[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

No, I refute the fallacies of your "OPINIONS...

Sorry, but you make yourself such an easy target.

And I'm not the only one who finds your OPINIONS based on FALSE INFORMATION...

Post all the OPINIONS you want. But when you try to back them up with nonsense, expect to be corrected...

OK, I will give an OPINION of mine that is almost entirely mine. Although somewhere in this big, wide, beautiful world someone, somewhere may have expressed a similar OPINION.
.......I believe that Richard Nixon's trip to China to open trading between the two countries - and contrary to popular History and belief - was a COLLASAL mistake. And I have previously posted the DETAILS of WHY I came to that conclusion. So, that is merely MY opinion. And if someone cares to post a counter-argument, I would be VERY interested to read it.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

OK, I will give an OPINION of mine that is almost entirely mine. Although somewhere in this big, wide, beautiful world someone, somewhere may have expressed a similar OPINION.
.......I believe that Richard Nixon's trip to China to open trading between the two countries - and contrary to popular History and belief - was a COLLASAL mistake. And I have previously posted the DETAILS of WHY I came to that conclusion. So, that is merely MY opinion. And if someone cares to post a counter-argument, I would be VERY interested to read it.

I’ll bite and I hope you find it interesting. This whole post should be in a thread of its own. It is waaay off
topic.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Paragraph 4.......The only way a worker could pay ZERO to the Federal Government is to be making the old minimum wages in some states and be married and have about 5 children. I would guess that 80% of all workers are paying something INTO the Federal Government which is getting the benefit of the "time value of money". I would NOT allow that many exemptions if I were making the laws so there would NOT be "50% of the people paying ZERO and getting $1,000s back". I imagine that the Federal Government does that because it is more efficient in preventing starving people on the streets than by paying OUT more in food stamps and housing allowances. Since the US middle class has been "outsourced" to China and created and built up their middle class, now WE HAVE no real MIDDLE CLASS ........so we have to pay for OUR non-working middle class. And the uber-rich laugh all the way to the bank !

And it is my 1st and 2nd paragraph (that were ignored) that were the more IMPORTANT paragraphs. Where I gave the History from 1950-on about how US greed partnered up with China to decimate the US middle class. And I stated the FACT that subsequent generations kept being LESS well-off than their prior generations. That, I believe, was my "EVERYBODY KNOWS" statement that another poster had some (?) problem with.

It is interesting that I just read this morning an article saying that some US companies are moving their manufacturing operations BACK from China to Mexico to punish China and get cheaper shipping. They MUST have read my recent posts. I guess that after Mexico becomes less attractive to them (murders of executives and etc.) they will move back to the US South. And then to get cheaper electrical energy or smarter workers, they will move back to NorthEastern US.........which is where they started in the 1950s. Humorous isn't it????? Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.

Talk about windmills…

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

His rail lines cross Native American lands and are more likely to have oil spills. They also burn oil to run, adding to climate change...

Railroading Racism: Warren Buffett vs Northwest Indians | Intercontinental Cry

OK, I read that link. It was a hard read and complicated. And it does make EVERYONE engaged in moving the oil either by pipeline or railcars, including Warren Buffet, seem responsible for serious environmental degradation. Railcars have crashed and pipelines have ruptured creating BIG problems. It seems like a lot of blame to go around, starting with BIG OIL.
....The US has enough oil for its own needs. It looks like the US is jeopardizing its own environment to satisfy the NEEDS of other countries. It makes me think back to some of my "big picture" comments - that the world population of 8 billion people that increased rapidly since 1900 - seems to be the ROOT cause of this crude oil problem and most other PROBLEMS.
.......And that leads to one of the positive aspects of Elon Musk's life, namely manufacturing a well-liked Electric automobile. Which could help with our OIL DEPENDENCY. I will give him credit for that, but NOT for Twitter. I do not know if Warren Buffet has ANY investments in electric vehicles. He probably does invest in electrical power companies. I will have to check that. And possibly natural gas?

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Pairadocs

I'm impressed ! To me, based on the friendly and inquisitive casual conversations I've tired to have with friends, neighbors, local coffee shop customers, it seems few people seem to actually understand the gradual diminishing of the middle class, and if they do "see" it happening, they have no idea of how/why this is happening. Most assume it's "just politics", the party in office, you are one of the few I have ever talked to or read a post from, who seems to truly understand the significance of "outsourcing" and the role manufacturing played in building the strong middle class that once existed here and fueled a roaring economy. Detroit, Gary, Indiana and all the ore ships on the great lakes, the manufacturing of steel, etc. Now, we are even dependent on our greatest threat for the most basic medications ! No this is not the "fault" of this or that political party. It's the result of an ever growing disinterest in what is HAPPENING to one's country, together with a growing spiritual bankruptcy...notice I did not mention this or that specific religion, but just a growing disinterest in the economy, in spiritual values, in pride in country, a long list of things that "used" to matter ! ? People appear to have become so fixated on calling each other liberal or conservative, democrat or republican, racist, homophobic (and all KINDS of "phobics" previously unheard of), that they simply have ignored what is really happening as we excitedly handed over even our medical future in exchange for cheaper goods; cell phones, athletic shoes, furniture, steel, appliances, computers, televisions, clothing, light bulbs, tires, this could go on forever but, if it lowered the price a few cents, or a few dollars, we were 100% supportive. It is so hard to get that toothpaste BACK into the TUBE !

