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MadSkillz Destroyer of Worlds Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: I only want you gone
Destroyer of Worlds
#170926: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:17:36 PM

The Unholy trinity = Pence, Priebus and Ryan.

Bannon (and Miller) are Trump's counterweights to them.

Trump doesn't trust Pence, Ryan and Priebus because he thinks they're more loyal to their party than him.

DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#170927: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:19:08 PM

[up][up][up]+[up][up][up][up][up] Yeah, that is crazy. Then again, Tennessee did Tax Drug Dealers (Yes, they seriously did), so it's not impossible... But that would just legitimize the Cartels, wouldn't it? I mean, if you're going to go this route, just make Drugs legal, tax them, and then you get rid of the Cartels and Gangs anyways, and then the Wall has less importance, wouldn't it?!

Also, I just found the one President who had as bad a first week as Trump: James Buchanan. The man actively encouraged the Supreme Court to rule unanimously on Slavery... And that led to the Dred Scott decision 2 days later.

edited 29th Jan '17 9:20:28 PM by DingoWalley1

KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#170928: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:23:56 PM

If it would have been any of them, it would have been Buchanan, I suppose. Easily in the bottom 5, if not actually in the coveted 44th place (I'm counting both of Cleveland's terms as one). Of course, he has some stiff competition.

Oh God! Natural light!
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#170929: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:28:19 PM

Trump doesn't trust Pence, Ryan and Priebus because he thinks they're more loyal to their party than him.

Which they surely must be - I don't think any of them wanted Trump in charge. Better someone who's easier to control.

Also...I'm glad that everyone is as dumbfounded by the statement about the cartels, because unless I'm misunderstanding what Priebus is saying that statement makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.

Like, the whole point of the drug cartels is that they operate illegally through murder and extortion. How do you collect taxes from an organization like that? America has literally spent millions of dollars and human lives trying to fight them.

It honest to god makes them sound like a bunch of greedy immoral thugs who want to make money off the drug trade without any regard for how those organizations work or the harm they cause. Just legalize the fucking drugs and tax them to get rid of the cartels!!!

edited 29th Jan '17 9:38:40 PM by Draghinazzo

unnoun Since: Jan, 2012
#170930: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:33:12 PM

Just legalize the fucking drugs and tax them to get rid of the cartels!!!

...I mean.

Is it wrong that I think that might work?

edited 29th Jan '17 9:38:03 PM by unnoun

BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
#170931: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:35:01 PM

Wouldn't taxing cartels be laundering illegal money? :psyduck:

Do not obey in advance.
RBluefish Since: Nov, 2013
#170932: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:35:08 PM

How in the world would you tax an illegal, underground operation? How do you possibly enforce that?

I think Draghinazzo's got the right idea. If we're going to legitimize drug cartels, just cut out the middleman and legalize drugs, then tax those. Why would we ever want to do business with the kinds of evil, sick bastards who run these cartels?

edited 29th Jan '17 9:36:14 PM by RBluefish

"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."
unnoun Since: Jan, 2012
#170933: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:35:25 PM

I mean, the Whiskey Tax worked better than Prohibition, right?

I mean, granted, having the military operating inside the U.S. is sorta what we don't want this president to do. In case a Whiskey Rebellion 2.0 happens.

edited 29th Jan '17 9:38:26 PM by unnoun

Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#170934: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:38:35 PM

I heard about the Tenessee case on QI. It was ruled unconstitutional because it amounted to double jeopardy (punished twice for the same crime). TN had to pay all the money they collected back.

edited 29th Jan '17 9:38:58 PM by Elle

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
#170935: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:40:53 PM

How in the ever loving fuck are you going to tax illegal organizations? They're not going to show up and be like "oh, OK, here's the money you asked for"?

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas Edison
RBluefish Since: Nov, 2013
#170936: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:42:19 PM

The ideas that are coming out of the Orange House seem more inane by the day. I mean, and here we thought the 20% trade tariff was asinine. Turn out we hadn't seen nothin' yet.

"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#170937: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:43:05 PM

I really hope Priebus was just talking out of his ass and said the first idiotic thing that came to his mind, but the bar for the GOP has been set so low I really don't know about that anymore.

