bostonangler

I think you need to look at your church and disgusting acts on children, the millions of dollars spent on payoffs and the cover up from Vatican City... When people give to their church, I don't believe they want their donations spent on protecting pedophiles. You might want to start a new thread on the Face of Catholicism. JMHO B/A

Yeah more fake news... Like in August when they blocked funding for election security... I'm sure that official vote count is fake too... What a mess... B/A

Of course they did... They can't win without some illegals helping them.... Wink Wink. B/A

I have been the only one name calling and making insinuations??? Now you do sound like your fearful leader.... PLEASE!!! B/A

No I'm not... I'm actually very positive, just ask anyone. I just think Trump is a lying con man and an ego-maniac. I don't disagree with all his policies, I disagree with his lack of truth, his desire for total power and willingness to divide... As for positives about politics, I think we have some good people, but they are dominated by party. I believe politics was much better before corporations were given the rights of an individual. I have personally been involved in creating political campaigns for people running for congress, and have been told directly by candidates. "This guy is going to give me $30... General Electric is giving me $30,000, who should I listen to?" That's when I became anti-party and anti-establishment. B/A

Democratic nominee?

So was that before or after he was banging porn stars while his wife was home pregnant? B/A

I agree... Biden looks to be finished. Many democrats I talk to are moving towards Bloomberg. He is holding a rally in my town this afternoon and it will be interesting to see the turn out in this bastion of conservatism. B/A

CL you used to be so pleasant... Lately you've become angry. I've noticed many Trump supporters are becoming angry as of late. Could it be they are struggling with their conscience? Are they beginning to understand Trump goes against their fundamental beliefs? Are angry knowing they support someone unfit, but feel they have no other choice? Pete is not my boy. If you've paid attention over the last 3 years, you would know I don't support either party. I vote independently and usually for a third party candidate. As for South Carolina, Pete just picked up an important black endorsement. As for the term "boy" that's pretty derogatory in it's own right. You say you put me on ignore, feel free to do it again. My time here is much more enjoyable without the name calling and conspiracy theories. B/A

Yup that's silly... Isn't funny how there is truth in humor... B/A

Biden doesn't look like he's going to be anybody's boy, as you put it. It would appear Pete is making big strides... Imagine how your head will explode if a *** guy becomes president.... You might have to leave the country!!! LOL B/A

Trump's repeated threats to the United States' European allies to fall into line with US policy on Huawei are failing. The United Kingdom last month backed a deal with the Chinese telecoms company despite a furious call to prime minister Boris Johnson from the president. Now the German government is also preparing to rule out a ban on Huawei. Other European leaders are set to follow their lead and defy Trump after the president failed to follow-through on his threats to the UK. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In recent months Trump has issued a series of threats to European allies which were designed to force them into following his administration's ban on the Chinese telecoms company Huawei. However, the threats, which included a plan to withdraw from the US intelligence-sharing relationship with the United Kingdom, appear to have failed, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreeing a deal with Huawei anyway. Trump reportedly reacted with rage to Johnson's decision and slammed down the phone on the prime minister in a call last month. However, far from fearing a similar reaction from Trump, other European countries are now moving to take a very similar position to Johnson. This week Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats backed a positions paper which ruled out an outright ban on Huawei. Christian Democrat sources told Reuters that party leaders decided against backing an outright ban on the company because: "state actors with sufficient resources can infiltrate the network of any equipment maker." The paper added that: "the use of strong cryptography and end-to-end encryption can secure confidentiality in communication and the exchange of data." Other European leaders are also set to follow the UK's lead in backing Huawei, Politico reported last month. The development has prompted former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich to label Trump's failure to persuade allies on Huawei as "the biggest strategic defeat for the United States since the early days of World War II." "I think people have got to wake up and understand this is a huge failure of our government bureaucracies to respond to a challenge we've seen coming," he told the BBC. Trump is failing to follow-through on his threats Boris Johnson Trump Getty Germany's move towards backing Huawei comes after Trump failed to follow-through on his threats to the UK. Trump and his allies had warned the UK that the future of its intelligence-sharing relationship with the US would be at risk if it took the "momentous decision" to allow the Chinese telecoms company a role in the UK's communications infrastructure. A delegation of US government officials warned their counterparts in advance of Johnson's decision that "Donald Trump is watching closely." However, speaking at an event in London after Johnson backed Huawei, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the so-called Five Eyes relationship would remain, despite Johnson's decision to do a deal with Huawei. "That relationship is deep, it is strong, it will remain," he said, speaking alongside UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Pompeo said that while Chinese Communist Party remained "the central threat of our time," and the deal with the UK risked handing them a "front door" to Western communications, he said that the US would find a way to make the relationship work. "I am very confident that our two nations will find a way to work together to resolve this difference," Pompeo told the event, hosted by the UK think-tank Policy Exchange. Read the original article on Business Insider B/A

