# Trump is an even bigger disaster than we thought **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 8, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209 "2016-12-08T15:16:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/81 "2016-12-09T04:14:20Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Seems that we need to convince about 112,000 of the working people in the rust belt next time; very doable considering that more than 2 million all over the country did prefer the flawed Clinton rather than the incompetent in chief. Those numbers have tightened since election night. Trump took WI, PA and MI by a total of 77,188 votes (as of today), and the cheeto-head, thimble dick scumbag thinks he won in a landslide. Clinton’s lead nationally is now 2,676,203. Those pesky illegals. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/82 "2016-12-09T04:21:25Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Feel free to lecture me. > > I am still personally confused why the white working class abandoned the democratic party. Esp white men. White men w/o a college degree preferred Trump 3-1 over Clinton, roughly 75-25. Those kinds of ratios of 3-1 is the same margin LBGTers give the democrats. However LGBTs are oppressed, and the GOP persecutes them while democrats push legislation friendly towards them. I don’t see the dems persecuting white men with a high school education. Yet they voted as partisan as historically persecuted groups like LGBTs. > > I assume it was a mix of culture and economics. Culturally they feel the dems only care about minorities, and economically Trump’s stance on China, NAFTA, TPP, etc. appealed to them. > > But at the same time, it is obvious that even before taking office Trump is going to run a very anti-worker administration while Hillary had actual plans. So the economic argument doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Why shouldn’t every party exploit identity politics? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/83 "2016-12-09T04:43:07Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Why shouldn’t every party exploit identity politics? The Republicans have been the party of white racism for decades. I fail to see why that’s a _good_ thing. And no; persecuting, disenfranchising, exiling or outright murdering everyone who \*isn’t \*a straight conservative white male Christian isn’t good. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/84 "2016-12-09T05:34:18Z")
> [@Frankenstein\_Monster](#): > > Fortunately, lack of EPA enforcement of pollution regulation is not the same as forcing people to pollute. > … Yeah, a big company like Monsanto would _Never, Ever_ pollute: [http://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Washington-sues-agricubiness-giant-Montsanto-over-10783980.php?google\_editors\_picks=true](http://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Washington-sues-agricubiness-giant-Montsanto-over-10783980.php?google_editors_picks=true) ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/85 "2016-12-09T05:54:06Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > The EPA is just one of many, many federal agencies/departments that should be shut down immediately. There is no provision for its existence; it’s another one of many, many federal encroachments on issues that belong to the states. So let’s say I live in Colorado. And let’s say that a power plant in Wyoming, being entirely within the regulations of Wyoming, completely pollutes a waterway that goes through my district in Colorado, to the point where we can’t use it for drinking or fishing any more. Should I have to go to Wyoming to sue them? Should it be acceptable for Wyoming to have standards that far beyond the pale? C’mon, I’m a stupid librul, help me think this through. Who benefits from allowing the states to set their own pollution standards? Why should something which is _necessarily_ an issue across state borders be dealt with by the states? > [@octopus](#): > > Why shouldn’t every party exploit identity politics? Black identity politics: “I cannot trust that if my murder is caught on tape, the perpetrator will be convicted, please help me.” Gay identity politics: “I cannot marry the person I love, and in some places if I have sex with them I can be put in prison, please help me.” Trans identity politics: “I literally live in fear for my life every day. I cannot get medical treatment. I can’t go to the bathroom in public without being harassed or abused.” Female identity politics: “If I am raped and my rapist impregnates me, I may be forced to keep it. I don’t have sovereignty over my own body.” White male identity politics: …You tell me. What, exactly, are the big “identity level” complaints for the dominant sociopolitical group in the USA? How are they being marginalized? Seems to me a lot of their complaints boil down to “WAAAAH I’M NOT THE SOLE DRIVING FORCE OF CULTURE AND THE ECONOMY ANY MORE!” ---
