Posted on 11/11/2015 4:31:11 AM PST by Kaslin
Sometimes I like Donald Trump. He makes me laugh when he mocks reporters' stupid questions.
Sometimes he's smart. When Maryland's lefty governor said a tax on rich people would "raise revenue," Trump told me why it wouldn't. The taxpayers would just flee: "I know these people! They're international people! Whether they live here or in a place like Switzerland, it doesn't really matter to them!"
Perfect TV sound bite. And accurate. Maryland's tax on the rich brought in less revenue.
When Trump makes billions by giving people things they want in voluntary exchanges -- via casinos or real estate or the chance to watch him "fire" people on TV shows -- I applaud him. Free trade is mutually beneficial. Everybody wins.
That's why it's appalling when Trump calls trade agreements a "disaster" and says he'd "punish" Mexico with higher tariffs (tariffs really punish Americans).
And it's appalling when Trump uses connections with government to take things from others. I confronted him about that once.
In Atlantic City, an elderly woman named Vera Coking owned a home near Trump's casino. Trump wanted to take down her house so he could expand his casino parking lot.
People had offered to buy Vera's house, but she said no. In America, property rights mean you get to tell people, "You can't use my things without my permission."
But Trump wouldn't take no for an answer. He got some New Jersey politicians to grant him the right to take Vera's house. Politicians can do that under a law called "eminent domain." Trump recently called eminent domain "wonderful!"
Eminent domain can be wonderful if it's put to important public use, say, claiming land for highways, railroads or a pipeline. But Trump got New Jersey pols to use it so he'd have a better space for limousines to park.
Also, under eminent domain, the state is supposed to pay the property owner "just compensation." But Vera had turned down a million-dollar offer. Instead of raising the bid, Trump got politicians to force Vera to sell for even less. Trump would have to pay just $251,000, a fourth what she'd been offered.
That made Trump a manipulative bully. So I told him that.
"In the old days, developers came in with thugs with clubs. Now you use lawyers!"
"Excuse me! Other people maybe use thugs today. I don't!" was Trump's angry answer. "For you to use the word 'bully,' John, is very unfair. ... It's a pretty sick assumption, and I think it's pretty jaded for you to make it."
Vintage Trump.
He is right. I'm pretty jaded. Watching big shots violate people's property rights tends to do that.
Fortunately, after a long legal battle, an appeals court ruled that Trump could not take Vera's property. That worked best for everyone since it turned out that Trump didn't need a bigger parking lot. Trump and New Jersey pols hadn't predicted the future. His casino, like others in Atlantic City, went bankrupt.
Bankruptcy happens in business all the time, and only investors lose. But when business "partners" with government, innocent people get trampled.
Trump also tried to use his "get politicians to grab someone's land" scheme in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he promised a "world-class" development that never happened.
This is "a powerful, politically influential person using his power to steal, essentially, somebody else's private property for his own private profit," says Tim Sandefur of the Pacific Legal Foundation.
But Trump said that his development might bring the city extra tax money, making it "public" use.
"By that logic," says Sandefur, "you can use the power of eminent domain to kick all poor people out of your city. ... The whole purpose of protections against eminent domain in our Constitution -- in fact, the very purpose of a Constitution -- is to protect people who don't have political influence and can't persuade politicians to do their bidding."
I wish Trump understood that. He isn't the only one whose ego is huge. So is government's -- always thinking it knows best.
Let property owners decide, not the bullies.
My point is that Trump never seems to talk about these things.
I saw the same interview. Trump was a handsome guy when he was younger. What stuck me about that clip was his absolute sincerity and earnestness, and his foresight. He saw where we we headed and it worried him. Now that his fears have been realized, and worse he’s decided he can’t afford to sit on the sidelines any longer. I say good for him! I’m with him all the way.
Yeah. Cheapish airline fares really killed some of those entertaining shore towns. For about 10 years, I lived on the Jersey Shore - absolutely loved it until driven out by property taxes and my husband’s long commute into NYC.
Her reasons don’t matter. It was her property to do with as she saw fit. Her house was there long, long before Trump decided to build a casino, so why didn’t he just build somewhere else? Because he is, and always has been, a completely self-centered bully. He knows how to throw his weight around. He knows how to make sounds without ever having to say anything coherent. He is the textbook definition of “crony capitalist”.
He says it doesn’t matter that he doesn’t understand the issues, that he will hire people who do. Anyone else ever wonder just how the hell he would know who to hire if he doesn’t understand the issue? How will he know if his hiree is doing a good job or not? How will he even know if the hiree understands the issue? He won’t, he will have to rely on someone else to tell him what he needs to know, needs to do. (Any of this sound familiar? BHO/ValJar?) Why shouldn’t we, then, just ask him who this advisor will be and elect him or her, leave out the middle man?