I can see that.... Then he won't pay, just like his campaign not paying the cities he holds his rallies in... And as a lot of general contractors, he can hire illegals to do his bidding... We've seen that too. B/A

Or maybe the republican party is just a bunch of crooks. The graph demonstrates a lot of convictions. Was Nixon a crook? A lot of republicans thought so. I keep seeing the statement "it's coming". What exactly is coming? There seems to be a lot of conspiracy theories, like pizza gate but nothing ever seems to come to fruition. B/A

The hate for Obama is too much... Bush handed him a pile.. It took years to get back on track. Trump could've been recorded in history as a strong president, but his ego is too much. He is making bad choices, increasing debt, reducing revenue, alienating our allies, dividing our people, hiring thugs, walking all over the constitution and his presidency will go down in history as bad as his business dealings. Do you realize that he would be far wealthier if he never made a business deal and just lived off the money his dad gave him? America would be far better off, if he would simply listen to people around him instead of thinking he knows more than his generals, his accountants, his foreign policy experts, even his daughter. I find it so amazing that people want a dictator. A king. A man who has no regard for laws, our military, our children, even our seniors. B/A

Thank you sir.... A true patriot for sure. B/A

No not quite Nazi... Here is the definition for you because you seem a bit confused. Definition of goose-step (Entry 1 of 2) intransitive verb 1: to march in a goose step 2: to practice an unthinking conformity goose step noun Definition of goose step (Entry 2 of 2) : a straight-legged stiff-kneed step used by troops of some armies when passing in review I see no mention of Nazi in the definition. B/A

That's hilarious! The party with so many convictions talking about corruption. OMG I just spit out my coffee laughing at this one. B/A

I think he means anyone who doesn't drink the Kool-Aid... Difference of opinion and the right to express your opinions is what makes America the greatest country in history. We don't want to become a third world nation, where your opinion gets you blacklisted. Do we? DV is a great example of what America is and why it is the shining light for the world. I'm happy some people here understand indifference is America. Walking in goose step is not. B/A

