darkjedilink posted...If you look at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for fiscal year 2017, Americans spent more in local, state, and federal income, excise, and sales taxes, than on food and clothing combined, over the whole year, by about $600. This is average across every American they have in their statistics - you, me, our parents, brothers, sisters, everyone paid more money to the government than we did to literally feed and clothe ourselves.
If you figure in Social Security and property taxes, we paid DOUBLE in taxes than we did for food and clothing.
And same for the previous year - less money on average for all numbers, but still more in taxes than food and clothing.
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cesan.nr0.htm
That's the raw numbers, right there.
Now, answer this question honestly - do you implicitly trust Donald Trump to spend your money properly?
The Tax Code wasn't Passed Until Dec. 20. 2017. The tax code wasn't even enacted until after Fiscal 2017 was over... The Tax Code hasn't helped the mass populace. It's only help some elites make pledges. Fiscal Year 2017 is really people just adjusting to previous taxes. I'd also imagine those averages are pretty skewed, because of the wealth inequality.
darkjedilink posted...Did you know that there has been record tax revenue since the tax cut took place?
https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/trump-tax-cuts-revenues-record-high-april-paying-for-themselves/
What "damage over the long term" would be caused by the government getting MORE money, by Americans inspanidually paying less? Especially if you're arguing that the government should be getting a lot of money in taxes?
See the above.
darkjedilink posted...Probably, but that alone doesn't mean I think he mishandled them. The Kim's are weak bullys. You ever get bullied as a kid? I did (go ahead and joke all you want). You know how the advice is always "just ignore them and they'll leave you alone?"
I've never met anyone who's actually suggested that's actually true in practice. Not a single bully I've ever dealt with left me alone by ignoring them. Instead, they saw it as fun to assault me all they wanted with no repercussions. They ONLY started to leave me alone after I snapped and busted one guy's jaw after gym class when, after punching me in the back of the head, I snapped around, punched him in the throat, then slammed him into a bench face-first. I was actually taken home by the police, and charged with assault, until the security camera footage proved I was assaulted first, and therefore acted in self-defense.
By responding with threats and force with much greater force, it taught bullies that there are real, tangible negative repercussions for f***ing with me.
And Trump going against the orthodoxy of previous Presidents ("just ignore the bully, and he'll go away"), which has resulted in absolutely nothing good as it relates to our relationship with NK, or SK's relationship with NK, has the potential of the same lesson.
Only people being bullied are North Koreans by their leader. South Korea isn't and hasn't
ignored North Korea. They're literally playing Chicken with some unwilling contestants. I'm pretty sure we have been and still are at a standstill with North Korea and nothing will change until they've surrender their nuclear weapons. At that point they will no longer have any sort of leverage and Kim may be a child, but he is not dumb.
We will never see eye to eye on the notion of respect. It is earned, not given. And because you earned it someone else's eyes doesn't mean you've earned it in mine. Actually, after Helsinki... Let's just say he's not doing himself any favors.
---
Nothing left here for me.