I’m not sure I understand this tangent but $53,600 a year isn’t that bad for someone with a high school diploma, presumably stationed in Monterey at DLA getting trained at the government’s expense. The median household income there is only $68k. I’m sure there are junior enlisted struggling for various reasons, but they have to be the exceptions. AIUI the 80’s and 90’s were a bit rough for military pay but since I’ve been in I think it’s actually been fairly generous.
When told that some federal workers were getting food from food banks and shelters, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says “I don’t really quite understand why”. And then says they should get loans or something to tide them over.
hijack
Thanks, CalMeachem — well put. And Peter Schickele is the comedic (and sometimes serious) composer behind “P.D.Q. Bach,” a parody character whose oeuvre includes Sumer is a Cumin Seed, similar to that bastard Pound’s poem.
/hijack
Okay, I’ll … um … bite:
TERRIBLE!
We now return you to the previously scheduled discussion.
“2018-2019”
That’s cute, but I don’t understand their optimism.
I thought you said your dog doesn’t bite! :mad:
That’s not his dog.
That’s not my dog.
It’s an entirely different dog altogether.
“And now for somedog completely different…”
This topic needs to be put down like a dog!
Well, dog gone…
Something something Old Yeller
Well, it has been an Incredible Journey…
I don’t even understand why these people would need to get loans. Can’t they just get some money from daddy? Or maybe they could sell one of their holiday houses.
But that’s a dog of different color.
“Good to hear from you, Mr Ross! By they way, about that Cyprus Bank…”
Ross mentioned that the are ads for loans for these people. Has anyone else seen any in the wild?
I wouldn’t be surprised if they start showing up, but they’re secretly being offered by him.
- Shut down government.
- Stop paying workers.
- Offer payday loans to these workers at usurious rates.
- Profit!
Call me jaded, but McConnell and Coulter may end up being the unintended heroes for the salvation of our democratic republic.
Their harsh, unreasonable and frankly inexplicable positions are driving Trump supporters to peel off faster than anything else we’ve seen to date. If their insistence that Trump cling to his vanity wall project continues to have this effect, I’m all for it.
Personally, I think Trump grasps that he is in a no-win situation. Abandon the shut down, lose the base. Stay the course with the shut down, lose everyone else plus a percentage of the base. Either way, he can’t win in 2020 – and I think he’s aware of this.
So at this point, what purpose does the shut down serve? Well, it weakens our whole society. It weakens our safety nets, our institutions, law enforcement, our economy. Soon there will be protests, marches, other angry responses. Maybe there will be an “incident” – terrorist (domestic or otherwise, doesn’t matter), air crash, massive cyber attack… what better time to declare martial law, name oneself as President for Life, go full-on Putin?
I don’t think Trump any longer gives a shit about the wall. I think he’s attempting to set up an environment where he can shift into Autocrat Mode. The best thing that can happen right now is for him to continue his unpopular trajectory.
This is what Putin wants, and Trump serves Putin.