Americans may have a love-hate relationship with their credit cards, but that’s not preventing them from piling on debt. The country’s outstanding credit-card and other types of revolving debt have jumped almost 20% from a decade ago, reaching an all-time high of about $1.1 trillion, according to a recent study from CompareCards. The average balance on a credit card is now almost $6,200, and the typical American holds four credit cards, according to the credit bureau Experian. Credit-card issuers are also giving Americans more room to run up debt, boosting the typical credit limit by 20% over the last decade to $31,000. Taking credit: More than half of Americans check their credit scores at least monthly, leading to better borrowing habits Can I retire? My husband wants me to retire with him, but he's 10 years older with no life insurance. What should I do? The reasons for the spike in credit-card debt are complicated and potentially worrisome, financial experts say. A middle-class lifestyle has become more expensive with the cost of health care and education outpacing wage growth, prompting more households to rely on their cards to cover emergency expenses and daily spending, experts say. “If you have credit-card debt when times are good, it means you probably aren't putting away as much money as you should for when things eventually go south — and things always eventually go south,” says Matt Schulz, chief industry analyst at CompareCards. What's eye-opening are the types of expenses consumers blame on their credit card debt, says Michael Micheletti, director of corporate communications for Freedom Debt Relief. The debt-reduction company in January surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. consumers about their debt, savings and outlook to get a snapshot of their financial health. “Groceries are the number one reason why people carry a balance,” Micheletti says. “I was shocked, and I typically don't get too shocked with these things.” More consumers may be charging groceries because they’re strapped with other types of debt, such as student loans, which have doubled to about $1.6 trillion in outstanding debt since 2010, he notes. Auto loans and mortgages are also at all-time highs. After repaying monthly home, auto and student loans, some consumers don’t have much wiggle room, Micheletti adds. “Everyday expenses you used to pay cash for, you are now putting on your credit card,” he notes. Some households are also relying on credit cards when they’re in a pinch. Seven in 10 consumers would have trouble coming up with $500 for an unexpected expense, the survey found. A decade of expansion Rising credit card debt isn’t necessarily negative in itself. A strong job market and growing economy mean consumers are more optimistic about job security and their financial outlook, says Gannesh Bharadhwaj, general manager of credit cards at Credit Karma. “A decade ago, we were just starting to come out of the recession caused by the financial crisis,” he notes. “Since then as the economy has recovered and strengthened, consumers have increased their borrowing as they tend to do during good times.” And by some measures, consumers are financially healthier. Credit scores reached an all-time high of 703 last year, out of a possible 850 points. Credit-card delinquencies have dropped by half from a decade ago, CompareCards notes. Even so, about 3 in 10 consumers believe their credit scores are too low — and high balances could be keeping them from boosting their scores. The utilization rate, or the percentage of your card’s available balance that you tap, is the second-biggest factor in your credit score behind your payment history, Schulz says. “If you are somebody whose balance takes up most of your available credit, it will do some damage to your credit score,” Schulz notes. Paying down debt Consumers who carry credit-card balances should focus on paying down their debt in 2020, not only to strengthen their credit scores, but to ensure they’re in better financial shape when the next recession occurs, Schulz says. The risk of a recession within the next year is considered low by many economists, but economic downturns are inevitable. Here are steps to take: Make a budget. First, get a handle on your household spending, recommends CompareCards’ Schulz. Then assess whether you’ll need to pare spending in some areas or earn more income. Ask for a lower credit card interest rate. Calling your credit card company to ask for a lower rate can pay off: About 7 of 10 consumers who requested a rate reduction were successful, according to Bankrate.com. “We often see those interest rates reduced by up to 5-6 percentage points,” Schulz says. “That can be a significant savings.” Open a balance transfer card with 0% interest or a personal loan. It may seem counter-intuitive to take out another credit card, but balance transfer cards — which offer 0% interest for an initial period — can help you save money on interest, providing flexibility to pay down debt, Schulz notes. Personal loans, which offer a structured repayment plan, can also be helpful. The snowball versus avalanche approach. If you’re motivated by a quick win, the snowball method might be your go-to strategy. This prioritizes paying down cards with the smallest balances. The avalanche approach, though, could save more money in the long run, as this focuses on repaying cards with the highest interest rates. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-top-reason-americans-carrying-100104646.html A shrinking middle class.... That's what you get when you create millions of $10 per hour jobs. B/A

