# The Trump Impeachment Inquiry **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 24, 2019, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771 "2019-09-24T20:23:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 26
**Author:** ![Annoyed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Annoyed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoyed)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/501 "2019-09-26T07:25:19Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Bolding mine. > > Wait, what? > > “Taking care of citizens” is what you’d call socialism. Or is this some crazy doublespeak for “treating non-Americans/non-Citizens like shit so that American citizens are treated better by comparison”? > > The funny thing is you’re wrong - almost every leftist policy, in isolation, is viewed very favorably by a strong majority, but once you label it as part of a liberal or progressive or “socialist” movement, suddenly it’s unpopular. Sort of like how the ACA is popular, but “Obamacare” is not. Or if you break the ACA down into what it actually does, every provision is popular, but the whole of it isn’t. > > People are stupid, tribal, and trained to hate things that they actually approve of by labelling and messaging. Citizens first shouldn’t be some shocking position, and it certainly isn’t. Using a citizens taxpayer dollars to give to people who aren’t even citizens is a federal slap in the face when we have some counties in abject poverty, needle strewn streets, veterans killing them selves at an alarming rate, and Americans shitting in the streets like it’s fuckin’ Mumbai. ACA is and has always been unpopular. It’s barely ever ticked over 50% favorability. And the left will raise taxes on everyone. This is a fact. Anyone who says that they want to “tax the %1” is either so misinformed it’s laughable, or worse. There may be topics that most agree on, but it’s the implementation that’s absurd. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/502 "2019-09-26T07:25:30Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > They are in a real bind. 25% of the country loves Trump, and most of the rest does not, including a lot of people who are perfectly happy with normal Republicans. They are primaried if they go one way, and (other than those in deep red non-Utah states), they are vulnerable to losing reelection if they go the other way. Fun! It IS fun! That’s why I put my fun secret message puzzle in the KIDZ KLUB KORNER\* section of my post. \*I have to admit that a lot of GOP adults hang out in the KKK, too. But that’s OK! It’s all about FUN!!! ---
**Author:** ![Annoyed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Annoyed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoyed)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/503 "2019-09-26T07:32:49Z")
> [@mjmlabs](#): > > I think it’ll be fine. After all, a vote for the left is a vote for health care, clean air and water, raising taxes on the 1%, good jobs for the working class, a return to the rule of law, and democracy with social benefits such as Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, and improved schools, and that’s generally received as quite popular. A vote for the right is a vote for more corporate welfare, McJobs without benefits, an administration that is literally attempting to invalidate the pre-existing conditions safeguards the ACA brought, a foolish and expensive trade war with just about every other country on the planet, and taking care of nobody but themselves at all. > > (FTFY.) Cool. Problem is you wanna raise my taxes to pay for this shit and won’t balance any budget to achieve it. Taxing “The 1%” won’t even put a dent in all that. Where’s the money gonna come from? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/504 "2019-09-26T07:47:23Z")
How about taxing the shit out of the top **20** %? Works for me. ---
**Author:** ![DCTrekkie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dctrekkie/32/18862_2.png) [@DCTrekkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCTrekkie)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/505 "2019-09-26T08:13:25Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > “illegal things”? “the law”? You’re doing it wrong. We’re talking about impeachment, which is a political process, not a legal one. Richard Parker had the right idea (for your side) earlier in this thread. You’d do well to heed his advice. Substitute “impeachable” for “illegal” if you prefer. Your still arguing that we should ignore one transgression just because someone accused him of 8. Of course, if your only defense is to quibble of word choice, I think that speaks for itself. ---
**Author:** ![Annoyed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Annoyed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoyed)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/506 "2019-09-26T08:20:52Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > How about taxing the shit out of the top **20** %? Works for me. What that equates to is taxing the shit out of everyone over $100k/year. And it still wouldn’t pay for it all. What you guys want to do would quite literally crush most of the income earners and businesses in the country. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/507 "2019-09-26T08:32:51Z")
How is it that every other civilized country in the world manages to pay for it all, but the richest country in the history of the world is so broke that they can’t afford anything? This “America can’t afford anything at the height of its riches with no crisis and a booming economy” thing is one of the biggest lies ever sold. ---
**Author:** ![mjmlabs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mjmlabs/32/69_2.png) [@mjmlabs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mjmlabs)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/508 "2019-09-26T08:34:17Z")
> [@Annoyed](#): > > Cool. Problem is you wanna raise my taxes to pay for this shit and won’t balance any budget to achieve it. Taxing “The 1%” won’t even put a dent in all that. > > Where’s the money gonna come from? DISCLAIMER: I am not a policy wonk, nor a think tank fellow, nor one of the many candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination. Hey, how about rescinding that Trump tax cut for the wealthy? And maybe a nominal 0.001% transaction fee for every securities transaction (sometimes called a “Robin Hood” tax), which would not only raise funds but limit market volatility? There are other ideas out there, but those two would be a great start. Oh, hey, wait – I just thought of this! What if we did away with the cap on the amount of income subject to FICA tax? IIRC, it’s currently at ~$138K/yr (I could be wrong about that number, but not by too very much). Also – and I know this may seem counterintuitive, but I swear, some very smart economists have said this – _a government’s budget is nothing like a household’s budget._ I have grown weary, over lo these many decades, of the GOP’s flip-flops on balanced budgets. When they want to cut taxes, balancing the budget isn’t a concern; when they want to slash social programs or enforcement agencies, suddenly it’s austerity time. I honestly don’t know which interpretation of their supporters’ mindset is less charitable: that they’re really taken in by this, or that they know exactly what’s happening and approve of it. Fun Fact: [The total tax burden on individuals and families in the USA](https://taxfoundation.org/comparison-tax-burden-labor-oecd-2018/) is [remarkably low compared to other developed nations](https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-do-us-taxes-compare-internationally). Fun Fact #2: If the RedCapPeople want to make America like it was in the 1950s\* … well, the top marginal income tax rate was 90%. \*I’m guessing that’s what they mean by “Make America Great Again.” Me, I think America’s still pretty great, but if they want to hate America the way they do … well, they have that right, in a great country like this. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/509 "2019-09-26T08:37:19Z")
