That would be a perfectly valid thing to say, IMO. I loathe the orange fucking moron, but I have to admit that a couple of his actions will likely help me (in the short term) from a financial standpoint. But that isn’t the only metric, nor the most important one in the grand scheme of things, for judging Trump’s competence.
I definitely agree. That’s why I said the question is not a good one to ask. Because there are actually several answers that a Trump supporter or even a non-supporter could truthfully respond with.
I can respond on a few issues that I have agreed with the trump administration on, though they all have caveats.
The first is that the DOL last year changed the salary requirements for a managerial position. I don’t disagree with an increase in salary requirements, but I did disagree with the amount that they were increasing by. The trump administration reversed that decision, which I don’t disagree with. Unfortunately, I don’t think they did it for noble reasons, and I do think a bump in the salary requirement was justified, just not as large a one as the Obama DOL was asking for. So, while that decision has benefited me, and I agree with the way the outcome affects me, I do disagree with the overall reasoning they used to reverse it.
The second is nuclear power. I follow the blogs and forums of some pro-nuclear groups that have complained for years that nuclear regulations have prevented them from being able to test or implement new designs. I don’t know the precise details, but some on these forums seem optimistic that nuclear regulations may be loosened enough to allow them to design and build alternatively designed reactors. Now, while I do agree that the nuclear industry has suffered under some inflexible regulations that have been handed down for decades, and that some of those regulations should be modified or even removed, I don’t agree that just gutting the regulations on the industry is a wise move. The shit is actually pretty dangerous, if done wrong, so some level of safety does need to be considered and enforced.
Finally, the recent considering of changing tip pooling rules is something that I don’t disagree with either. I have long thought that back of the house staff should share in the reward/punishment of the guest’s experience. The 2011 Obama DOL changed it so that even high paid servers couldn’t have their tips pooled, which means that no restaurant can pay a server an actual wage. If I have the choice of paying ~$3 an hour and let them keep their tips, vs pay them $12 an hour and share in the tip pool, I would far rather do the latter, as I think that is better for the restaurant, the guest, the server, and all the other employees who makes the guest’s stay enjoyable. If I don’t have that choice, I can either pay them ~$3 an hour plus their tips, or $12 an hour plus their tips that don’t get shared, then the only choice I do have is to pay them the ~$3 an hour. OTOH, just removing the rule about tip pools, rather than adjusting it to make it better can certainly lead to some opportunities for employers to abuse their employees.
In the interest of self-interest and fairness to the orange menace, policies of his administration and the GOP congress are ostensibly helping me in the following ways:
- lower personal/corporate income tax (TBD)
- rising value of stock market portfolio
- rising value of retirement portfolio
- improving IT job market
- rates/salaries likely to go up (speculative) because of pressure on outsourcing and reduction in H1B visas (based on some reporting I’ve read)
- ACA still in effect (TBD)
I think the advantages I stand to gain, ostensibly, will not be sustainable in the long term if this administration retains power because they have mostly been riding the previous administration’s coat tails. Momentum will only take them so far before it all comes to a grinding halt. Being a lifelong progressive liberal, there are numerous policies that I abhor but which have less direct impact on me personally, but nevertheless care very much about. Especially because insular, autocratic and belligerent is no way to run a country.
“May Cthulhu eat you last!”. At long last, we can say it!
Like Cthulhu is going to put that in his mouth.
Even an eldritch horror has standards.
Do you actually think there’s causation, though?
The only factor I see that helps you is a lowering of income tax. And unless you’re making a very high income, it’s probably only a few hundred bucks a year - crumbs, basically, so you don’t feel left out.
The rest of the factors, I know of no direct policy the President has actually signed or ordered to influence. “Psychology”…maybe. If investors are “feeling good”, they might invest more in businesses that are riskier and these bets might pay off overall and the economy might grow overall. It’s a pretty shaky connection, vs the economic stimulus of just giving money to the poor.
The H1B thing could help you (and me) a lot. Except he hasn’t actually delivered on this promise. You realize that fixing the scams of H1B does not help a billionaire or his rich friends. It actually makes businesses that needs huge numbers of IT professionals less profitable to operate. It helps the individual American workers getting displaced, of course, but those people don’t have the money to individually make large campaign contributions and also those people tend to be democrats…
I think there is causation. How much can be attributed to Trump alone is the question.
Well, this remains to be seen with respect to someone like me, an independent consultant, incorporated. That’s why I said it’s TBD. Going to have to see what my accountant says.
Much of how the stock market reacts largely depends on “psychology”, so in that respect, I guess it’s feeling pretty optimistic for the near future. Whatever Trump has done, or not done, appears to be having a positive effect on stock prices and general economic optimism, for now.
Not sure I entirely agree. On the one hand, less cheap labor makes them less profitable. On the other, lower income tax lets them keep more of their money. But as I said, the gains will likely be relatively short lived and a new stasis will be reached where rates are higher but demand begins to decline because end-customers are trying to make do with what they have for longer.
Also, if American workers benefit as a whole, then that’s a result. Not sure we need to parse it in terms of blue vs red voters. After all, we’re talking about whether or not Trump’s administration policies are helping or hurting in this respect. Not whether people will vote for him again.
I was trying to say that Trump has no incentive to make an H1B bill pass. The tax bill benefits his heirs by over a billion dollars. The Wall is a huge monument to his ego, something concrete he can say he did. “The Great Wall of Trump” is something you could mention in history classes and point to in geography classes over the next century.
It’s ‘only’ 50 billion and Trump has the power to hold the entire federal government hostage (and also all the Dreamer kids) if it doesn’t get approved by Congress, so I think there’s a decent chance it will happen.
But the H1B bill? Eh. He ought to fix it. Best fix I have heard of is awarding the visas in order of higher salary. This benefits the H1B recipients as well as it lifts their wages also.
Late night comedy shows were always surface level bougie escapism, but Trump has made it completely insufferable. LOL DRUMPF tiny hands orange Russia SIR, HOW DARE YOU? BY YOUR LOGIC! THE NORMS!
We can all disagree without being ugly about it. I may not agree with the opinions of the conservative members of this board, but I can respect how and why they came to the opinions and beliefs that they hold. I, as blue as a Democrat can be, am married to the most decent and sweetest man that I’ve ever met, and he happens to be a Republican.
You? You’re just mean. You come across as wishing actual harm on people who don’t share your philosophy. Is this what you really want to convey?
When people repeatedly tell you who they are, believe them.