PM

[up]Basically the time it takes for Bannon to call Pence a cuck in earshot.

Inter arma enim silent leges
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#169856: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:06:51 PM

[up][up][up] I'm pretty sure Mexico will count it as a Tariff. As will most people with a brain.

In some good news, EPA's Climate Change Website Page WILL NOT be removed. It's obvious that even Trump will listen to the people from time to time.

edited 26th Jan '17 1:07:02 PM by DingoWalley1

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#169857: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:09:21 PM

[up] Weirdly enough, no, this sort of VAT is used by the EU for example, though not to the sort of extreme that Trump is proposing. It won't really acomplish anything, but it will let Trump claim he built the wall (which will actually be more of a fence) and made Mexico pay for it (by putting a dubiously useful VAT in place).

edited 26th Jan '17 1:11:09 PM by CaptainCapsase

Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#169858: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:09:38 PM

So now the guy wants a weekly public report on every crime committed by 'aliens' http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-publish-weekly-list-crimes-immigrants-commit-refugees-aliens-executive-order-us-a7546826.html

Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% Scandinavian
FluffyMcChicken My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare from where the floating lights gleam Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare
#169859: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:11:05 PM

New York Times: Opinion - How Antonin Scalia’s Ghost Could Block Donald Trump’s Wall

President Trump may stumble on an unexpected obstacle as he tries to build a wall along the Mexican border: Antonin Scalia.

This may seem surprising, considering that Mr. Trump has called him a “great” justice. But in one of his last opinions, Justice Scalia supplied a powerful weapon to resist Mr. Trump’s plans for a border wall.

Justice Scalia’s June 2015 opinion in Michigan v. Environmental Protection Agency may not seem helpful at first sight. It blocked an E.P.A. rule that would have limited mercury emissions from power plants. The Clean Air Act instructs the E.P.A. to issue “appropriate and necessary” regulations, and Justice Scalia said that language required the E.P.A. to consider the costs of its proposed rules, which it did not properly do. “No regulation is ‘appropriate’ if it does significantly more harm than good,” Justice Scalia wrote. And even though the final vote in the case was 5-4, all nine members of the court agreed that the E.P.A. could not ignore the costs of its actions when deciding whether or how stringently to regulate.

Why is Justice Scalia’s opinion an obstacle to President Trump’s wall-building plans? Mr. Trump is reported to be planning to rely on a law called the Secure Fence Act of 2006 as a source of statutory authority for the wall — apparently to avoid asking Congress to pass a new statute, which could be filibustered by Senate Democrats.

But the 2006 law authorizes the secretary of homeland security only to take actions to secure the border that are “necessary and appropriate.” These are the same words (in the opposite order) the Supreme Court interpreted in Michigan v. E.P.A. As Justice Scalia said, it would not be “appropriate” to “impose billions of dollars in economic costs in return for a few dollars” in benefits.

President Trump’s proposed wall would certainly cost billions of dollars: He says $8 billion, while more realistic estimates put the price tag at $15 billion to $25 billion (and $500 million per year for upkeep).

What about the benefits of the wall? First, it won’t keep many aliens out. No matter how high the wall is, it won’t stop smugglers from tunneling underground, as many have already done to get past existing border fences. Moreover, the wall won’t stop a majority of unlawful immigrants, who now enter the United States on visas that they overstay.

Indeed, research indicates that border barriers are more likely to keep unlawful immigrants inside the country from exiting than to prevent people from entering. Even John Kelly, President Trump’s pick to head the Department of Homeland Security, said during testimony that a wall “in and of itself will not do the job.”

Second, even if the wall does lower the number of unlawful immigrants in the United States, the economic gains from reducing illegal immigration are not greater than the cost of the wall. In fact, the economic effects would quite likely be zero or negative. Illegal immigrants pay billions of dollars in taxes, purchase goods and services, and enhance American productivity in sectors such as agriculture. A 2012 study published by the Cato Institute concluded that the gross domestic product would decline by roughly 1.5 percent — or $2.6 trillion over a decade — if we pursue a program of mass deportation and block undocumented immigrants from returning. Similarly, a study commissioned by The Wall Street Journal last year concluded that Arizona’s economy was on average 2 percent smaller per year because of the large-scale departure of undocumented immigrants from 2008 to 2015.

One of President Trump’s major claims is that a wall would keep out illegal immigrants who commit violent crimes. But there is no evidence that illegal immigrants commit crime at a higher rate than citizens, and so no reason to think that the crime-related benefits are substantial enough to justify the cost of the wall. No court could reasonably hold that it is “necessary and appropriate” to spend billions of dollars to achieve benefits this doubtful.

Mr. Trump says that Mexico will pay for the wall, implying that the actual cost to the United States will be zero. But the statute doesn’t authorize Mr. Trump to charge Mexico, and Mexico says it will not pay. A judge would therefore give no weight to this argument.

