Trump Fired FBI Director Comey. Political Instability?

What you say is true but USA doesn’t want to be another UK. UK is doing very well despite no longer the guy who call the shot.

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To some degree, the profit driven media is a reflection of what their audiences like to see. Whatever problems existing in social media also exist in journalism. People are increasingly complacent in their own echo chambers.

I still believe an honest media will thrive in longer term, if they can survive the loss of readership to more extreme medias in the short term.

Am I too optimistic?

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OK.

Following are quoted from the reference at the bottom of the page.

From Wikipedia
Four of the fifteen post-Civil War constitutional amendments were ratified to extend voting rights to different groups of citizens. These extensions state that voting rights cannot be denied or abridged based on the following:

“Race, color, or previous condition of servitude” (15th Amendment, 1870)
“On account of sex” (19th Amendment, 1920)
“By reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax” for federal elections (24th Amendment, 1964)[nb 1]
“Who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of age” (26th Amendment, 1971)

So that means the majority of people in USA were eligible to vote in by 1920(both males & females)

Following are the sizes of Countries by historical GDP(PPP) in 1990 $s. Important cells are highlighted

Now, we can see that:

  1. Between 1870(when voters right was equal for all citizens except women) to 1913 - USA became the largest economy in the world
  2. Between 1913( women’s voter rights were granted in 1920) to 1950 - USA economy kept galloping

Point is increase in voters rights seems to have accelerated GDP growth in USA. So, IF there is a correlation of increased democratic rights to economy at least in USA, the data does not seem to bear that out & in fact shows the opposite.

Again note I used the word correlation & not causation & for USA only & used a capitalized IF

Based on my post above, that assertion is incorrect.

Yeah, No wonder I’ve read some of them were slave owners too.

I wish I had more time to formulate this post. Reference #3 below says in 2014, USA was #10 worldwide in Economic freedom Index.

References:

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Strong post @Roy321 ! Well researched.

Besides economic growth, having a broad based democracy is just the right thing to do morally. I don’t think anyone here would say that we should go back to slavery. Or that we should not allow women to vote.

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I’m sure nobody here would say that.

My post was an education for me too :slight_smile:

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This is exactly it. I don’t know why people keep harping on media being dishonest. Usually they use it as a short hand for things they don’t agree with. Facts are not hard to discern, if you are honest to yourself.

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We became the largest around 1900.

Growth rate:
1700-1820 = 2.7%
1820-1870 = 4.2%
1870-=1913 = 3.9%
1913 - 1950 = 2.8%
1950 - 1973 = 3.9%
1973-2003 = 2.9%

We got a nice bump post WW2.

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People both supporters and detractors(wide eyed optimists), used to say “After Trump is inaugurated he will become Presidential”.

OMG :fearful: that is one prediction that totally fell on it’s face.

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I never subscribed to that view. It’s obvious Trump is all hat no cattle. Even the often mentioned business and negotiation skills I don’t see much evidence for. The guy inherited all his money from his dad. No one half decent in business and negotiations would go into bankruptcy, much less multiple ones.

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Looks like Trump’s son-in-law, another guy who inherited lots of money from his dad, is in trouble. And with that, Bannon is baaaaack!

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Seems there are some green shoots coming out:

When I asked Mr. Baron to name one thing that has driven the turnaround, his immediate answer was Mr. Bezos — and not because of his vast fortune.

“The most fundamental thing Jeff did was to change our strategy entirely,” Mr. Baron said. “We were a news organization that focused on the Washington region, so our vision was constrained. Jeff said from the start that wasn’t the right strategy. Our industry had suffered due to the internet, but the internet also brought gifts, and we should recognize that. It made distribution free, which gave us the opportunity to be a national and even international news organization, and we should recognize and take advantage of that.”

Jeff is screwing the president. He really spares nobody… :smile:

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https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-foreign-trip-leaders-told-154130152.html

This is funny :laughing: . So, not only Putin, the whole world is ready to play him.

