bostonangler

I personally believe our founding fathers had it right. No personal income tax, only corporate taxes... Too bad everyone now thinks corporate welfare is the way to go. It's hard to believe Americans can be so stupid. Our founding fathers must be groaning in their graves. B/A

My comment was simply about the loser who puts out these ridiculous news stories. Are you guys saying this clown from Next News is for real? B/A

U.S. Natural Disaster: 5.8 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Montana, Raising Supervolcano Concerns Ryan Bort,Newsweek Report issue Magnitude 5.8 earthquake reported in Montana ABC News Videos Yellowstone National Park, which covers parts of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, lies on top of a supervolcano that could effectively wipe out the United States if it were to explode. The last time it did, 640,000 years ago, it expelled 240 cubic miles (think about that) of rocky debris into the sky. Early Thursday morning, residents of southern Montana feared the worst when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the region. Though its epicenter was only 230 miles from Yellowstone, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) says the seismic activity was not irregular, and the supervolcano is not expected to erupt anytime soon. Related: Yellowstone supervolcano hit by hundreds of earthquakes "The location and focal mechanism solution of this earthquake are consistent with right-lateral faulting in association with faults of the Lewis and Clark line, a prominent zone of strike-slip, dip slip and oblique slip faulting trending east-southeast from northern Idaho to east of Helena, Montana, southeast of this earthquake," said the USGS. Nevertheless, people were concerned. The earthquake, which was the eighth largest ever recorded in Montana and largest in 34 years, comes just weeks after a flurry of smaller earthquakes hit the region. The swarm of activity began June 12, and by the end of the month nearly 900 earthquakes had been recorded near the Yellowstone supervolcano, along the western edge of the park. Though the heightened seismic activity has stoked fears of a possible supervolcano eruption, Jacob Lowenstern of the USGS told Newsweek that it is not without precedent. “The swarm in 2010 on the Madison Plateau lasted at least three weeks. In 1985, there was one that lasted several months,” he said. “Yellowstone has had dozens of these sorts of earthquake swarms in the last 150 years it's been visited. The last volcanic eruption within the caldera was 70,000 years ago. For magma to reach the surface, a new vent needs to be created, which requires a lot of intense geological activity.” The USGS puts the odds of a volcanic eruption at 1 in 730,000. Even if an eruption were to occur, it would likely result in lava flow rather than a cataclysmic explosion. Though this would have an effect on Yellowstone, it would not bring about the end of the United States as we know it. The 5.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Montana early Thursday morning may have knocked some dishes over and woke up a few residents, but the supervolcano made it through the night undisturbed.

Donald Trump's Approval Rating Nearing Record-Low in His Favorite Poll T.marcin,Newsweek 2 hours 34 minutes ago The poll President Donald Trump has publicly touted isn't bringing him much good news lately. The latest survey released by Rasmussen Reports Thursday found Trump's approval rating his nearing his all-time low. Just 44 percent of respondents approved of Trump's job performance in the survey, while 56 percent disapproved. That's just one percentage point better than the president's lowest approval ever in the Rasmussen Reports tracking poll: He hit 43 percent approval on multiple occassions. But Trump had risen to 46 percent at the end of June, and he also tweeted out the results of the poll earlier in the month—when he rose to 50 percent approval. "Great news!" he tweeted at the time. Now: Not so much. The Rasmussen Reports survey interviewed 1,500 likely voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Trending: Rick Perry Hilariously Misunderstands Supply and Demand Theory in Attempted Defense of Coal Industry To be sure, the 44 percent approval rating cited by Rasmussen—which has typically found better results for the president and is generally considered to be right-leaning—remains markedly better than the results of other polling firms. In the latest Gallup survey Thursday, for instance, Trump's approval rating was 37 percent, with 57 percent disapproving. The weighted average from data-focused website FiveThirtyEight, meanwhile, pegged Trump's approval at 39 percent and his disapproval at 55 percent. The FiveThirtyEight average adjusts for a given poll's quality, recency, sample size and partisan lean. Trump, who was visiting Poland Thursday, has seen his approval rating trend steadily downward since taking office in January, his popularity waning under the weight of the investigations into his campaign's possible ties with Russia and a widely unpopular Republican health care bill. For context's sake, at about this point in Barack Obama's first term, the former president had an approval rating of about 58 percent. While the Russia investigations and the health care debate have been the most serious strains on the president's popularity, he recently did himself no favors by getting into an internet spat with two TV hosts. Referencing Morning Joe's Mike Brzezinksi and Joe Scarborough, Trump said in a series of tweets last week: "I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!" A poll this week found that 65 percent of voters felt such online behavior was unacceptable, and 55 percent said they would describe Trump as sexist. Run Forest Run! B/A