I agree with Stossel. I also saw everyone on both stages were people with YUGE egos.
Who here has not dreamed of this.
Who here would, or could do this?
Way too much sense this early on my day off. Need more coffee.
Not I, said the little red hen.
But whatever, if I have to I will vote for him—while holding my nose.
We haven’t had a Republican President since Reagan.
Trump is flawed. The GOPe and the Dems are in cahoots. Big money globalists matter more to politicians than voters.
Trump is the only outsider in a rigged game. Warts and all, Trump is the wrecking ball we need.
Trump is the only outsider in a rigged game. Warts and all, Trump is the wrecking ball we need.
But as a point of encouragement, I was in Mongolia after the demise of USSR. I observed the following and more:
1) They were excited about the future. It was like the frontier, they had freedom and responsibility
2) They rediscovered their heritage which in their case was Buddhism and Chingas Kahn.
The rest are merely samo samo,,,whack!, thank you, may I have another.
I want the apple cart upended and dumped on the street.
Liz, Trump offered her 1.9 million - for the record.
***************
For the record..... I’m not sure Trump ever made a concrete on the record offer on
the property. From what I’ve read that came from a son she was/is living with in California.
In any case the proper sold for a little over $500,000.
....
She continued to turn away suitors for the property even after the decision. She was not
completely opposed to selling, but whatever price she had in mind, no one could ever meet it,
including Mr. Trump, who recalled offering as much as $4 million as well as a room for life
at any of his properties. Mr. Casey said the most he remembered Mr. Trump offering was
$1.9 million. “He never made her a real offer,” Mr. Casey said. “He just tried to steal it.”
....
The two other properties involved in the holdouts sold for $2.1 million and $1.6 million.
> “Free trade is mutually beneficial. Everybody wins.”
No John, America has been losing because the ‘Free Trade’ has actually been ‘Dumb Trade’.
But if you want agreement with your blurb error, just ask Mexicans, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and many others.
> “That’s why it’s appalling when Trump calls trade agreements a “disaster” and says he’d “punish” Mexico with higher tariffs (tariffs really punish Americans).””
More than 90 million Americans out of work is not ‘punishment’? Mexico has been ripping off America left and right and everywhere in between, and they should not be ‘punished’?
And by use of the term ‘punished’ is meant taxed or competed against. So are you saying Americans shouldn’t tax the Mexicans for their currency manipulation, wage suppression, environmental pollution and state-sponsored illegal emigration? Oh, one can imagine you to say “but Americans can’t compete with Mexicans”. With a tariff tax on their exports into the USA, they won’t be so competitive and Americans will actually start making things again.
There was a time for so-called ‘Free Trade’, about 40 years ago. Then America had quality problems in manufacturing spurred by unions and management who had grown greedy and complacent. Today one sees the results of ‘Free Trade’ where other nations eat America’s lunch and profit wildly at the expense of Americans while leaving a huge debt for America’s children to face.
Get caught up John. You’re a good reporter but you’re out of touch.
John is also wrong on the facts about Vera and eminent domain. It was Trump’s investors that initiated the use of eminent domain. And it was they that arranged for the $250k compensation but they lost in court.
It is on record that Trump offered Vera $2 million, a million more than her first offer.
Vera did not sell her home. Good for her. It’s her right. But when she passed away, her heirs couldn’t sell her home for even $500,000. Sad story. She should have embraced Donald Trump’s offer and given her family a chance to live a really good life and have much left over to educate her grandchildren.
Very disappointed in you John. You’ve just lowered yourself a notch in my view.
You say he didn’t make a concrete offer and yet Mr. Casey clearly remembers he DID make an offer - the 1.9 million I mentioned. I have no idea what “he never made a real offer,” means, unless you can enlighten me. Sounds like the family used some poor judgment in this - but that is and was their right, of course. The holdouts made a bit of a killing. How unlike both Asbury Park and Long Branch!
You make an interesting observation - that she denied her grandkids a better life through her stubbornness. Of course, that was her right, and perhaps she was advised badly by family, friends and her lawyer. Who knows?
It had to be about more money. I don’t understand people like that. A million dollars for that is like winning the lottery. I’d take the money and run. lol
Hindsight is sometimes better than what we actually did.
I can think of lots of times I wish I had done “A” instead of “B”.
When I listen to and read some of the reasons people don’t trust Trump, I wonder why they trust professional politicians. Look where the professional politicians have put America today.
Last night we watched the presidential debate where all of the debaters are professional politicians, except Donald Trump and Ben Carson.
Each of the professional politicians are fund raising with special interest groups. Who are these groups? What do they require from the politician? When these professional politicians give an opinion or make a speech, are they speaking for the groups who are “paying” them to promote the groups wishes?
So far, I’m enjoying the “shows” the Republican candidates are engaged in.
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