Posted on 07/02/2015 4:36:28 AM PDT by Kaslin
I can’t believe it’s come to this – I’m about to defend Donald Trump. It’s not that I have anything against Donald Trump, but I don’t have anything for him either.
Unlike many of my fellow conservatives, I haven’t completely negated his chances of winning already. Many have written him off as a clown show in the race only for publicity, or a non-serious person working some angle for his own benefit. He may well be, but unless and until he shows that, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
That’s not to say I support him, I’m just resisting the urge to dismiss him until he deserves to be dismissed. That may be tomorrow. Or it may never happen. The same is true for all of the declared candidates at this point.
None have offered specifics of their vision for the country, only a 30,000-foot sketch and platitudes. Having interviewed and had private conversations with several of them, I’ve been impressed and depressed by their answers. But we’re a half-year away from the first vote being cast, so they have time to get up to speed and fill in the gaps, or they will lose (and deserve to).
Trump, on the other hand, has been dismissed by media and the Republican establishment for his “unartful” language. That, to me, is his most intriguing characteristic.
I’ve been a fan of his TV show, less so of his political history. Someone who donated to so many Democrats, and was a registered one until 2009, has a lot of explaining to do. And while I suspect it has to do with the cost of doing business, especially in New York, I’m going to keep my guard up.
But I’m not going to write him off.
The most appealing part of Trump to me is what has the media and the establishment in a tizzy – his blunt, bordering on crass, language.
When liberals wet themselves with outrage over Trump’s announcement comments on immigration, I shrugged. Nothing he said was wrong. They just didn’t like the way he said it, and they hated that he said it. The GOP establishment quickly fell in line, panicking over the comments. But note how they argued semantics, word choices (or omission), more than they did the substance.
Does the liberal media and Republican establishment really believe Latin America is experiencing an exodus of its best and brightest? Are the waves of illegal aliens flooding the southern border Ph.D.s with venture capital seed money walking into the United States to found their tech start-up? Or are they low- and no-skilled workers who are barely literate in their native tongue coming here to be hired by companies willing to break the law to avoid the added administrative, labor and tax cost of hiring Americans?
As for the “criminal” aspect of his statement, one need only conduct an Internet search to find the disturbing truth about that. You won’t read about it in the New York Times or Washington Post, and it won’t be covered on the nightly news. But finding cases of illegal immigrants committing violent crimes are far more common than anything that drives masses of unshowered activists into the streets.
So it really comes down to these people, the media leftists and GOP establishment, not liking what Trump says and how he says it. The left wants future voters dependent on government; the establishment wants the cheap labor, unburdened by payroll taxes or workman’s comp costs. The Chamber of Commerce, or as we called it when I worked in the U.S. Senate, the Chamber of Compromise, couldn’t have scripted it better itself.
Donald Trump is a lot of things, both good and bad, but one thing he is not is stupid. Yes, he was born into money, but he didn’t rest on it. He could’ve lived the life of a Hilton or Kardashian, but he chose not to. He built an empire. And you don’t build an empire without pissing off some people, especially in New York. So what?
We aren’t electing Miss Congeniality; we’re electing a president. Trump’s unapologetic embrace of success, and especially capitalism, is a much-needed trait in America today. The left has been demonizing success, in business anyway, for decades.
Republicans have fallen into this trap, expressing concern and offering plans to address “income inequality” rather than telling people to work their asses off if they want to get ahead, to take risks if they want rewards, and to deal with the consequences of their actions. Trump does that.
You don’t see him slouching around in cargo shorts and faded T-shirts trying to pretend he’ “just like you.” He’s not. He’s worth $9 billion and you aren’t and probably never will be. But you could be.
Trump is a loose cannon, and whether he has the discipline to learn the issues beyond the 30,000-foot level remains to be seen. But he has the skills to. It’s foolish to write him off already, and mostly done from a place of cowardice or discomfort with him being so blunt. For all their bluster, the GOP establishment has adopted the same position as NBC, Univision and Macy’s have. Well, GOP establishment, I don’t watch NBC anymore, never watched Univision and have no use for Macy’s…
I’m not sure where Donald Trump will end up in the field. He can stick around as long as he wants because he doesn’t need to beg for money to finance his campaign. But no matter how long he lasts, if he doesn’t win I do hope his attitude when it comes to dealing with the media and those who attack him rubs off on whoever eventually wins. If you thought the media was tough on Republican nominees in the past, you ain’t seen nothing like what the Clinton machine is ready and willing to do.
As much as I dislike Bush I'm not prepared to say even that.
The original argument for free trade advanced by Ricardo is that each nation would specialize and produce that which it's most efficient at producing. The assumption was that capital would mostly remain in the countries in question. What we have today is massive offshoring of capital under the pretext of "free trade."
Jeb Bush doesn’t like this country. He loves everything Mexican, including speaking Spanish. Trump at least appears to care about this country and is not forcing hordes of illegal aliens down our throats. To me, this make Trump far better than Bush.
Trump has said plenty of stupid things, but I haven’t heard him say anything quite as stupid as “illegal immigration is an act of love.”
That could account for the Don Quixote thing he's got going.
Look up the definition, Chuckles.
I’v put off responding to try to develop a clear response.
I am retired but have a great part time job. It involves visiting various companies to look at what they are exporting. I see lots and lots of american manufactured products that are widely wanted in foreign lands. America exports a bewildering array of goods much desired by importing customers
One company is a fairly small manufacturer of very very special products used in the manufacture of tires. Over the years I have become acquainted with the plant manager who always tries to say hi while I’m in his plant. Not too long ago in the recession, he added some space and some new jobs. Six months after erecting a large banner, he still hadn’t filled all the slots.