Yota... You of all people should know fake news when you see it... This guy and his show is nothing less than a joke. And a bad one at that. B/A

I'm telling you, this is like professional wrestling... In front of the crowd it's war. Behind the scenes they all laugh at how easy it is to fool the public... One word... Pathetic. B/A

NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski reached their biggest audience ever when they talked Friday about President Donald Trump’s tweets about their show. The Nielsen company said Wednesday that 1.66 million people watched the MSNBC morning show the day after the tweets. That narrowly beat the show’s previous record, which came the day after Trump was elected last year. Trump, in denouncing the show last week, wrote that Brzezinski was “bleeding badly from a facelift” when he saw them around the New Year. Friday’s “Morning Joe” proved more popular than Trump’s favorite morning show, “Fox & Friends.” Even Trump tweeted that he watched “Morning Joe” on Friday. So far this year, “Morning Joe” is averaging 896,000 viewers, typically running second behind Fox News Channel’s morning show. Scarborough and Brzezinski delayed a holiday vacation to address Trump’s tweets on Friday. http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/msnbcs-morning-joe-sets-viewership-mark-after-tweets/ The Associated Press

Say it isn't so... A politician that lies???? LOL I never trusted him, he was "W"'s *#tch... B/A

I think he'll be okay donating a little... Trump’s Washington Hotel Saw Almost $20 Million in Revenue Julie Bykowicz,Stephen Braun,The Associated Press Jun 17, 2017 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's Washington hotel saw almost $20 million in revenue during its first few months of operation — a period that coincided with his election and inauguration as the 45th president. His Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, which he's visited seven times as president, pulled in millions of dollars more than it had previously. The new details were included in a financial disclosure that Trump voluntarily submitted Friday to the Office of Government Ethics, the first snapshot of the Trump Organization's finances since its longtime leader became president. When he took office in January, Trump turned over the reins of his global real estate, property management and marketing empire to his two adult sons and a senior executive. But Trump did not divest, instead placing his enormous portfolio of financial assets in a trust controlled by the executive and Donald Trump Jr. He can take back control of the trust at any time, and he's free to withdraw cash from it as he pleases. On paper, at least, the billionaire president's finances don't appear to have been upended by the time-consuming campaign and transition to power. He has at least $1.4 billion in assets and reported at least $594 million in income from January 2016 through this spring. Those top-line numbers were largely the same as he had reported in his previous filing, which included all of 2015 and part of 2016. Trump's financial disclosures have added importance because he isn't following the long tradition of presidential candidates and office-holders making public their tax returns. Those returns provide more precise financial information than the disclosure forms that have broad ranges for income, assets and debts. The latest report shows Trump resigned from more than 500 positions, stepping down from many on the day before his inauguration. He listed at least $315 million in liabilities, about the same as in the previous report. The president still owes more than $100 million to Deutsche Bank and a similar amount to Ladder Capital Finance, a New York-based real estate investment trust. What is unclear from the disclosure is whether Trump added to his debt in any significant way to help pay for his presidential campaign. Because the ranges required for disclosure under federal ethics laws are so wide — Trump's documents list five separate liabilities each at "over $50,000,000" — it is impossible to tell whether his debt load has changed appreciably. Some of Trump's ventures appear to be making more money than they had a year earlier. His book "The Art of the Deal" is having a comeback of its own. Royalties from the 1987 autobiography ranged between $100,000 and $1 million, according to the new report. The 2016 report listed royalties as being between $50,000 and $100,000, and the 2015 report put them at $15,000 to $50,000. Trump's management fees from Indonesian companies tied to two planned resorts there more than doubled. The latest disclosure puts the fees $380,000, up from $167,000 he reported in 2016. Trump is partnering with a billionaire Indonesian, Hary Tanoesoedibjo, on the two ventures. One is planned for the tourist island of Bali, the other near Jakarta. Mar-a-Lago, where Trump played host to several foreign dignitaries during his seven weekends there this winter, has improved its finances. Trump listed the resort's income as about $37 million, up from about $30 million it had taken in prior to his 2016 financial report. His golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on the other hand, produced almost $20 million in revenue, about what it had during the previous reporting period. Trump recently began decamping to that property some weekends. The documentation of revenue from each of those properties doesn't account for expenses, meaning those figures are not pure profit. The Trump International Hotel, housed in the Old Post Office building down the street from the White House, has seen a burst of activity since opening its doors last fall. In addition to serving as a hub during inauguration festivities, it has hosted numerous events for foreign diplomatic and business interests. The hotel is cited in three separate lawsuits arguing that Trump is violating the Constitution's "emoluments" clause, a ban on foreign gifts and payments. Trump and the Justice Department have called those claims baseless.