**Author:** ![eulalia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eulalia/32/457_2.png) [@eulalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eulalia)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/86 "2016-12-09T06:32:09Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > So let’s say I live in Colorado. And let’s say that a power plant in Wyoming, being entirely within the regulations of Wyoming, completely pollutes a waterway that goes through my district in Colorado, to the point where we can’t use it for drinking or fishing any more. Should I have to go to Wyoming to sue them? Should it be acceptable for Wyoming to have standards that far beyond the pale? C’mon, I’m a stupid librul, help me think this through. Who benefits from allowing the states to set their own pollution standards? Why should something which is _necessarily_ an issue across state borders be dealt with by the states? > > Black identity politics: “I cannot trust that if my murder is caught on tape, the perpetrator will be convicted, please help me.” > Gay identity politics: “I cannot marry the person I love, and in some places if I have sex with them I can be put in prison, please help me.” > Trans identity politics: “I literally live in fear for my life every day. I cannot get medical treatment. I can’t go to the bathroom in public without being harassed or abused.” > Female identity politics: “If I am raped and my rapist impregnates me, I may be forced to keep it. I don’t have sovereignty over my own body.” > White male identity politics: …You tell me. What, exactly, are the big “identity level” complaints for the dominant sociopolitical group in the USA? How are they being marginalized? Seems to me a lot of their complaints boil down to “WAAAAH I’M NOT THE SOLE DRIVING FORCE OF CULTURE AND THE ECONOMY ANY MORE!” Nitpick: Colorado is not downstream from Wyoming. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/87 "2016-12-09T06:37:42Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > White male identity politics: …You tell me. What, exactly, are the big “identity level” complaints for the dominant sociopolitical group in the USA? How are they being marginalized? Seems to me a lot of their complaints boil down to “WAAAAH I’M NOT THE SOLE DRIVING FORCE OF CULTURE AND THE ECONOMY ANY MORE!” Oh, it’s also “I wanna be able to rape and murder anyone who isn’t exactly like me! Bring back lynching! Kill the blacks, kill the browns, kill the gays, kill anyone who isn’t Christian! Nuke the Muslims! And let’s ‘Trump’ any woman we can catch!” ---
**Author:** ![eulalia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eulalia/32/457_2.png) [@eulalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eulalia)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/88 "2016-12-09T06:39:52Z")
The shareholders of many large corporations are pension funds, institutional investors, so the individuals doing the investing have little control over what those corporations do. If Vanguard had a non-polluters fund I might put my IRA money there, but if it’s cheaper to pollute those companies that do will have an advantage over those that don’t ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/89 "2016-12-09T09:07:02Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Oooh, good point. Nobody will force companies to pollute. Companies will pollute only if it’s cheaper for them to pollute. > > Care to give us any realistic scenarios where it isn’t, if there is no enforcement of environmental regulations? Ehr, sorry, but actually the idea that it’s always cheaper to pollute is a fallacy. I’ve worked in companies where recovering raw materials or solvents required surprisingly small costs to set up and represented enormous savings just in the expense reduction of purchasing those materials. Setting up that on-site recovery process represented large savings over both the “take it all away” and the “throw it all into the river” options. But the “it’s always cheaper to pollute” people very often won’t approve that kind of projects; either they’ll throw it all into the river or they’ll pay someone to take it all away, but they won’t do the recover-on-site work because they’re convinced it’s going to be more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/90 "2016-12-09T09:18:04Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Ehr, sorry, but actually the idea that it’s always cheaper to pollute is a fallacy. > > I’ve worked in companies where recovering raw materials or solvents required surprisingly small costs to set up and represented enormous savings just in the expense reduction of purchasing those materials. Setting up that on-site recovery process represented large savings over both the “take it all away” and the “throw it all into the river” options. But the “it’s always cheaper to pollute” people very often won’t approve that kind of projects; either they’ll throw it all into the river or they’ll pay someone to take it all away, but they won’t do the recover-on-site work because they’re convinced it’s going to be more expensive. Yeah, they can be outright irrational that way. I recall reading an article way back in the 1980s about a company that was throwing away waste instead of extracting valuable byproducts from it, despite the fact that the waste contained of all things enough\* gold\* that it\* visibly glittered.\* But it was “waste” therefore it was \*automatically \*considered more profitable to just dump it. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/91 "2016-12-09T10:15:20Z")