We live in an area with a small black population as well. The white applicants for the well paying jobs had problems with the drug tests or after hiring somehow failed to come to work on time or at all. Although the jobs were not working on computers, some knowledge and ability with computers or scanners and such was required. This was lacking.
The point is, these jobs went unfilled because those unemployed chose not to compete by acquiring the basic life style and knowledge necessary. To a certain degree, this is the condition all over. American workers at some level choose not to work to develop the necessary educational level required in modern manufacturing or just choose not to develop the life habits necessary to report daily on time in shape.
The great American working man is a myth
Recently, I had my residence re roofed. I contracted with an old, reliable family business I have known for years. To my surprise the crew that showed up were all Mexican. The Mexican leader had subcontracted the labor and gathered up a crew of excellent workers that were all asses and elbows and did the job quickly in a very workman like manner. they did a very good job.
there was the possibility that an American, an East Tennessee good ol boy could have done the same. That was not the case because there was no desire to engage and compete.
There are many here that continuously rant about bringing back American jobs. Aside from the fact there is no such thing as an American job, there is a reason we will likely never bring back the jobs once available for manufacturing paint brushes. The labor costs for operating the Italian designed and manufactured paint brush assembly line is so expensive the paint brushes thus made can not be sold at a profit. The machinery was shipped to China along with an industrial engineer and a foreman that spent some time getting the Forbes 500 company’s China paint brush manufaturing operation up and running.
I witnessed the dismantling and equipment export and was given the inside dope by the engineer in question. I have seen up close many similar situations from refrigeration compressors to state of the art cotton yarn spinning plants
In this instance, no real special knowledge was required to produce paint brushes. However, the problems with high wages, tardiness, alcoholism and just plain old not coming to work resulted in an overall position of non competitiveness.
I’m sure there are other important factors but the human factor is very important. it is apparently easier and better for many Americans to live from hand to mouth rather than assert some initiative and compete on a world scale
Definition of what, Biff
Hey bert what is your definition of a well paying job? We need numbers otherwise your opinion is Bull manure.
Tell us what was the labor cost per brush? What was the selling price? What was the competition? How about going south in the USA instead of doing something radical and playing footsies with our enemies? Please this forth of July i hope all traitors like you hide in their basements and pray to their Chinese handlers.
Perfect example of why wee need tariffs.
Here the "American" hero I am sure you will be celebrating this forth of July. Benedict Arnold
The reason we need tariffs is that China and other "trade partners" are playing a rigged game. "Free trade" with them means we fight with fists while they bring knives or guns to the fight.
The Chinese manipulate their currency to make their goods cheaper and more competitive, we don't. Our industries aren't permitted to dump toxic waste raw into rivers, theirs are. We don't have a pool of gulag political prisoners to work our factories (yet). They do. A tariff on Chinese goods is simply recognizing these realities and forcing them to pay the same overhead on manufacturing that we do, and to correct for market distortions caused by their currency deflation.
While we're on the subject of the American Revolution, perhaps the free traders can tell us how Alexander Hamilton's protective tariffs "crippled" nascent American industry, and how the American economy was completely stagnant during the 19th century because of tariffs
Thank you for proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that my arguments are intellectually superior, logically superior, and morally superior to yours. I have not once been so badly out argued that I had to throw around words like traitor and accuse you of bad intentions. Never. Not a single damned syllable. I've demonstrate you were wrong, demonstrated your lack of econ experience, demonstrated how absurd and illogical your Karl Marx analogy was - but never had to stoop to the low level of accusing you of bad intentions.
But you, on the other hand, in your microscopic brain, cannot fathom that two people can have an honest disagreement. For you, it's my way or traitor highway. Again, thank you for conceding that I have stomped you in this debate. Thomas Sowell says hi. So does Walter Williams and Milton Friedman.
I could care less about you, the dog crap in my yard means more to me than people like you. So have a nice 4th.
I am sure they can also tell us how great removing all import duties and the income tax has been so great for the “common” man in this gloBULL environment.
FYI. the company had already moved the operation south........ it was in the south, east Tennessee!!
the land of pickup trucks and god ol’ boys and girls and the very heart of conservative Tennessee
BTW....... you need to get out more
The point is, these jobs went unfilled because those unemployed chose not to compete by acquiring the basic life style and knowledge necessary. To a certain degree, this is the condition all over. American workers at some level choose not to work to develop the necessary educational level required in modern manufacturing or just choose not to develop the life habits necessary to report daily on time in shape.
Do you really believe that your typical immigrant from Mexico or Central America brings some intelligence, education, and skills to the table that American workers don't have? Most of these immigrants can barely read, never mind having the computer skills you're talking about. It's strange that people like you talk about an increasingly knowledge-based economy on the one hand while defending the mass influx of some of the world's least knowledge-based people.
It’s not a religion...it’s a fact of life. But thanks for admitting on open forum that it was you damned determined not to be nice.......and thanks for exposing yourself with your dog crap comment. What next? Fart jokes? How long before you get out of middle school?
I understand economics. Maybe economics is keeping you in middle school. You understand how to rant and insult.
BTW, how did all that tariff protection work out for your union buddies in the UAW for decades? Fine for a while, until they were producing shit at luxury prices.....
Freeer trade has made them BETTER...forced them too. Without it, we’d be paying 120K for a friggin Taurus.
This is the kind of ridiculous hyperbole that elementary school level Free Traitors rely on to inculcate the masses and whip them into hysteria. What a joke you are. The thing is you think you are an economic expert but do you really believe that? Hardly, you know the man hours per vehicle is, on average, 30 hours. A small part of the per vehicle cost.
Again, I may have to take a break and pick up the edmunds that my dogs left in the yard this morning.
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