Epstein

[fasttwitch]

The Big Beautiful Bill that just passed on July 4 maintained the tax cuts from Trump I, and the Dems all voted against it. Every Dem voted for your taxes to go up on January 1, 2026, not just on rich people, but across the board.

The Big Ugly Deficit Exploding billionaire giveaway.

 

[fasttwitch]

Cutting off the penises of little boys and slicing off the breasts of little girls (and giving those children steroids to change their sex) is "gender affirming care" according to democrats.

Are these doctors and parents baby mutilators? Consistency.

Everybody (including every Democrat I know) thinks it is horrible. This is one of those issues that conservatives turn to for shock value to draw attention away for huge issues they fail on. Whatabout this or whatabout that?

A national insurance group commissioned a study. The results:

"Roughly 25–50 minors per year (ages 13–17) may undergo gender-affirming surgery primarily involving chest procedures. Genital surgeries on minors (e.g. vaginoplasty or phalloplasty) are exceedingly rare—likely in the single digits nationally per year."

This study again commissioned by an insurance group that is motivated to stop these procedures because it costs them money.

But according to every Trump cultist member every child in American is being forced by radical teachers to chop off their genitals.

it is next level disingenuous OR naïve/misinformed. Which one? This depends on the conservative.

 

[tommyguns2]

The Big Ugly Deficit Exploding billionaire giveaway.

The Dems didn't vote against it because it grew the deficit. In fact, they were apoplectic 1.5 weeks later when a measly $10B rescission bill was passed.

But I will agree with you that neither the Repubs or the Dems seem interested in really attacking the deficit. It's a slow motion train wreck, IMO.

 

[testboner]

Trump secures new trade deal with the EU. Looks like the only big trading partner left is India. Obviously, some other countries like Brazil are open, but the big dogs have been secured. Trump, the moron, has moved us way closer to fair trade than where we were before. He just keeps winning.

In the deal, the EU agrees to purchase $750 Billion in US energy. That's good -paying working-class jobs. Also opens EU markets for US goods.

Yeah, we’re headed toward nirvana
I’m not gloom and dooming that we’re headed toward compete ruin (though it’s more likely), but please — how do you believe the institutional gang’s propaganda narratives?

 

[tommyguns2]

Everybody (including every Democrat I know) thinks it is horrible. This is one of those issues that conservatives turn to for shock value to draw attention away for huge issues they fail on. Whatabout this or whatabout that?

A national insurance group commissioned a study. The results:

"Roughly 25–50 minors per year (ages 13–17) may undergo gender-affirming surgery primarily involving chest procedures. Genital surgeries on minors (e.g. vaginoplasty or phalloplasty) are exceedingly rare—likely in the single digits nationally per year."

This study again commissioned by an insurance group that is motivated to stop these procedures because it costs them money.

But according to every Trump cultist member every child in American is being forced by radical teachers to chop off their genitals.

it is next level disingenuous OR naïve/misinformed. Which one? This depends on the conservative.

Thank goodness the trans fad is fading away. Look at this data:

Time / Source	Age Range	% Identifying as Transgender

Year 2000

Not available

— (No data)

2023 YRBS Survey (high schoolers)

~14–18 (Grades 9–12)

3.3%

According to this chart, in three years, the percentage of teens identifying as trans MORE than doubled. Children were being encouraged, and pushed to be trans. Every kid struggling to figure out who they are were being "counseled" and told "maybe you're trans." Downright evil.

Williams Institute Estimate (~2020)

13–17 (teens overall)

1.4%

 

[tommyguns2]

Yeah, we’re headed toward nirvana
I’m not gloom and dooming that we’re headed toward compete ruin (though it’s more likely), but please — how do you believe the institutional gang’s propaganda narratives?

It'll be Nirvana compared to Russia. They're the big loser on this deal. Russia is a basket-case with their energy exports. This puts a modest dent into their exports to the EU. Hope Ukraine was worth it. Putin is a shrewd player, but I think he badly miscalculated on his invasion.

 

[testboner]

Is this new deal better than the old deal? Why didn’t Biden care about fair trade? Why do liberals hate working class voters? lol

Is everyone a “liberal” who rationally, intelligently analyses and reasons through these moves? Is it “liberal” to view the institutional cabal’s narratives with reasonable doubt?

 

[testboner]

It'll be Nirvana compared to Russia. They're the big loser on this deal. Russia is a basket-case with their energy exports. This puts a modest dent into their exports to the EU. Hope Ukraine was worth it. Putin is a shrewd player, but I think he badly miscalculated on his invasion.