> [@Annoyed](#): > > What that equates to is taxing the shit out of everyone over $100k/year. > > And it still wouldn’t pay for it all. > > What you guys want to do would quite literally crush most of the income earners and businesses in the country. I assume you are meaning Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren/AOC when you say “you guys”. But I am not that kind of Democrat, and neither are the majority of Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/510 "2019-09-26T08:37:32Z")
> [@mjmlabs](#): > > Fun Fact #2: If the RedCapPeople want to make America like it was in the 1950s\* … well, the top marginal income tax rate was 90%. > > \*I’m guessing that’s what they mean by “Make America Great Again.” Me, I think America’s still pretty great, but if they want to hate America the way they do … well, they have that right, in a great country like this. What made America great in the 1950s was the status of women and minorities, not the worker-focused nature of the economy and power of labor. Hope this explains a thing or two. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/511 "2019-09-26T08:46:40Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > This is (part of) the reason that I stick around: the patently absurd theories that get bandied about here. Patently and Absurd resent you implicating them in the bugshit line you’re referring to. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/512 "2019-09-26T08:51:18Z")
> [@Annoyed](#): > > Cool. Problem is you wanna raise my taxes to pay for this shit and won’t balance any budget to achieve it. Taxing “The 1%” won’t even put a dent in all that. > > Where’s the money gonna come from? Well they COULD cut a lot out the this useless and incredibly redundant military empire that’s been created. You know…the bases, the military budget that dwarfs other nations. All to protect us from…what… Martians?? Martians is the best explanation given our lack of natural and nearby enemies. But that would require…common sense? Humanity? SOMETHING not seen in 98% of Americans who are only interested in THEIR stupid tribe winning. ---
**Author:** ![mjmlabs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mjmlabs/32/69_2.png) [@mjmlabs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mjmlabs)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/513 "2019-09-26T08:54:29Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > What made America great in the 1950s was the status of women and minorities, not the worker-focused nature of the economy and power of labor. Hope this explains a thing or two. Boy, [those were the days](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s7MVwNFXjw). :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/514 "2019-09-26T08:55:57Z")
I believe that dogs and cats everywhere are starting to get to know one another better. They’re swapping stories, lapping up drinks, having a great time. Really hitting it off. I’m afraid that if Trump is impeached, convicted, and removed from office, we’ll see dogs and cats deciding to move in together. MAGATrumpians will be just a little bit cranky. Donny-The-Ex will be tweeting them into an 1860-style madness, only far more violent. You say you want a revolution? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/515 "2019-09-26T10:17:15Z")
When a right winger talks about balancing the budget you know that the talking point defense of Trump just ain’t sticking. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/516 "2019-09-26T11:04:42Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > When a right winger talks about balancing the budget you know that the talking point defense of Trump just ain’t sticking. If only conservatives had a way to start a new thread where they could inveigh about stoopid libruls to their heart’s content, instead of having to Three-Headed-Monkey this thread. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/517 "2019-09-26T11:31:29Z")
Tiny hint of Republican cooperation: “Mr. Romney was not entirely alone. Senator Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, emerged from reading the whistle-blower complaint and urged both parties not to rush to “partisan tribalism.” His own party, he said, “ought not be rushing to circle the wagons and say there’s no there there, when there’s obviously a lot that is troubling there,” while Democrats should not jump to conclusions on impeachment.” — NY Times ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/518 "2019-09-26T12:14:53Z")
Shit is getting real, really fast. The complaint has been declassified and we’ll soon be able to see a redacted version. NO Republican who has read the report has come out and said something other than it’s very troubling. The dam has broken. The White House thought the phone call log was exculpatory? Because he doesn’t say the magic words quid pro quo? We all know that prior to last week, Donald had never heard the term and probably thought quid pro quo was an Italian seafood dish. From what I’ve heard, the phone log is just a tip of the iceberg. My prediction, by Christmas at the latest, we’ll have a president whose name begins with a P. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/519 "2019-09-26T12:19:19Z")
Chuck Todd is a guest on a Chicago radio station Thursday mornings, and on my way in to work he was talking about the complaint. According to him, a person who has seen it says that there is little new in it. (Not that what exists now isn’t damning enough.) But then again, he’s been wrong before. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/520 "2019-09-26T12:32:52Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > This is (part of) the reason that I stick around: the patently absurd theories that get bandied about here. I propose no theories. I note he has gone to great effort to conceal his finances. I strongly suspect that ‘transparency’ would reveal connections to (ownership by) domestic and foreign mafiyas and state players, to the extent of actual treason as Constitutionally defined. I fear he can and will **pull nutz shit** like nuking easy targets as a self-protectve measure. You may see a constitutional crisis. I see an existential crisis. I sure focking hope I’m wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771.md?page=27)