Ahh shucks, he'll make it up in spades.... President Trump's hotel received $270,000 from Saudi Arabia Fredreka Schouten Tuesday, 6 Jun 2017 | 9:59 AM ETUSA Today Kris Connor | Getty Images Donald Trump attends the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C Groundbreaking Ceremony at Old Post Office on July 23, 2014 in Washington, DC. The Trump International Hotel recently took in about $270,000 in payments tied to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the country fights to roll back a U.S. terrorism law, according to newly filed lobbying reports. The spending, which covered lodging, catering and parking expenses, was disclosed in Justice Department filings last week by MSL Group Americas, a public relations firm. The filings detailed the work the firm engaged in between Oct. 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 on behalf of the Saudis, Bahrain and other foreign governments. In a statement Monday night, Trump Organization officials said they would donate any profits from the transactions at the end of the year. The disclosure of Saudi spending, however, could spark fresh debate about President Trump's decision to retain ownership of his real-estate and branding empire while serving in the White House. Trump turned over management of his companies to his adult sons and a veteran Trump Organization executive but still can benefit financially from his business interests. Last month, Trump visited Saudi Arabia, the first stop on the first foreign trip of his presidency. The firm reported paying more than $190,200 for lodging, $78,204 for catering and roughly $1,600 for parking at the Trump International Hotel in Washington — part of a larger campaign by the Saudis that brought U.S. military veterans to the nation's capital to lobby against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act or JASTA. The Daily Caller first reported on the hotel payments. Last year, Congress passed a bill over President Obama's veto that would allow families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for any alleged role in the plot. The Gulf nation has denied any role in the attacks and is lobbying to ease the law's provisions. Democrats on Capitol Hill and ethics watchdogs have argued that Trump's continued ownership of his businesses could lead to a violation of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which bars foreign payments to U.S. officials without congressional approval. White House officials referred questions about the Saudi payments to the Trump Organization. Before he took office, Trump pledged to donate foreign profits from his hotels to the U.S. Treasury. However, the Trump Organization is not trying to comprehensively identify all foreign profits to its hotel business, according to a company policy document recently provided to the House Oversight Committee. "To fully and completely identify all patronage at our properties by customer type is impractical in the service industry and putting forth a policy that requires all guests to identify themselves would impede upon personal privacy and diminish the guest experience of our brand," the Trump Organization's document said.

By LeslieAlbrecht Personal finance reporter It turns out that all Americans, regardless of income, spend a large percentage of their income on what economists categorize as luxuries. People who make the most money spend the biggest chunk of their incomes on luxury goods, but even the poorest households spend a significant amount on luxuries, according to an analysis released recently by Deutsche Bank Research. The wealthiest families (the top fifth of earners) spend around 65% of their incomes on luxury goods and 35% on necessities, according to the study, which looked at spending habits between 1984 and 2014. Middle-income households weren’t far behind: They spend 50% on luxuries and 50% on necessities. Even the lowest-income families (the bottom fifth of earners) spend 40% on luxuries and 60% on necessities, according to the study’s author, Torsten Slok, chief international economist for Deutsche Bank Securities. The median household income in the U.S. recently rose to $59,361. The bottom two fifths of earners made $47,300 or less in 2014, according the Tax Policy Center. The middle two fifths made between $47,300 and $134,300, and the top fifth made more than $134,300. It’s worth noting that by the specialized nomenclature of the dismal science, even eating at McDonald’s is a luxury — that is, we do it more as our incomes rise — while smoking and lottery-ticket buying are categorized as necessities. For its part, the Deutsche Bank report explicitly defined luxuries as goods or services consumed in greater proportions as a person’s income increases and necessities as those goods or services that make up a smaller proportion of spending as a person’s income increases. Read more: The less some Americans make, the more they spend on prom night While we tend to think of spending on luxuries as an indulgence driven by emotions, recent research suggests consumers’ feelings play a key role in spending on necessities as well. “Consumers who experience a loss of control are more likely to buy products that are more functional in nature, such as screwdrivers and dish detergent, because these are typically associated with problem solving, which may enhance people’s sense of control,” the authors of an April 2017 study in the Journal of Consumer Research wrote. Still, the richer you are, the more likely you are to overspend on unnecessary purchases with your credit card, a January 2017 NerdWallet survey found. Nearly half of Americans (49%) say their emotions have caused them to spend more than they can afford, it concluded. Most Americans (86%) say it’s OK to go into credit-card debt to pay for necessities such as emergency purchases, medical expenses and expenses related to unemployment. But about even more people (87%) said they would be embarrassed to go into debt to pay for unnecessary purchases they can’t afford, nonemergency travel expenses or cash advances, NerdWallet found. Women are more likely than men to overspend because of stress (35% vs. 24%), while men say excitement leads them to spend too much, the NerdWallet survey found. Households at the bottom of the income ladder (less than $50,0000) are more likely to overspend because of stress than households making $100,000 or more (34% vs. 24%).

