CCTelander
Member

Quite right. What's interesting about it, is that it seems to me pretty self evident that free trade creates these dependencies (or "interests"). A dependency, by definition, has risks associated with it. Which should be pretty obvious and yet some here seem extremely resistant to even acknowledging it. It's one thing to acknowledge it and say there are reasonable counter-arguments (for which there are), but its yet another thing entirely to go along pretending like these dependencies and risks don't even exist, which is what most of the free-traders here seem to do. Same thing about the direction we're headed towards a one world government. I believe it was Collins who called it a "myth". Full global economic integration is so obviously a huge step closer to global political unification, that the denial of this truth would be laughable if not so sad. I know the people on this board are capable of critical thinking, or they wouldn't be here, but it's just shocking to me how little of their critical thinking applies to the subject of free trade - and more broadly, the retention of culture and identity in general.

Oh, really? What about the 3 years prior during all of the lobbying, coordination/creation of agencies and rollout preparation, when nobody knew about covid at the time? Do you really think that I'm supposed to believe that all of this just happened overnight or in 3 months time???

Hold on… Waiyt a second here. Let me re-read what I wrote… Mmmhmmm, yes, I see. After carefully re-reading my comments above, and applying just a rudimentary understanding if the English language, it’s obvious by the syntax and context that my words were directed, not at you personally, but at you own comments. So, whatever else they may or may not be, my words certainly ARE NOT ad hominem.

The above instant knee-jerk reaction is the kind of emotional response that I am referring to in post #42. It is a triggered, emotional, and predictable response that was manufactured by the globalists to demonize isolationism, sovereignty, and secession. There is absolutely nothing wrong about a society, or an individual, wanting to be left alone.

Basically what he's saying above is that people consider countries that just want to be left alone, a dangerous threat, for the sake of wanting to be left alone. I tend to agree that is how the world thinks, but it's not an opinion that someone should be proud of sharing. There is nothing wrong, or aggressive, about just wanting to be left alone, whether you are a nation, or an individual. Isolation is not a bad thing, or a good thing, by itself. It is a country's choice and it should be respected, and not feared or mistrusted. The above author's symptom is indicative of a much greater global pressure to integrate, and that is most certainly a bad thing. This global pressure is always headed one way and its towards a globalist one world government.

Congress??? Choose one: Are you suggesting that Trump, Businessman, who has hired/fired people all of his career, sat on Company Executive Board meetings, privy to reading/signing Contracts concerning business operations, was totally in the dark about everything that he himself said, did and ordered? -or- Are you suggesting that he is completely and utterly inept to running an entire nation of well over 300,000,000 people?

“I know you are but what am I?” That’s the best you got? ROTFLMFAO!!!!11

Your first two sentences are pure speculation with absolutely no factual data to support them. Your last comment is just pure bullshit. But you already know that.

OK, Phil has told me he is going to make another run this coming weekend. PM me for a Venmo name, address to mail a check to or any other info.

Now he’s praising the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act of 1909? I wonder if he knows that Sen. Nelson W. Aldrich was the very guy who organized the covert meeting on Jekyll Island that gave birth to the Federal Reserve Act? But I’m sur Aldrich had nothing but the best interests of the average American in mind when he helped craft that tariff act. Certainly there couldn’t have been any other motive from a stand-up guy like Aldrich, right? ETA: Aldrich was, in fact, the father in law of old John D. Rockefeller himself. Future vice president Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, his grandson, was actually named after him. At the time Aldrich was well known as a “Rockefeller man” in congress. He represented not his actual constituents but the Rockefeller financial empire. IIRC his reputation among real conservatives and liberty loving Americans was so bad that his involvement with the Federal Reserve Act had to be carefully concealed lest that revelation doom the bill’s chances. As I recall, he even pretended to oppose the bill in a successful effort to dupe enough Americans to go along with it to get it passed. He was a globalist, progressive scumbag and NOTHING he was ever involved in, including the tariff act bearing his name, was good for America or its people.

All that means to me is government "solutions and fixes" to government created problems.

LOL Well, every time he posts something, whatever that is, it give me an opportunity to set the record straight lol :up::tears:

At best he’ll start quoting from Ian Fletcher’s book about how great tariffs are and how horrible free trade is. What he WON’T tell you is that Fletcher is actually on the board of a group called the Coalition For A Prosperous America, a lobbying group for a bunch of rent seeking corporations and industries seeking to enrich themselves unjustly at the expense of American consumers through tariffs and trade restrictions. Fletcher is nothing but a shill lobbyist and his book is just pro-protectionist propaganda. But you didn’t really expect any better, did you?