> **[Trump’s Labor Pick, Andrew Puzder, Is Critic of Minimum Wage Increases...](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/us/politics/andrew-puzder-labor-secretary-trump.html?_r=0)** > > Mr. Puzder, chief executive of the company behind Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., also strongly supports repealing the Affordable Care Act. The hits just keep on coming. As I have said, we’re going back to the late 19th Century. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/92 "2016-12-09T10:32:24Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > **Critic of minimum wage increases as Sec of Labor** Puzder’s opposition to minimum wage increases is small potatoes, so to speak, compared to his [support for replacing workers entirely with automation](http://www.businessinsider.com.au/carls-jr-wants-open-automated-location-2016-3?r=US&IR=T): > [@](#): > > “I want to try it,” CEO Andy Puzder told Business Insider of his automated restaurant plans. […] > > “They’re always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, there’s never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex, or race discrimination case,” says Pudzer of swapping employees for machines. We’ve had Secretaries of Labor who were civil-rights lawyers, Congressmembers, federal government administrators, academics, etc. But AFAICT we’ve never had a Secretary of Labor whose career goals included simply **eliminating** labor. This is classic Republican _“put us in charge of government so that we can destroy it”_ to the nth power. How’s that going to fly with their recent [conversion to working-class populism](http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/GOP-Reagan-Donald-Trump-populist/2016/11/23/id/760480/)? ---
**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:** [December 9, 2016, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/93 "2016-12-09T11:17:49Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > … > This is classic Republican _“put us in charge of government so that we can destroy it”_ to the nth power. How’s that going to fly with their recent [conversion to working-class populism](http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/GOP-Reagan-Donald-Trump-populist/2016/11/23/id/760480/)? As long as you expect a logical thought process from those who elected or supported Donald Trump as the “Leader Of The Free World”, you will be let down. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/94 "2016-12-09T12:05:05Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > As long as you expect a logical thought process from those who elected or supported Donald Trump as the “Leader Of The Free World”, you will be let down. It started with Reagan – the idea that government _is_ the problem. A generation and a half have swallowed that propaganda hook, line, and sinker. Trump is most likely the natural conclusion to this movement. It will end when white ‘Merikuh’ gets a real-life education on the importance of public institutions. What would such an education look like? Oh, how about continued wage gaps, less spending power, and unregulated corporate excesses that ultimately result in another financial system breakdown. Only this time, with 70 percent or more of everyone’s financial accounts concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of banks, the US government won’t be able to bail them out. Thus, unlike 2008 when most people were spared the worst effects of the economic collapse thanks to the “socialism” of FDR and the New Deal, that won’t happen this time. It really and truly will be 1929 all over again. The next decade ought to be fun. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/95 "2016-12-09T12:31:51Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > White male identity politics: …You tell me. What, exactly, are the big “identity level” complaints for the dominant sociopolitical group in the USA? How are they being marginalized? Seems to me a lot of their complaints boil down to “WAAAAH I’M NOT THE SOLE DRIVING FORCE OF CULTURE AND THE ECONOMY ANY MORE!” I empathize with white male _liberal_ identity politics, at least from a geographical perspective. Some voices push for guaranteed minority representation, even if there is a risk of fewer liberal representatives overall. I can see white rural liberals close to a packed minority district be resentful of the conservative state legislation that exchanged two liberal representatives of majority white voters for one liberal representative of black voters, simply because it will make liberal policies harder to enact. I can also see them be resentful of the majority-minority district because they have a representative who looks out for their views _and_ their district. That representative is going to vote for stuff that’s good for their city, not