General Chat (Non-Music-Related)

Under normal circumstances, the minimum wage is not raised arbitrarily, but this time that's exactly what's happening.

A standard of living increase is fine, and it still results in layoffs just about every time. But when you double it in a short period of time, it's just plain stupid. As I said in another post, the boss has 2 questions.

Are you worth it?
How do I pay for it?

If you're not worth it, you're out the door. Most right now are barely worth the $7 or so they get as it is.

To pay for it, since an increase that large takes a huge chunk of his profits, the boss has to raise prices, cut hours or lay off people. Or in some cases increase automation. So Hillary and Bernie are throwing the lowest paid segment of the country under the bus, they know it too. Both are socialists anyway, what do you think all that "free stuff" is all about. And if you think it's great, remember it will be paid for by YOUR taxes.

My first choice is Trump. Second is Cruz. Ideal would be Trump with Cruz as VP. I think Cruz is great but he's not the prez we need. Trump has guts enough to tell it like it is, in plain language and not politispeak, and his business sense is exactly what we need to bring our economy back from the brink of disaster. With Cruz' smarts it would be an unbeatable team. Either could beat Hillary in a general election, and we certainly don't need that (*&%$## woman, we already have a pathological liar in the white house. And she's already stated she plans to go further than Obama. We do not need that.

Yeah I know I can see the Trump haters coming out of the woodwork already. I see his act in speeches and such, coming across as a buffoon...do you really think the guy who has made $10 Billion does not have a solid plan? Do you think the guy we see on TV is the same guy who walks into a business meeting? Not a chance. Yo think he has zero experience as a politician? Wrong. He's been dealing with politicians for 40 years, he has more experience dealing with them than anyone on the debate stage a few nights ago. And he usually wins. What we see on TV is an act. I'm willing to bet you wouldn't recognize the businessman that walks into the meetings.

Trump has made a few mistakes, he's said a few things I'm not crazy about, but who doesn't? In general he tells it like it is, and he's been mostly right, I think he's not putting out a lot more specifics for a reason. Not sure what it is, but somebody that can put together the kind of business he has doesn't pee without a plan. We're only hearing the surface. And he means what he says. If you look back, that's his reputation, he says what he means and does what he says. On time, under budget. He'll run the country the same way, which is exactly what we need. Don't believe me? Watch and see. If there's one thing he knows how to do it's put together a budget. He's also strong on military, and those are the two most important issues. Economics and national security. Yes I know military is not the only aspect of national security.

I'm sure he has weak spots, that's where Cruz comes in. Cruz is also the most intelligent candidate in either party and has an audiographic memory it's said. He remembers everything he hears. A debate championship is named after him. No other candidate has argued 9 cases in front of the Supreme Court and won most of them. (I think 6 but can't remember for sure) And the only candidate that has already stood up to the establishment politicians for his whole time in the Senate. The others say they'll fight the "Washington elite", he already has and can prove it. Nobody else can say that.

Trump /Cruz.

Rubio is owned by lobbyists and big money donors. Why do yo think he flip flops so much? He does what they tell him to do. Ditto for everyone else in both parties. Rand Paul might not be totally controlled, maybe, but he's really really not what we need. Jeb...oh hell no. He should have listened to mommy. Christie is decent, has the kind of strong personality that might work, has some good things to say, but I'm not impressed.

Overall, Trump, Cruz and Rubio are probably going to be the last ones standing. Trump is my first choice and I hope he has the good sense to pick Cruz as VP...that would be a killer team...

Oh yeah, before you start, why ask the question if you already know you won't like the answer? Shut up and live with it. You asked for it.

What Billy said!

2nd!

Yesterday, Al Gore was doing a 24 hour live webcast on global warming....which our President says is the biggest threat to America. Problem was, Gore did this from the Eiffel Tower. Only five hours into it, Islam erupted. Oh, the irony.