Thank you !!!!! I do NOT get much support because, I suppose, that many people consider my take / ideas to be "OUT THERE" (Somewhere in left field maybe). But, really as you suggested, my discussion was about the History of the middle class, which is VERY basic to ALL of us. And it is Patriotic to remember back when America was getting better every 20 years - each new generation had great optimism after WW2.

Something broke that pattern and I felt that I had a right (and an obligation) to give my OPINION as to how and WHY that pattern got BROKEN. I look for patterns and I prefer to "see the forest and not the trees". Sometimes I don't see the trees correctly enough, which is not uncommon.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy

LOL! how about some real background on Musk, the narcissist sociopath. . in a funny video. .

https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_t...jpg&name=large

might actually shed some light on the "appearance of Musk being a genius". If you listen carefully to his language and then watch his actions, Musk is a narcissistic sociopath. . he uses words which easily causes believer's brains to make certain assumptive leaps. . certain decisions he makes is designed to weed out the non believers, as sociopaths' words and phrases are designed to search out for easily persuaded believers, or those who want to believe. . .

and your comments or criticisms won't change my opinion, having seen these types, and have self educated myself, not professionally, to be able to spot these types, after previously having been married to one.

psych guy

Great informative post !

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by tuccillo

How do you get so many easily checked facts wrong? Why would you guess when you can look it up? Amazing. Since the post you responded to referenced Federal Income Taxes, I will restrict my comment to that and not consider FICA, which everyone who gets a W-2 pays. In 2021, 57% of households had no Federal Income Tax liability in 2021. The number will be less in 2022.

I believe that tax LIABILITY is an end-of-year determination. Taxes are taken out by State and Federal governments on a paycheck-by-paycheck basis. So, I am GUESSING that about 80% of all WORKERS pay some taxes. And I am JUST not interested / curious or have sufficient time to look up everything.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by tuccillo

I am not keenly interested in your CV. I was, however, trying to get you to realize that any and all of your criticisms of Elon Musk are probably born out of envy of his accomplishments. Also, criticizing something of which you have no expertise is pointless. For example, if I was to criticize how Tom Brady spins the football.

I am not critical of Mr. Musk's ACCOMPLISHMENTS, but his CONTOL of Twitter is a "dumpster fire", not an accomplishment.

[tuccillo]

In your not so expert opinion, which is devoid of any facts, as usual. I can only assume that you mourn the end of the left-wing censorship that was taking place.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

I am not critical of Mr. Musk's ACCOMPLISHMENTS, but his CONTOL of Twitter is a "dumpster fire", not an accomplishment.

[tuccillo]

OK, I see your point but any Federal Income Taxes withheld were completely returned when they filed their taxes for over half of the households in 2021. Fortunately the percentage will be dropping back to 40% of households having no Federal Income Tax liability.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

I believe that tax LIABILITY is an end-of-year determination. Taxes are taken out by State and Federal governments on a paycheck-by-paycheck basis. So, I am GUESSING that about 80% of all WORKERS pay some taxes. And I am JUST not interested / curious or have sufficient time to look up everything.

[tuccillo]

Not exactly. We currently consume more oil than we produce. All oil is not the same, however, and we do import foreign oil because of it's characteristics. We also refine our own production and imported oil into refined products and ship those overseas. We also import refined products. Oil and the refined products from oil are global commodities.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

OK, I read that link. It was a hard read and complicated. And it does make EVERYONE engaged in moving the oil either by pipeline or railcars, including Warren Buffet, seem responsible for serious environmental degradation. Railcars have crashed and pipelines have ruptured creating BIG problems. It seems like a lot of blame to go around, starting with BIG OIL.
....The US has enough oil for its own needs. It looks like the US is jeopardizing its own environment to satisfy the NEEDS of other countries. It makes me think back to some of my "big picture" comments - that the world population of 8 billion people that increased rapidly since 1900 - seems to be the ROOT cause of this crude oil problem and most other PROBLEMS.
.......And that leads to one of the positive aspects of Elon Musk's life, namely manufacturing a well-liked Electric automobile. Which could help with our OIL DEPENDENCY. I will give him credit for that, but NOT for Twitter. I do not know if Warren Buffet has ANY investments in electric vehicles. He probably does invest in electrical power companies. I will have to check that. And possibly natural gas?