my village, and they certainly aren’t going to answer their phone if my Social Security check is in limbo. It doesn’t affect me much currently as a white liberal, since the Space Coast is both populous and conservative, but if I were in a situation where it did matter, I’d gladly trade one minority Democratic representative if I got two white Democrats in exchange. I’d trade races the opposite way too as long as it increased the liberal representation and they represented my city, but that just isn’t on the table in America. Now, in reality it is the GOP who mostly enacted these districts, so that’s where the blame lies. But I can emphasize with “white identity politics” insomuch as it means “doesn’t care as much about the racial makeup of the Congress and the districts as long as we elect people who agree with my policies and politics.” ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/96 "2016-12-09T13:26:26Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Why shouldn’t every party exploit identity politics? You do. [Richard Spencer](http://www.npr.org/2016/11/17/502476139/were-not-going-away-alt-right-leader-on-voice-in-trump-administration), alt-right leader who led cheers of “Hail Trump” after the election, likes the word “identitarian.” > [@](#): > > SPENCER: What I would ultimately want is this ideal of a safe space effectively for Europeans. This is a big empire that would accept all Europeans. It would be a place for Germans. It would be a place for Slavs. It would be a place for Celts. It would be a place for white Americans and so on. > > For something like that to happen and really for Europeans to survive and thrive in this very difficult century that we’re going to be experiencing, we have to have a sense of consciousness. We’re going to have to have that sense of identity… > > MCEVERS: Richard Spencer’s views are obviously not easy to hear, but we do think they’re important to hear because of the link between the alt-right and Donald Trump’s team. I asked Richard Spencer what policies he’s pushing for - natural conservation, he said, a foreign policy that’s friendlier to Russia and this. > > SPENCER: Immigration is the most obvious one. And I think we need to get beyond thinking about immigration just in terms of illegal immigration. Illegal immigration is not nearly as damaging as legal immigration. Legal immigration - they’re here to stay. Their children are here and so on. > > And I think a really reasonable and I think palatable policy proposal would be for Donald Trump to say, look; we’ve had immigration in the past. It’s brought some fragmentation. It’s brought division. But we need to become a people again. And for us to do that, we’re going to need to take a break from mass immigration. And we’re going to need to preference people who are going to fit in, who are more like us. That is European immigration. Spencer has also hinted that the country needs to purge itself of all non-“Europeans”. (Including the remnants of those who met the boats. And the descendants of those brought here in chains–long before my folks left the bogs.) He’s said it might be a bit messy but was too coy to go into details. ([Spencer just spoke at Texas A&M](http://www.chron.com/local/education/campus-chronicles/article/Programs-protests-to-surround-Spencer-speech-10695705.php); he wasn’t invited by the school–a former student booked the performance. Apparently a couple of dozen in the audience were “his” people. The rest were angry. Outside, there was a silent protest, a noisy protest & the school sponsored “Aggies United” at Kyle Field.) ---
**Author:** ![Frankenstein\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ccd318/32.png) [@Frankenstein\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankenstein_Monster)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/97 "2016-12-09T14:20:12Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > [Sure, right, Yeah. Ok.](https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/2015-major-criminal-cases) > > [I’m sure,. No, really. I’m convinced.](https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/2014-major-criminal-cases) > [No one will pollute in this day and age, surely. Nope. Stockhodlers won’t let 'em. Sure.](https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/2013-major-criminal-cases) Thanks for the links! How much is the Trump EPA going to cut back on prosecutions? How much more are people going to pollute, knowing they’ll get away with it under Trump? That’s what I’ll be interested in. CARB also does [enforcement](https://www.arb.ca.gov/enf/reports/reports.htm). Are they going to maintain their pace? Pick up some slack? Or are they going to be sabotaged under Trump? > [@usedtobe](#): > > Yeah, a big company like Monsanto would Never, Ever pollute: > > [http://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Washington-sues-agricubiness-giant-Montsanto-over-10783980.php?google\_editors\_picks=true](http://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Washington-sues-agricubiness-giant-Montsanto-over-10783980.php?google_editors_picks=true) Good