The wheels of change are in motion. A reshaping toward a new global ethic contrary to the old worn and ever more despised US hegemony.

 

[tommyguns2]

Is everyone a “liberal” who rationally, intelligently analyses and reasons through these moves? Is it “liberal” to view the institutional cabal’s narratives with reasonable doubt?

I agree with that. But Trump has been pilloried for years as a nutjob on international trade. He has been relatively consistent since he appeared on Oprah back in 1994 or something like that. He's consistently stated that our trade agreements are unfair, with our trading partners having lower tariffs and easier access to our markets than vice-versa. It's neither liberal nor conservative to conclude that a present trade agreement is unfair.

While he's held that position, everyone, both Dems and Repubs, have maintained the silly asymmetry in our trade relationships. Now Trump goes ahead and does exactly what he promised to do when campaigning (go figure), and the press is freaking out. They said his liberation day (April 2) was going to destroy the US economy. Did that happen? No.

What it did was it clearly conveyed to all our trading partners that the US was serious about renegotiating the trade deals. And 3-4 months later, significant new, more fair trade deals have been inked with many of our largest trading partners.

I would like absolute FREE trade. No tariffs, no gov't subsidies, no restrictions to internal markets, etc. But no one is doing this, so neither should the US. We have the largest market for everyone's goods. That means we have leverage to get a better deal than the previous crappy deals. Fixing that problem is neither conservative nor liberal. Rather, it's sanity.

 

[testboner]

I agree with that. But Trump has been pilloried for years as a nutjob on international trade. He has been relatively consistent since he appeared on Oprah back in 1994 or something like that. He's consistently stated that our trade agreements are unfair, with our trading partners having lower tariffs and easier access to our markets than vice-versa. It's neither liberal nor conservative to conclude that a present trade agreement is unfair.

While he's held that position, everyone, both Dems and Repubs, have maintained the silly asymmetry in our trade relationships. Now Trump goes ahead and does exactly what he promised to do when campaigning (go figure), and the press is freaking out. They said his liberation day (April 2) was going to destroy the US economy. Did that happen? No.

What it did was it clearly conveyed to all our trading partners that the US was serious about renegotiating the trade deals. And 3-4 months later, significant new, more fair trade deals have been inked with many of our largest trading partners.

I would like absolute FREE trade. No tariffs, no gov't subsidies, no restrictions to internal markets, etc. But no one is doing this, so neither should the US. We have the largest market for everyone's goods. That means we have leverage to get a better deal than the previous crappy deals. Fixing that problem is neither conservative nor liberal. Rather, it's sanity.

The US is no “victim.” No prior trade deals were forced on the US. The US agreed to terms and did so because it along with its trade partners all benefitted in ways that were deemed acceptable along the way until suddenly it stopped agreeing - because enough is NEVER enough..

 

[tommyguns2]

The US is no “victim.” No prior trade deals were forced on the US. The US agreed to terms and did so because it along with its trade partners all benefitted in ways that were deemed acceptable along the way until suddenly it stopped agreeing - because enough is NEVER enough..

Agreed. The US was never a victim. Just dumb. Perhaps asymmetric trade deals made sense post-WWII, when Europe is in rubble. But that was 80 years ago.

 

[Wizbang]

I hate discussing politics but....

There was a sign at my grocery store that said due to tariffs the tomatoes and avocados would be considerably more expensive. Winning? I should buy American at 2.5+x the price right? My wallet doesn't seem to be winning. No company is going to bring factories over to the US, they will just pass on the cost to the consumers period, its the path of least resistance and since the US does not have a lot of the industries to compete there is often no domestic equivalent and so no competition and so consumers just suck it up and have to pay the extra. I'll use this as an example...seen any US Television manufacturers? They tariff them and we just end up paying.

I was explaining the "over time free" concept to my neighbor, there is a belief that folks are getting up to $12,500 back on their taxes instead of being able to deduct up to that much as an above the line deduction (which btw $12,500 in overtime that would be ALOT of overtime for most workers), instead what they may see is a slight bump in their tax return or perhaps not owing since it is only the tax on that overtime hours you're really getting back. I did the math for my neighbor and it works out to something like $350 estimated back they may receive, if they do not owe, man 350 bucks....you can afford groceries now....for a month. What does this do in the big picture? It shows productivity, it increases companies output which raises share prices for the owners of this country and also creates a short term "positive" looking amount of growth to our economy, smoke and mirrors.

I'm disgusted with both parties at the moment. Neither represent anyone but the corporate interest.