What happened in Paris yesterday IS going to throw the election right into the lap of Trump. Now people will know and be afraid of what Islam has planned for America. The far-right in Europe has just been given a gift from the liberals who opened their societies to the wicked tenets of Islam. The largest demonstration in Poland's history happened a few days ago. Former fringe enemies in Germany, the communists and the neo-nazis, are gaining popularity...even sounding more sane than our President lately. The Jobbik in Hungary are exploiting this to rise in credibility.

This is like Pearl Harbor was in 1941. The western world is waking up to the designs of the wicked one....and it will now be the downfall of the New Socialists (aka Democrat Party).

The Don's main issue is, and has always been, immigration. No one else really wants to touch that. Advantage: Trump.

Obama's plans to import Syrian terrorists and Muslim Brotherhood has almost worked...but now Paris will focus more attention on what he was sneaking by us when we weren't looking.

He and Hillary are willing to destroy America just to advance their own political power and that of the Soros DNC. Bring in non-Americans to vote against all of us who have worked to make this nation a place of freedom....and make us even pay for it with wealth redistribution.

The DNC treason is sly, presented as if it were noble to bring in unchecked muslim immigrants...who just happen to be criminals and freeloaders. Rape is their method of vengeance. Hillary left our Ambassador to face this evil agenda in Benghazi, but so few understand what he faced that night. Thanks to Paris, now we all do.

Better get used to saying "President Trump". These are extreme times and only the extreme will survive.

Yod - You must be keeping up with world news better than me, you mention things I know little about. I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of your comments, I know this is becoming a huge problem world wide, and I just noted in another thread it is coming to this country and soon.

I agree with your general observations on the DNC too, they have been moving slowly more and more toward socialism for years, I just didn't notice it. Same as most people I guess, but I started noticing sooner because I have not trusted the mainstream media for 30 years. All the "free stuff" Sanders and Hillary are promising is just that, socialism. It's not free, everyone else has to pay taxes to cover the cost of all those "free" college tuitions they want to give away. Ditto for welfare, food stamps, low income housing, you name it. And what do you do once you have more freeloaders than working grunts to pay for it? And if you think that $15 minimum wage is without a price, guess again. Half the restaurants in Seattle already closed. And their minimum wage only went to $11.50 I think. It goes to $15 over several years. Then consider Sanders' plan to tax "the rich" at 90%. No way that will work, they'll just move out of the country. Then who will fund the businesses that create jobs? Don't expect government to do it, the only jobs they create are beaurocracies. Government has never created a manufacturing job. Even in WWII, they only got existing factories to switch over to making military hardware, government didn't create a thing. Except a huge tax bill. And guess who pays that.

A couple of the republicans seem to have pretty good tax plans, Trump has one that sounds pretty good except for one thing. I don't think anyone should pay a greater percentage than anyone else, regardless of income. The only exception I would agree with would be a lower tax bracket for low income individuals. If you make poverty level pay, I would agree with no taxes. Even ab0ve poverty level,m which is around $20,000 think, no more than 5% would be OK. From actual make a living income up, everyone is the same 10 or 15%. I see no reason someone who makes a half million a year should pay a larger percentage of income in taxes than the guy who makes $50,000.

Bernie and Hillary don't see it that way. Bernie wants 90%. Say bye bye to the rich and the corporations, and corporations are already leaving the country to avoid handing the IRS 45% of their profits. Drop that to 20% tops, you'll see businesses coming back. Most of the Republicans are seeing that, all of them I've heard about so far do intend to reduce corporate taxes to being them back. Trump said the same, he even said his plan would cost him a fortune, but it's still a lot lower than they pay now. His intent is to eliminate a lot of the loopholes and tax shelters that allow many, especially hedge fund managers, to pay almost no taxes at all.

Cruz wants to abolish the IRS altogether. Fine with me, it's an exceptionally corrupt outfit these days, but something will have to be put in its place, someone has to collect taxes.