Since he was acquitted last week following an impeachment trial, President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr have carried out a series of targeted firings and legal interventions that have the DOJ in turmoil. "Can't recall a worse day for DOJ and line prosecutors," a former prosecutor told Insider. "A robbery in broad daylight in the middle of Chicago is more subtle than Barr's obsession to shield Trump and his co-conspirators." "I am aware of no precedent remotely like it in the history of the DOJ," another longtime former prosecutor told Insider. "It seems to me to be a classic hallmark of a dictatorial [or] fascist government." One former senior DOJ official who worked with the special counsel Robert Mueller when he was FBI director told Insider the last few days have been "a devastating breakdown" in the checks and balances on Trump's power. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. As California Rep. Adam Schiff wrapped up his closing arguments in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial last week, he warned Senate Republicans that if they didn't vote to remove the president from office for abusing his power, he would "do it again." "He has not changed. He will not change," Schiff said. "A man without character or ethical compass will never find his way. He has done it before and he will do it again." In the end, the Senate acquitted Trump in a nearly party-line vote, with key swing-vote Republican senators like Susan Collins and Lamar Alexander voting to acquit while expressing hope that the president had learned his lesson from the bitter trial. Here's what's happened since: Last Friday, Trump fired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Ambassador Gordon Sondland, who testified against him in the House of Representatives' impeachment hearings. Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., indicated that Sondland and Vindman were fired in direct retaliation for their impeachment testimony. On Monday, Attorney General William Barr acknowledged that he had set up an "intake process" for the Justice Department to vet material that Rudy Giuliani, who is Trump's personal lawyer, collects from Ukrainian sources about former Vice President Joe Biden. On Tuesday, Barr and his top aides publicly overruled the career prosecutors working on the government's case against the longtime GOP strategist Roger Stone and called for a lesser sentence than the one prosecutors had recommended. Barr's intervention led to the withdrawal or resignations of all four prosecutors working Stone's case. The Daily Beast reported late Tuesday that since his acquittal, Trump has privately urged Giuliani to continue working on obtaining damaging information on the Bidens and to update him and the DOJ on his findings. "I think he feels like the chains are off now," one senior administration official told the outlet. "It's like things have taken a turn. The gloves are off. And everything that used to be hush hush is now just…out in the open." Indeed, current and former officials told Insider they struggled to find any precedent for the "breakdown" of the Justice Department's historic independence that has largely kept it insulated from political interference, with one saying Barr's moves have turned it into "an arm of the Trump political machine." rudy giuliani (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images) 'A classic hallmark of a dictatorial [or] fascist government' Jeffrey Cramer, a longtime former federal prosecutor who spent 12 years at the DOJ, didn't mince words when reacting to the string of developments. "Can't recall a worse day for DOJ and line prosecutors," he told Insider. "A robbery in broad daylight in the middle of Chicago is more subtle than Barr's obsession to shield Trump and his co-conspirators." In reference to Barr's decision to create a direct line for Giuliani to funnel information to the DOJ about the Bidens, Patrick Cotter, a former federal prosecutor who worked with members of the special counsel Robert Mueller's team, told Insider: "I am aware of no precedent remotely like it in the history of the DOJ. It seems to me to be a classic hallmark of a dictatorial [or] fascist government." Barr's facilitation of Giuliani's research is all the more striking given that the former New York mayor is currently under investigation by the Southern District of New York over whether his efforts to dig up dirt on the Bidens in Ukraine violated foreign lobbying laws. The Trump team's push for political dirt on Biden from Ukraine — which it carried out while Trump withheld vital military aid from the country — also made up the crux of the impeachment inquiry. Typically, the DOJ's investigations begin with evidence of potential criminality that's uncovered by professional investigators with agencies like the FBI, the IRS, the DEA, and others. Those investigators then examine the evidence and present it to nonpartisan career prosecutors at US attorneys' offices across the country who make a decision whether or not to prosecute based on the law and the facts. Those cases are then submitted to the DOJ for approval on the basis of whether there's sufficient evidence to file charges to a grand jury. But in this case, for Giuliani — who is acting as Trump's personal agent — to instigate the potential investigation of Trump's political rival is an "unimaginable" and "gross perversion" of the system," Cotter said. "It undermines the credibility the DOJ has spent over century building. It reduces the DOJ to an arm of the Trump political machine." One former senior DOJ official who worked with Mueller when he was FBI director told Insider the last few days have been "a devastating breakdown" in the checks and balances on Trump's power. Barr, this person added, is essentially functioning as Trump's bag man and is "the single most powerful weapon in the president's arsenal." Cramer echoed that point, adding, "AG Barr must realize he is running an organization where he has no respect beyond a few at Main Justice." In light of Trump's and Barr's actions over the last several days, some Democratic lawmakers have called for Michael Horowitz, the DOJ's inspector general, to launch an investigation. That said, there's nothing stopping the president from ousting Horowitz as well. Indeed, reports have surfaced over the last few months that the president is weighing firing Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general who played a pivotal role in sparking the impeachment inquiry when he informed the House Intelligence Committee of an "urgent" and "credible" whistleblower complaint against Trump, in accordance with federal law. "The buffers are quickly disappearing," Jens David Ohlin, a vice dean at Cornell Law School and an expert in criminal and constitutional law, told Insider. "The usual buffer is a president who doesn't intervene and an attorney general who protects an independent Justice Department. But it appears that we have neither now." https://www.yahoo.com/news/cant-recall-worse-day-doj-110000621.html B/A

