American Politics the 2016 edition

Trump is now apparently planning to implement a no-fly zone over Syria, allocating 90 days to the planning phase first.

As Russia will not accept such a zone and have to ingnore its existance, the USA will have to shoot down Russian jets ignoring it (which they will have to do to save face).

Hm, interesting!

At least Hitler was coy about his plans for the first five or six years. Donald Trump, on the other hand, does not fcuk around.

When that Mayan end-of-the-world thing was supposed to happen a few years back, did someone say how long it was actually supposed to take?


Edited by npjnpj - January 26 2017 at 13:11

BaldJean wrote: it is certainly not the first time someone builds a wall to separate people. but it is the first time the builder expects the people he wants to separate from to pay for it. the Mexican president rightly flipped Trump the bird. the question is: what will Trump do to make the Mexicans pay? perhaps a little invasion into Mexico? he may find the erected wall to be in the way for that

And the answer is "impose a 20% tax on imports from Mexico".

From what I've read, the USA needs quite a number of Mexican imports (amongst those from other countries) for its own production chains. The US is not self-sufficient.

Is it feasible that only those imports are taxed that are not required for component uses? That might open a new can of worms.

Just a minute. If Mexico is going to pay for the wall in the end anyway, couldn't they pay for it directly? Then they could employ the Mexican workers from both sides of the border to build it, and then, as it's legally theirs, pay them to also tear it down again. And then start again.
Lots of jobs, lots of work, and everyone's a winner.


Edited by npjnpj - January 26 2017 at 15:22

The idea seems to have a lot of common with the Berlin airport.
Lots of wheels spinning and leading nowhere, and it won't stop until everyone's set for life. I like it.

Well, now that the first week is almost over, and in the light of the newest development of the DTs having fired most of the diplomatic corps, practically immobilizing foreign relations in general, it seems clear where all this is leading.

It's out with politics and diplomacy, the USA is now going to be run like a business empire, Machiavelli-style, the only way Trump knows.

Does anyone think that this has any chance of success, and what will the practcal consequences be?

this is a very interesting article from the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-pressured-park-service-to-back-up-his-claims-about-inauguration-crowd/2017/01/26/12a38cb8-e3fc-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html?utm_term=.e650dcf21de2&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1

I think we have to expect more of this in the future. somehow reminds me of Joseph Goebbels. a pocket-sized Goebbels so far, but he could grow. principiis obsta (resist the beginnings), as Ovid said

npjnpj wrote: Well, now that the first week is almost over, and in the light of the newest development of the DTs having fired most of the diplomatic corps, practically immobilizing foreign relations in general, it seems clear where all this is leading. It's out with politics and diplomacy, the USA is now going to be run like a business empire, Machiavelli-style, the only way Trump knows. Does anyone think that this has any chance of success, and what will the practcal consequences be?

The meeting of Trump and May, (let's call it the "oh sh*t this is actually happening" meeting) provides for some great thought indeed. 

Edited by JJLehto - January 27 2017 at 20:10