Again with the convict. Indy, I am surprised that you follow someone who is a convicted felon for honest information. He has proven to have no scruples. We really do not need any more of his kind. I think with the Clintons, The Bushes, The Trumps, and the rest of our so-called leaders. America is sick and needs healing. The journalists are not professional. Our new president is not professional. And our Congress and Senate act like school children... B.A

How did I attack you? I brought over a news story on how Warren Buffett, one of the worlds most knowledgeable money managers, says the health bill is not a good financial decision, and you reply with some dribble by a convicted felon and bring the church into it. I'm sorry if you are offended by straight talk about the financial aspects of a certain bill our government is proposing, but this reply you put up was pointless. B/A As for this statement, do you have any sticking points with the right? Is corporate welfare not robbing society? Did Jesus teach profits before people? Left or Right, our government is corrupt, greedy and some (DiveMaster) would say not legit. B/A

The hits keep coming.... Sooner or later Iraq has to hit the big stage... B/A

He's a lawyer, he'd never lie. B/A

Shabs, forget it everyone of your links will be seen as fake news... Only conservative bloggers who state opinion are now seen as news by some... Unless of course Putin says something we all know he would never lie. B/A

I'll take Buffet's perspective on money issues over some felon's.. When did conservatives start worshipping criminals, I thought that was a liberal thing. Dinesh Joseph D'Souza (born April 25, 1961) is an Indian American political commentator, author and filmmaker. From 2010 to 2012, he was president of The King's College, a Christian school in New York City.[1][2][3] Born in Bombay, D'Souza came to the United States as an exchange student and graduated from Dartmouth College. He became a naturalized citizen in 1991. He is the author of several New York Times best-selling books, including titles on Christian apologetics. D'Souza has been critical of New Atheism.[4][5][6] In 2012, D'Souza released his film 2016: Obama's America, an anti-Obama polemic based on D'Souza's 2010 book The Roots of Obama's Rage; the film is the highest-grossing conservative documentary film produced in the United States.[7] In January 2014, D'Souza was indicted on charges of making illegal contributions to a 2012 United States Senate campaign, a felony under U.S. law.[8][9][10][11] On May 20, 2014, D'Souza pleaded guilty in Federal Court to one charge of using a "straw donor" to make an illegal political campaign donation. On September 23, he was sentenced to eight months in a halfway house near his home in San Diego, five years probation, and a $30,000 fine.[12][13] In 2016, D'Souza released a documentary film and book, both entitled Hillarious's America, which presented D'Souza's personal narrative concerning the Democratic Party; the film was the highest grossing documentary of 2016.[14][15][16] His films have been the subject of some controversy, including criticism for espousing conspiracy theories.[17][18] B/A

What a clown... Not you but Rush... Although birds of a feather... B/A

I don't know about their politics, but judging by that photo, I'd say they ain't getting much girly action...

OH BROTHER That's funny, I just finished mowing... Great minds... LOL... LGD, I do post news when I find something that Yota hasn't already posted, which is very rarely... And I post the occasional MTN Goat chat. And I like to post/chat in the penny stock or world economy threads. Ol' Jim is good for the economic stuff. But posting in the political thread is a lot of fun. The folks here keep it very interesting. In fact if you look at my history of posting I never did post in political until last year, and I have to admit, much like Rush, I got addicted. Fortunately it doesn't cost $8 a thrill. B/A

After Bush, Obama was a breeze, I only hope Trump can actually get something done besides cash in for his family, but it doesn't look like anyone wants to play along with him. B/A

Here's one I like.