The only "stooge" is someone taking Putin's word as truth.. B/A

That's where you go when you have nothing else... I've seen it here many times... B/A

His series of tweets, soon after Vindman offered his anti-Trump impeachment testimony to Rep. Adam Schiff's panel, were confirmed and corroborated. The story Heine put together from the tweets ran like this: He was apologetic of American culture, laughed about Americans not being educated or worldly, & really talked up Obama & globalism to the point of (sic) uncomfortable. He would speak w/the Russian Soldiers & laugh as if at the expense of the US personnel. It was so uncomfortable & unprofessional, one of the GS [civil service]employees came & told me everything above. I walked over & sat w/in earshot of Vindman, & sure enough, all was confirmed. One comment truly struck me as odd, & it was w/respect to American's falsely thinking they're exceptional, when he said, "He [Obama] is working on that now." And he said it w/a snide 'I know a secret' look on his face. I honestly don't know what it meant, it just sounded like an odd thing to say. Regardless, after hearing him bash America a few times in front of subordinates, Russians, & GS Employees, as well as, hearing an earful about globalization, Obama's plan, etc., I'd had enough. I tapped him on the shoulder & asked him to step outside. At that point I verbally reprimanded him for his actions, & I'll leave it at that, so as not to be unprofessional myself. The bottom-line is LTC Vindman was a partisan Democrat at least as far back as [2013]. So much so, junior officers & soldiers felt uncomfortable around him. This is not your professional, field-grade officer, who has the character & integrity to do the right thing. Do not let the uniform fool you…he is a political activist in uniform. I pray our nation will drop this hate, vitriol & division, & unite as our founding fathers intended! Heine then confirmed the tweets, first with Hickman himself, via his LinkedIn page, and then with Hickman's superior, Lt. Col. Thomas Lasch. It was good reporting with cross-checking, given that something like this out on Twitter could be fake news — but apparently was found to be not. This raises questions about the kind of people being brought into the White House, supposedly to work on "national security" at six-figure salaries. Some of these people, such as Vindman, were Trump-hating partisans who seethed with Trump-loathing and were the first to jump at the chance to testify for the Schiff panel. Some of them, such as the CIA employee identified by Paul Sperry as the original whistleblower, who coordinated with Schiff from the state, were also suspected leakers. Some are people of talent. Yet to place talent above basic, garden-variety loyalty to the country as well as respectful service to its democratically elected leader seems to be a bridge too far for the people who brought these Trump-haters in. They're worthless and ought to be out on their ears. Nobody is that irreplaceable. Now they're coming out of the woodwork. It sounds as though it's long past time for Trump to clean house. This kind of disloyalty to the commander in chief is where it's led. Based on the recollections of the Army men, it started early. Read more: https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/11/so_vindman_was_ridiculing_rednecks_and_sneering_about_american_exceptionalism_to_russian_officers.html#ixzz6DkIfk5SP Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook Yeah and our president takes the word of Putin over his own agencies. We all know Putin is such a nice guy and we should take him at his word. Comparing a soldier to our president is like comparing a horse and buggy to a an Apollo rocket... When the leader of the free world trusts the leader of the evil empire we have a serious problem. B/A

This administration just gets less and less like a democracy every day. They really need to start calling him King Trump... The idea of The Rule of Law is out the window. The concept of American citizens serving on a jury and doing their public service is meaningless. These people sat through a trial, found the defendant guilty and our president thinks they should be overruled... We are witnessing the systematic tear down our country and way of life. B/A