link too. That’s a state prosecution. I see no reason why (the more enlightened) states would let up on their environmental enforcement under a Trump administration. Again, I’m not saying Trump = Good, what I’m pushing back against is, “Obama’s strong EPA is the only thing saving us from utter environmental ruin! We’re all doomed!” ---
**Author:** ![Frankenstein\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ccd318/32.png) [@Frankenstein\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankenstein_Monster)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/98 "2016-12-09T14:25:04Z")
You convinced me! We really are all doomed! [Leaked Transition Team Memo Outlines Trump’s Catastrophic Energy Agenda](https://cleantechnica.com/2016/12/08/leaked-transition-team-memo-outlines-trumps-catastrophic-energy-agenda/) > [@](#): > > Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is in deep trouble. President-elect Trump has promised to cancel the agreement and stop spending taxpayer dollars on wasteful U.N. climate programs. Even if the Trump administration does nothing, **this means there will be massive defections from the agreement. Any prior commitments to emissions reductions or taxpayer funding for the Green Climate Fund should be seen as null at this point.** Is **Europe** suddenly going to ditch all of their environmental aspirations - or even **any** of their environmental aspirations - because Trump withdraws from their agreement?? I would be **really** disappointed if that happened. Not with Trump, **but with the Europeans**. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/99 "2016-12-09T15:09:30Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Oh, it’s also “I wanna be able to rape and murder anyone who isn’t exactly like me! Bring back lynching! Kill the blacks, kill the browns, kill the gays, kill anyone who isn’t Christian! Nuke the Muslims! And let’s ‘Trump’ any woman we can catch!” Given what I would say to a conservative who said something this stupid and in the name of not being a hypocrite: shut the fuck up, you stupid troll. > [@Kimstu](#): > > Puzder’s opposition to minimum wage increases is small potatoes, so to speak, compared to his [support for replacing workers entirely with automation](http://www.businessinsider.com.au/carls-jr-wants-open-automated-location-2016-3?r=US&IR=T): > We’ve had Secretaries of Labor who were civil-rights lawyers, Congressmembers, federal government administrators, academics, etc. But AFAICT we’ve never had a Secretary of Labor whose career goals included simply **eliminating** labor. > > This is classic Republican _“put us in charge of government so that we can destroy it”_ to the nth power. How’s that going to fly with their recent [conversion to working-class populism](http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/GOP-Reagan-Donald-Trump-populist/2016/11/23/id/760480/)? Y’know, it’s not _exactly_ a bad idea. Replacing labor with automation _should_ be a goal we have. Christ, wasn’t it a utopia not all that long ago to imagine not having to work because robots took all the menial labor jobs? …Granted, that guy shouldn’t be running the Department of _Labor_, but still… That’s not an insane idea, y’know? > [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > You do. [Richard Spencer](http://www.npr.org/2016/11/17/502476139/were-not-going-away-alt-right-leader-on-voice-in-trump-administration), alt-right leader who led cheers of “Hail Trump” after the election, likes the word “identitarian.” > Spencer has also hinted that the country needs to purge itself of all non-“Europeans”. (Including the remnants of those who met the boats. And the descendants of those brought here in chains–long before my folks left the bogs.) He’s said it might be a bit messy but was too coy to go into details. > > ([Spencer just spoke at Texas A&M](http://www.chron.com/local/education/campus-chronicles/article/Programs-protests-to-surround-Spencer-speech-10695705.php); he wasn’t invited by the school–a former student booked the performance. Apparently a couple of dozen in the audience were “his” people. The rest were angry. Outside, there was a silent protest, a noisy protest & the school sponsored “Aggies United” at Kyle Field.) Telling that white identity politics often goes in that way. ---
**Author:** ![CatandMouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@CatandMouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatandMouse)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209/100 "2016-12-09T17:29:50Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > So the fact that he might be knowledgeable about the shenanigans of the oil companies isn’t at all relevant? An arsonist knows all about starting fires, but we don’t want him/her as Fire Captain, do we? [https://www.opensecrets.org/expends/vendor.php?year=2014&vendor=Attorney+General+Scott+Pruitt+Campaign](https://www.opensecrets.org/expends/vendor.php?year=2014&vendor=Attorney+General+Scott+Pruitt+Campaign) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-an-even-bigger-disaster-than-we-thought/774209.md?page=6)