Everything that I present in the form of facts, data and record is garbage to you. You would have to present to me actual data for me to believe you. So far, every time that I have asked you for such data, you have either logged immediately off or waited some period of time thinking that I would have forgotten about it. Joe Biden 2021 – present* $6.66 Trillion 23.42% Donald Trump 2017 – 2021 $8.18 Trillion 40.43% (one single term) Barack Obama 2009 – 2017 $8.34 Trillion 69.98% 9 (2 full terms)

You sound like a commercial... "but wait, there's more!". So you want me to vote for Trump and show my support for Tariffs while he adds yet another $4 Trillion right off the get go? Ron Paul: The Penn Wharton Budget Model, a think tank headquartered at the University of Pennsylvania, recently released a study claiming former President Donald Trump’s economic plans would add about four trillion dollars to the national deficit over ten years while Vice President Kamala Harris’s economic plans would add about two trillion dollars. If you were serious at all about cutting spending , it seems to me that you would support Kamala, since her spending is less than Trump's, and since Trump donated to her not once, but twice.

Can't debate rationally with those people. We conquer them, or we separate from them, but debating and coming to an agreed outcome seems simply out of the realm of possibility.

The benefits of free trade - to the extent they exist - are minimal at best. The consequences of free trade? Potentially a one world government and the elimination of sovereignty in all of its forms. Its not worth it.

If a business spends all their money on hookers and coke, it is indeed an equitable transaction with both sides benefiting. But that business is still gonna go out of business no matter how equitable it was. You just failed business 102. I welcome any attempts to disprove the scenario I linked. The scenario I have provided proves the above statement wrong. (that it is "undeniably" good)

Hurricanes during hurricane season? ZOMG!1!! It's a plot! :eek: :rolleyes:

Trump needs shoe polish. Against my will, how many charging stations across America will I be paying for under Trump? Elon talks about "government efficiency", wasn't there only like a dozen or so built under Biden? Edit: Oops, it was only 7. This time I'm actually happy about the inefficiencies of government. Biden’s $7.5 billion investment in EV charging has only produced 7 stations in two years

The point was, a responsible adult will limit how many irresponsible trades they make. As an individual, irresponsible trades can look like paying exorbitant fees to get groceries delivered to you when the grocery store is 3 blocks away. I do this personally because I can afford it but it's expensive and addictive and even though I can afford it, it is still quite irresponsible as I'm not doing anything "productive" with the time I'm saving. I'm just being exceptionally lazy. These irresponsible trades destroy personal wealth. Or more accurately, that wealth gets transferred. When you buy hookers and coke, yes both sides benefit in terms of value, but only one side benefits in terms of wealth. The same thing happens at a national level. Nations can make irresponsible trades. If a nation sells its means of production, and then spends that money on consumption products - which is what this nation did - then that is an irresponsible trade. There is almost no such thing as "specialization" when it comes to countries the size of the US. There are very few products that other countries can produce better due to advantages other than simply labor cost. (Exceptions including, tropical produce, a few rare minerals, etc) I have proven that these labor-cost based trades can be detrimental to a country's economy. (See, the referenced link from earlier) I welcome any attempts to disprove it.

https://x.com/TooWhiteToTweet/status/1843017152359448799 1843017152359448799

https://x.com/Made_YourDay_/status/1842808874337808640 1842808874337808640

Is that even a real picture? It seems a bit uncanny. It looks like the helicopter is floating just above the water. And if it's not, why would they land in such a spot?

All action, no bullshit. He's the man. Glad you and WP are hanging in there.

No...that would be the "new" bill or rather new law that you posted. Why do you question that?

See how much more adult and civil that is than, unhappy lad, get that twist out of your knickers?

THIS! I am not sure if Phil is up to making another relief run next weekend, and it's looking like he'd have to go to FL this time, but I will talk to him some time today and see if he's making another trip. In the meantime, the Capt. is right, stay far away from those "mainstream" leftist charities. Samaritan's Purse is doing good work and is based in NC A Trump sponsored "GoFundMe" started with a $1 million goal, it has already surpassed $6.5 million.

A civil and adult conversation tends to avoid a paternalistic tone. Try to tell me that you've never once in your life bridled at such an elementary suggestion and I'll happily call you a liar. The funny thing is, you've participated in the thread. You've critiqued my own answers to that question you think I haven't asked. You know I've asked myself that question. Have for months. As we age and our memories get weaker, it's wise of us to pause and consider that we can no longer be certain people haven't already tried our suggestions -- and we already know they have (at least on a good day). They call things like that aging gracefully. And such habits make all conversation more civil. Some consider it the very difference between conversing with and preaching at.