A court challenge to President Trump’s wall-building plans would need a plaintiff who meets the legal standing requirements. Plenty of people satisfy those criteria. Farmers in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas might sue on the ground that the wall would disrupt their water access. Or the state of California might sue to stop a wall-building effort that it thinks will hurt its own citizens.

The problems that Michigan v. E.P.A. create for Mr. Trump’s agenda extend beyond the wall. Numerous statutes contain similar language requiring agencies to take “necessary” and “appropriate” actions, or other language requiring agencies to take into account costs. While the legal details are arcane, Justice Scalia’s ghost may also block Mr. Trump’s efforts to eliminate climate regulations and deregulate the financial industry. Courts will look askance at regulators who tell them they want to eliminate regulations that, a few years ago, they insisted were cost-justified. The same rules that apply to regulation apply to deregulation as well.

President Trump promises to appoint a Supreme Court justice “very much in the mold” of Antonin Scalia. And yet Justice Scalia’s cost-benefit jurisprudence may put Mr. Trump in a bind. Applause lines at campaign rallies would not have swayed Justice Scalia and will not impress current judges. If President Trump wants to enact his agenda, he will need to drop the bluster and explain why his policies do more good than harm.

TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#169860: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:11:22 PM

It hasn't even been ONE WEEK and Trumpnis doing shit that defines enitre presidencies!

New Survey coming this weekend!
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#169861: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:11:49 PM

I'm a bit baffled by Bannon's claim that others don't "understand" America. And by his phrasing things in terms of humiliation. What's wrong with this man's head?

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
FluffyMcChicken My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare from where the floating lights gleam Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare
#169862: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:12:30 PM

[up][up] He's a very industrious worker, I'll grudgingly give him that. >:/

edited 26th Jan '17 1:12:38 PM by FluffyMcChicken

AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#169863: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:15:41 PM

@Tactical: Referring back to Boehner: he's probably thanking God right now that he got out when he did. He looked like he was suffering before, this is hell right now. Somehow I think Paul Ryan is kind of wondering what the fuck Trump is thinking. And also if Trump is as controllable as he previously thought.

@The Handle: He's a racist and a misogynist, that's what's wrong with his head. He's got a very particular idea about what America is and is offended that others disagree with that.

edited 26th Jan '17 1:16:38 PM by AceofSpades

TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#169864: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:18:10 PM

Gets worse.

Mr. Spicer said the tax initially would apply only to Mexico, but that the president supports imposing a 20 percent tax on all imports.

Jesus

Christ

New Survey coming this weekend!
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#169865: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:18:18 PM

[up][up][up][up] He's a "Leninist" (actually an Anarchist) that views the Government as bad and illegitimate. He's essentially an Ayn Rand character come to life.

It's funny though; America, for years, has been saying how bad Communism is, and whether you believe it or not, the first time someone with Communist leanings (at least he claims Communist leanings) gets in the White House, everything goes to Crap!

Reagan is spinning so hard in his grave right now...

edited 26th Jan '17 1:18:38 PM by DingoWalley1

AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#169866: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:21:17 PM

Forget about Reagan, Nixon must be cursing everyone in the Trump's administration from hell.

You assholes are taking all the good things in my mandate and ruining them. To hell with you!

Inter arma enim silent leges
MadSkillz Destroyer of Worlds Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: I only want you gone
Destroyer of Worlds
#169867: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:21:57 PM

Trump just said he considered leaving Obamacare as-is so it would be a political albatross for Dems in 2018.

https://mobile.twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/824687160989257728

LinkToTheFuture A real bad hombre from somewhere completely different Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
A real bad hombre
#169868: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:23:31 PM

20% Tax on ALL imports?

Jesus

Christ

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas Edison
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#169869: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:24:05 PM

^^Yes, because that will make his voters so happy. Not.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#169870: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:25:36 PM

[up]Actually, given the amount of people panicking over losing their ACA plans they might actually love him for it, in a "give Trump praise and be ignorant of the fact that it was Obama's doing" kind of way. It's kind of in line with his earlier waffling over the issue, anyway, and quite frankly leaving it is more beneficial in the long run.

edited 26th Jan '17 1:26:55 PM by AceofSpades

fruitpork Since: Oct, 2010
#169871: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:26:14 PM

We are rapidly approaching Too Dumb to Live territory, if we haven't already. Without the secret service working properly to boot.

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#169872: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:37:20 PM

[Komm Susser Tod plays in the background]

I wish, that I could turn back time...

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
blkwhtrbbt The Dragon of the Eastern Sea from Doesn't take orders from Vladimir Putin Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Dragon of the Eastern Sea
#169873: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:43:24 PM

....

To the good old days? :D

Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#169874: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:45:43 PM

"Mr. Spicer said the tax initially would apply only to Mexico, but that the president supports imposing a 20 percent tax on all imports."

Trump: Everything is fine.

Narrator: Everything was not fine.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#169875: Jan 26th 2017 at 1:49:00 PM

Welp, thanks for the North American recession. Time to heat up the counter tariffs.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.

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