As President Donald Trump sets off for his first overseas trip on Friday, foreign leaders have been primed on the best way to interact with him.

The New York Times reports that ahead of Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia, foreign dignitaries have been sharing tips on the best way to deal with the president. A set of clear rules have emerged, according to the report: keep everything short, don’t assume Trump knows the country’s history, and make sure to compare him favorably with former President Barack Obama.

Perhaps most important, leaders were reminded to praise Trump for winning the Electoral College in November, something he has repeatedly stressed for months since taking office. Foreign leaders were also urged to try to ignore comments Trump made during his presidential campaign and to stay “in regular touch” with the president, according to the Times.

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Media is becoming fake news producer.

Fake news seems to be what people wanted.

Tell every one of your audience including ugly person: you are the most beautiful person in the world. This fake news will be welcomed.

But will people still consume media seriously? Or consume it as a joke?

Who is it that relies on his band of sycophants to function day-to-day (if you can call it that)? Trump is your #1 example: he is a Kim Jung-un wannabe.

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Great post with data and facts! Also can add the correlation between fertility with GDP per capita (as well as education): an inverse correlation. “Development is the best contraceptive.”

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If a company gets a new CEO, do you meet with them and say the old CEO was better? It’s pretty typical to be complimentary of new leadership. Does anyone think they met with Obama and told him they would prefer working with Bush?

Also, there’s a reason they call it an elevator pitch. If you actually get time with a top exec, their schedule is insane. You aren’t going to get much time, and you better be short.

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Wow!

I take my hat off to you guys!

I learned so much reading you. Not! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Seriously. I am impressed to know some people know how to research and explain what they know or understand. You know that my lack of grammar of the English language makes me trip like a drunk guy from one side of the street to the other.

I still think one or two posters are still in denial, still lagging behind the news, or they are so in love with the current corrupt president they seem to not wake up from the stupor. They can’t conceive that the media has two alternatives, from them, you need to take the side you prefer, but if you are not smart enough, you will be led to the slaughter house thinking you go for a retreat. You need to have some education on the subject. At least, know about the famous word “constitution” and the rule of law. And you need to be sincere and stop disguising your defense with vague statements. Basically, we are in deep chit right now.

If this is the wonderful government you voted for, allow me to tell you that you are wrong or dumb. Pick the one you like. We can’t keep going with this unstoppable world of tweeting and rumors and hearing things from the horse’s mouth. We need stability, be bad for everybody or not, but we want a government that can function, with a leader that can express, without adulating himself what he is going to do. We need to remind him that his needs or luxury life style goes against the mirror so many millions of Americans see themselves every morning when they wake up and wonder if they can feed their kids that morning while they watch how a president goes to play golf after mocking and ridiculing others of doing so.

In other issues:

I am of the opinion that during and after the second world war, the inclusion of women in the labor force lifted this country to a place of greatness. You can argue how much, but I think it was a pivotal aspect in the history of the US.

When it comes to China, there’s a façade there. The allegedly Communism aka Socialism has a grasp on anything. Although you can say they are enjoying freedom, they can’t speak aloud against the government without suffering some kind of retaliation. Behind the lifting of some restrictions on freedom of expression, lays the foundation of a repressive regime. And its cupule, a bunch of good for nothing comrades when it comes to democracy, are just the proverbial suckers of the system. They let go of the power, they become the proletariat that they used to ask everybody to become. It is just the usual, with money comes the power, and with power comes the right to call the total annihilation of those who dear to be against their way of thinking. Funny how some of them end up. I recall Beria in the old URSS.

I greatly, again, knowing the way of living back home, suspect, and distrust any “rich guy” coming from repressive regimes or governments. They, by an example, are the rare phenomenon of “liberty and freedom” in a country, like China, that has 1.3 billion of citizens living in total poverty. How can you, in a totalitarian, “communist”, repressive regime become rich if its not defying the ideology of a bloody government? And, by doing so, how do you survive if it is not for being a member, acquaintance or relative of one of the so called fathers of the land aka politburo.