The Syrian refugees worry me a lot. ISIS has already announced long ago they plan to slip their people in with the refugees, last night's attack in France is probably only the tip of the iceberg. I think you may be right, there is a good chance it will backfire on Obama and the Democrats. His push to allow illegal immigrants to stay is an effort to overload the system with Democrat voters so nobody else will ever have a chance again. It was already started in the last couple of elections. Some counties showed 110% voter turnout, I can't remember how many dead people voted, and some voted more than once, illegals were brought to one place to vote then loaded up and driven to the next county with no voter ID to vote again...Just plain voter fraud. And some of the machines in last November's elections were proven to switch votes from Republican to Democrat, the governor of one state watched it happen to his own vote. Several times. Expect more this time, if we even get there...

Cruz wants to abolish the IRS altogether.

Really? Did he say that???

I'm jumping onboard with that!!! The IRS is the equivalent of the Gestapo. They don't need a search warrant or court order to take everything you own. They are the collectors of "health care" taxes and therefore can simply let you die if you owe them anything.

If what you say is true...then I'm going down to volunteer for Cruz.

someone has to collect taxes.

Why not a flat tax on purchases? That would do it.

And some of the machines in last November's elections were proven to switch votes from Republican to Democrat, the governor of one state watched it happen to his own vote. Several times. Expect more this time, if we even get there...

And now there is no paper trail to prove it. A Spanish company is in charge of the software that counts votes, so it would be easy to corrupt the process outside of the country.

Pretty scary government, when the DOJ singles out the GIBSON corp, because they wrote a check to support Romney.

IRS, EPA, DEC, DOJ, FDA, FMSCA, FEMA. Very short list of all the government agencies sanctioned by BY THE LAWMAKERS OF THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA. Our representatives are NO longer creating the law.

These agencies have usurped the power granted to the people to rule themselves... Power granted under the law of the land... A pesky little document known as the CONSTITUTION.

Some of you should go and study it... Especially you lawyers.

NOBODY UNDERSTANDS THIS!!!!

Fender had the same circumstances with protected wood... The difference was they wrote a check to support obama.

The difference was they didn't have a DOJ SWAT team come in and terrorize Gibson employees.

The difference is you are advocating a government that has complete control under any circumstance.

The difference is you are saying this is a country where the few can override the intent and will for the very basis of the LAW of THE LAND.

I strongly disagree... Thank you for displaying your values... It will make it much easier to decide who lives and dies.

Yod - Here ya go. Google "Cruz abolish irs" for more.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/ted-c ... le/2563631

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/pos ... h-the-irs/

Cruz said the same thing in the recent debates on Fox Business.

In the article above, he says collecting taxes would be the responsibility of some lesser department of the Treasury.

A Spanish company is in charge of the software that counts votes, so it would be easy to corrupt the process outside of the country.

I wasn't aware of that part, I think I did hear a while back it was done by a foreign country but don't think they said who.

I think one of the Republicans did propose a flat sales tax but can't remember who. Huckabee maybe? Not sure. Every one of them wants to reduce both taxes and government regulations, which are killing jobs and business growth. This year we've seen more businesses fail than open for the first time since the 70's, I think when Carter was in office. Companies are leaving the US because of one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, for locations with lower or none. Regulations are absolutely killing businesses. That's what happened to the Kentucky coal mining business. Obama's regulations caused around 2/3 of the coal mining operations to shut down, that's 80% of Kentucky's economy. Thousands out of work. His proposed EPA regulations would finish the job.

Every time you hit a business with more regulations, it costs them a lot of money. That, along with higher taxes, means businesses don't have the capitol available to expand, create jobs, or give existing employees raises, even if they deserve raises. And this is all across the board, not just coal mining. Same after Clinton signed NAFTA, the machine shop industry almost died, since jobs were going to China in droves, I couldn't get anyone around here to even talk to me about a job, with 6 years as a machinist and best in the last 3 shops I worked for. I'd walk in the door and the boss would say nope, no openings...I never even had to ask. Nothing within 75 miles of here for over 6 months. I got out and went into computer repair.

Your tax dollars at work...