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

I am not critical of Mr. Musk's ACCOMPLISHMENTS, but his CONTOL of Twitter is a "dumpster fire", not an accomplishment.

Best thing he could have done for this country. Open your eyes.

[tvbound]

Musk is NOT revealing any big conspiracies, he has simply removed the controls that tried limiting completely false rumors/conspiracies that the old Twitter tried to minimize. Now, the ridiculous lies, crazy conspiracies, antisemitism and pent-up hate by certain demographics - are being allowed to proliferate.

Why and how, would any decent person (especially those claiming to be Christians)...applaud what is currently happening?

Hate Speech’s Rise on Twitter Under Elon Musk Is Unprecedented, Researchers Find - The New York Times


Before Elon Musk bought Twitter, slurs against Black Americans showed up on the social media service an average of 1,282 times a day. After the billionaire became Twitter’s owner, they jumped to 3,876 times a day.

Slurs against gay men appeared on Twitter 2,506 times a day on average before Mr. Musk took over. Afterward, their use rose to 3,964 times a day.

And antisemitic posts referring to Jews or Judaism soared more than 61 percent in the two weeks after Mr. Musk acquired the site.

These findings — from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the Anti-Defamation League and other groups that study online platforms — provide the most comprehensive picture to date of how conversations on Twitter have changed since Mr. Musk completed his $44 billion deal for the company in late October.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by tvbound

Musk is NOT revealing any big conspiracies, he has simply removed the controls that tried limiting completely false rumors/conspiracies that the old Twitter tried to minimize. Now, the ridiculous lies, crazy conspiracies, antisemitism and pent-up hate by certain demographics - are being allowed to proliferate.

Why and how, would any decent person (especially those claiming to be Christians)...applaud what is currently happening?

Hate Speech’s Rise on Twitter Under Elon Musk Is Unprecedented, Researchers Find - The New York Times


Before Elon Musk bought Twitter, slurs against Black Americans showed up on the social media service an average of 1,282 times a day. After the billionaire became Twitter’s owner, they jumped to 3,876 times a day.

Slurs against gay men appeared on Twitter 2,506 times a day on average before Mr. Musk took over. Afterward, their use rose to 3,964 times a day.

And antisemitic posts referring to Jews or Judaism soared more than 61 percent in the two weeks after Mr. Musk acquired the site.

These findings — from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the Anti-Defamation League and other groups that study online platforms — provide the most comprehensive picture to date of how conversations on Twitter have changed since Mr. Musk completed his $44 billion deal for the company in late October.

A huge conspiracy was uncovered when Elon bought Twitter. Anyone who saw the released information by Musk regarding the previously owned Twitter and wasn’t alarmed as to what was happening, is deluding themselves and helping suppress free speech in this country. Those anti Semitic rates soared but those posters were quickly shut down.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Pairadocs

I'm impressed ! To me, based on the friendly and inquisitive casual conversations I've tired to have with friends, neighbors, local coffee shop customers, it seems few people seem to actually understand the gradual diminishing of the middle class, and if they do "see" it happening, they have no idea of how/why this is happening. Most assume it's "just politics", the party in office, you are one of the few I have ever talked to or read a post from, who seems to truly understand the significance of "outsourcing" and the role manufacturing played in building the strong middle class that once existed here and fueled a roaring economy. Detroit, Gary, Indiana and all the ore ships on the great lakes, the manufacturing of steel, etc. Now, we are even dependent on our greatest threat for the most basic medications ! No this is not the "fault" of this or that political party. It's the result of an ever growing disinterest in what is HAPPENING to one's country, together with a growing spiritual bankruptcy...notice I did not mention this or that specific religion, but just a growing disinterest in the economy, in spiritual values, in pride in country, a long list of things that "used" to matter ! ? People appear to have become so fixated on calling each other liberal or conservative, democrat or republican, racist, homophobic (and all KINDS of "phobics" previously unheard of), that they simply have ignored what is really happening as we excitedly handed over even our medical future in exchange for cheaper goods; cell phones, athletic shoes, furniture, steel, appliances, computers, televisions, clothing, light bulbs, tires, this could go on forever but, if it lowered the price a few cents, or a few dollars, we were 100% supportive. It is so hard to get that toothpaste BACK into the TUBE !

Yes, the resurrection of the US middle class is a DIFFICULT problem. The 1st step in solving a problem is to RECOGNISE the problem. The "slipping away" of the middle class has happened S-L-O-W-L-Y. So slowly that the public KNEW that each generation after 1950 became LESS "well off". They did NOT know WHY.
........The answer being OUTSOURCING to China, which we see now as a BIG mistake.

The "dumpster fires" of Twitter and crypto-clown SB-F are just the EXPECTED results of the overall LOSS of the US middle class.