I used to live in, not trying to be perfect, but I lived in not a100% of that kind of society, but one similar. I understand the aspect that to survive, to live better, you subscribe to the idea of a supreme government, to a leader you have been indoctrinated to love and respect, not because it came from you, but because it was embedded in your brain. So, to thrive or survive, you marry one of them, you bribe or are bribed by one of them, or you become one of them. If you move away from their teachings, you are meat for the grinder.

So, allow me to be suspicious of those who come from China showing lots of money. They are not the rule, but the exception, and it’s the exception what creates or represents the chain of corruption that makes us here in the US believe that anything is changing in China.

And even if anything changes in China, look at Russia. They kindly changed for the good of the oligarchy. Those in charge of the repressive apparatus are the ones again holding the reins of power. It is not the ideology, it’s the people. And people love money over anything.

When it comes to the US, not America, we are in charge of so many things. But I believe that as a chess player, you should know how to play your hand. We have surrendered our “Made in America” for the flavor of money. And as a snake, China has played a good game of a landlord. We got used to make money, perhaps easy money, and in that process we kept feeding the hand that any minute will bite our ass.

I just know that I want to return to that America I used to be in love with. The one I see know? The love for money in order to let others die, it is not what I want to see anymore sing as their national anthem. We were good, and we strive to be good. Party over country is not something we should follow. And as others used to praise, the respect for our unique democracy and the love and respect for our constitution and the freedom and checks and balances among the government branches is something we need to fight for. Without checks an balances, we become a third world country, where dinning, and singing and peeing, and pooping in congress while anybody there calls the president a liar or a dumb, it’s becoming a norm any country in development would be proud of.

Now, as funny as I am, when I am not mad, a word from our sponsors.

@buyinghouse What did Obama do that benefitted you?

This topic is about the treasonous Flynn and Twhitler. But let’s make an exception since you are hooked on phonics. Please take your time and list the promises he told he would deliver “as soon as I am elected aka first 30 days”. I will be waiting!

No, let’s start, will ya?

1- Wall paid for by Mexico. Crickets…crickets…crickets…

2- I will legislate to bring jobs to America, you folks in the coal mine country, believe me, you will have so many jobs your head will be spinning.
Let’s hire only Americans. But hire foreigners for my kid’s vineyards and my hotels, and Ivanka’s merchandise all made in China. Nah! Forget it! My supporters are so dumb to complain and ask me why after almost 2 years I can’t bring that manufacturing home? Since you are not biased, and you don’t support him, you won’t get mad, right?
Gee! Who am I fooling? You are one of tem deplorable! Gee! Crickets, crickets…:stuck_out_tongue:

3- I will kick “the establishment” out of Washington. Gingrich, and the whole establishment aka GOP will take me in their hands. I will nominate smart people for all the departments in government, starting by the Dracula DeVos. And send the vampire Gingrich’s third wife as an envoy to The Vatican. So much Christianity example in there. Picture below to show such a delightful person. :stuck_out_tongue:

4- Honey! Goldman Sachs is getting away with murder! Damn wall street, I will fight them. I will drain the swamp. No, what the hell, I will hire them.

5- My healthcare program will be enacted first day in the white house. It will be better, cheaper, and believe me, you will be impressed on how good it will be…for the death panels! Bigly!

6- NATO. I will make them pay…:stuck_out_tongue:

7- NAFTA. Gee, do I need to say anything?

8- China, a currency manipulator! LOL…It took the Chinese guy 10 minutes to bribe him with favors back in China for the liar in chief kissing his behind. This is a big cricket.

You keep going. List the benefits you got so far from this liar. Don’t forget those fulfilled promises. I’ll wait. Very patiently, maybe sitting on a chair, because standing up I will get sore feet.

Ok. Let’s talk Trump. What has he done to make your life worse?