It sounds more like something Trump would have come up with - it's utterly moronic and grossly immoral, just like everything else he says.

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
#170938: Jan 29th 2017 at 9:43:36 PM

I also read something in this week's The Economist about a 45% tariff on Chinese imports like holy shit

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas Edison
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#170939: Jan 29th 2017 at 10:35:14 PM

Caught a glimpse of the SFO protest while heading back from overseas. Powerful stuff. Though being redirected to different exits while carrying luggage was a bit irritating. Not that I minded too much, given that I actually agreed with why they were protesting.

Disgusted, but not surprised
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
#170940: Jan 29th 2017 at 10:38:10 PM

If it were up to me and I didn't have stuff to do early tomorrow morning I'd be getting on the BART to go there right about now

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas Edison
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#170941: Jan 29th 2017 at 10:38:59 PM

On the Muslim Ban, my understanding is that it's still in effect, only those in transit have been allowed though (alongside green card holders). So anyone else from the listed countries still can't get into the US.

As for the military operation, the thing that keeps coming back to me is the phone call that Trump will have had to make. The president normally calls the family of any soldiers lost in action, dear god I hope he was able to put in a face for a few minutes when talking with a grieving family.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
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
#170942: Jan 29th 2017 at 10:42:49 PM

I keep seeing people saying "it's not a Muslim ban, Obama did this too!"

Well, Obama didn't do a comprehensive blanket ban on people from seven countries entering on the basis of their religion (if it's not based on that then why is there an exemption for non-Muslims) without any real justification for it?

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas Edison
Gilphon (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#170943: Jan 29th 2017 at 11:13:02 PM

What should be recognized about that particular argument is that it's how Trump defended it- the people saying it didn't come up with it themselves, they're parroted what the Furher said.

Krieger22 Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018 from Malaysia Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
#170944: Jan 29th 2017 at 11:13:42 PM

[up][up]That ban was due to it being discovered that 2 Iraqi refugees applying for residency in the US had assisted in the manufacture of IEDs used in the insurgency. However, the Obama administration denied that it was a de facto ban. Which is the exact opposite of what the White House claimed, current ass-covering asides.

Analysis of what appears to be going on inside the White House with regards to the refugee ban

That is to say, the administration is testing the extent to which the DHS (and other executive agencies) can act and ignore orders from the other branches of government. This is as serious as it can possibly get: all of the arguments about whether order X or Y is unconstitutional mean nothing if elements of the government are executing them and the courts are being ignored.

Yesterday was the trial balloon for a coup d’état against the United States. It gave them useful information.

edited 29th Jan '17 11:14:20 PM by Krieger22

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot
FluffyMcChicken My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare from where the floating lights gleam Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
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
#170946: Jan 29th 2017 at 11:32:02 PM

[up][up]That article sent a chill down my spine. If that is indeed what's happening, then that is terrifying.

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas Edison
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#170947: Jan 29th 2017 at 11:34:14 PM

[up][up][up][up][up] What Obama did was suspending the Iraqi Refugee program after two of the refugees turned out to have terrorist ties. The ban never hit any visa or green card holders, and the program was started again once additional security checks were added. Which is exactly why this fear mongering concerning Refugees is so nonsensical, if there is one group which enters the US which is most likely clean as fallen snow, its the Refugees. At this point, it is nearly impossible for a terrorist to slip through.

edited 29th Jan '17 11:34:46 PM by Swanpride

FluffyMcChicken My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare from where the floating lights gleam Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#170949: Jan 29th 2017 at 11:45:08 PM

I guess when time passes and if things aren't going as well as Trump intended to do, he may suffer a psychotic breakdown, which will make the GOP reconsider their stance on him being president, right?

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
Eschaton Since: Jul, 2010
#170950: Jan 29th 2017 at 11:54:06 PM

And that breakdown will be accompanied by US citizens being murdered by their own government.

If the opposition continues, eventually the man who admired the Tienanmen Square Massacre is going to want to get them out of the way.

And the Republican leadership won't do a damn thing.


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