The 119th United States Congress

[Motor City Sonics]

On 9/8/2025 at 8:28 PM, Tiger337 said:

My guess is that the elections will be fair and than we'll get a blue wave...Then Trump will say they were rigged and disregard the results.

That's not going to happen.   Because people in blue districts are going to vote on election day and are going to be told "wait a minute, you didn't re-register with the new rules"  or "you need to have a birth certificate" or some stupid nonsense. 

Or - even if there is a "blue wave",  they just won't be sworn in.  

It's over.     It died on election day last year.      I don't even think he won.      Funny how so many tech bros bent their knee to him IMMEDIATELY, eh?    I mean, they could not wait to kiss his ass.  Nothing fishy there.     Remember, its ALL of the people that control the flow of information.  ALL....OF....THEM.   Even the ones that once resisted.  All of a sudden, totally kissing up.  I wonder why.  What exactly are they getting.  

And no matter what happens in 26 or 28  -- if he's still alive, he's not leaving on 1-20-29.   And he'll have enough military support to pull it off.    Even if it's Vance, Rubio or some other putrid piece of **** Republican.   He won't even step aside for them.   

This country, as you believed it to be, is over now.   

Edited October 17 by Motor City Sonics

[Motor City Sonics]

And we're still just in the first year of this ****.  

You will see Democratic politicians getting arrested before 2028

and I will stand by my prediction that aright around late August or early September they are going to do something absolutely radical like completely cut off Social Security or do something that is going to anger millions of people, who will protest (and not quietly) on the streets and Martial Law will be enacted --- indefinitely.       

It's coming. 

 

One thing I do know is that in some of these cities there are more guns than the National Guard has - and something is going to go down between people citizens and the guard.     Either that, or we're going to have another Kent State, where people gathered somewhere will be shot down.   Kind of like Bloody Sunday in Derry, Northern Ireland 30 January 1972.     Both things will probably happen.   Our country will not be able to withstand 3 more years if this.   The Constitution will be suspended.    Trump's just the mouthpiece.  You have some truly evil mother****ers behind all this and they know what they are doing.   Trump is the distraction.   

 

And I work in radio and I do think that some time within the next 12-18 months - we will get a list of artists that are banned from radio airplay  (Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Taylor Swift) and if you think "that can't possibly happen".  Think of how many times you've said that to yourself since 2015.   

Edited October 17 by Motor City Sonics

[CMRivdogs]

Mikie's still dragging his feet. Those Trump files must be dynamite 

 

[CMRivdogs]

Boot them all out..

 

[CMRivdogs]

 

[oblong]

 

[gehringer_2]

45 minutes ago, oblong said:

 

ETTD

[romad1]

56 minutes ago, oblong said:

 

They know a blowout is coming in Nov 2026.   It won't save them to gerrymander all the districts. 

[Motown Bombers]

I think the gerrymanders will actually hurt them. They are weakening strong republican districts to create a bunch of Trump  +5 districts. If the elections in Virginia and New Jersey hold in the midterms, not only will Dems still hold those districts but can also take the seats Republicans weakened and actually gain seats. It's why you saw Kansas and Indiana abandon plans to gerrymander. On top of that, Republicans drove California to gerrymander. 

[CMRivdogs]

 

[oblong]

[chasfh]

14 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

 

TBF, giving every America adult $2,000 would cost the Treasury about half a trillion dollars.

[1984Echoes]

Not addressed to anyone in particular... But:

I believe we are sitting at a $1.8 TRILLION dollar annual deficit, year-to-date this year.

Trump and his sycophantic House & Senate Republicans are the most fiscally irresponsible jagoffs in the

HISTORY of ALL MANKIND!!!

Errr, sorry everyone, about my expressiveness...

Well, at least they are the most fiscally irresponsible U.S. leaders in the history of the U.S.

The worst.

EZ Fix: Balance the ****ing budget. If taxes are required to be raised, tough ****, do it. If Trump and his sycophantic H&S R's have to lose some of their self-serving tax breaks, tough ****, do it. If they can find ways to lower budget spending... that will actually fly in this country... fine, do it. 

But in order to balance the budget, they're going to have to negotiate with the Dems... so the Trumpublicans are NOT going to get all their little "gimmes" in a balanced budget.

Tough ****, do it.

 

PS: Not going to happen until the Dems take over the House and Senate.

But that is coming soon IMO, to a theater near you. Release date: January, 2027.

[Motown Bombers]

This certainly got interesting. 

 

[Screwball]

11 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said:

Not addressed to anyone in particular... But:

I believe we are sitting at a $1.8 TRILLION dollar annual deficit, year-to-date this year.

Trump and his sycophantic House & Senate Republicans are the most fiscally irresponsible jagoffs in the

HISTORY of ALL MANKIND!!!

Errr, sorry everyone, about my expressiveness...

Well, at least they are the most fiscally irresponsible U.S. leaders in the history of the U.S.

The worst.

EZ Fix: Balance the ****ing budget. If taxes are required to be raised, tough ****, do it. If Trump and his sycophantic H&S R's have to lose some of their self-serving tax breaks, tough ****, do it. If they can find ways to lower budget spending... that will actually fly in this country... fine, do it. 

But in order to balance the budget, they're going to have to negotiate with the Dems... so the Trumpublicans are NOT going to get all their little "gimmes" in a balanced budget.

Tough ****, do it.

 

PS: Not going to happen until the Dems take over the House and Senate.

But that is coming soon IMO, to a theater near you. Release date: January, 2027.

I'm sure they will fix it anytime now. 🙂 

I want some of what you're smoking.

 

[RatkoVarda]

3 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

EZ Fix: Balance the ****ing budget. If taxes are required to be raised, tough ****, do it. If Trump and his sycophantic H&S R's have to lose some of their self-serving tax breaks, tough ****, do it. If they can find ways to lower budget spending... that will actually fly in this country... fine, do it. 

But in order to balance the budget, they're going to have to negotiate with the Dems... so the Trumpublicans are NOT going to get all their little "gimmes" in a balanced budget.

Tough ****, do it.

There is no significant number voters who are interested in balancing the budget or addressing the national debt.

Two things Americans absolutely do not want: less services and more taxes.

[gehringer_2]

5 minutes ago, RatkoVarda said:

There is no significant number voters who are interested in balancing the budget or addressing the national debt.

Two things Americans absolutely do not want: less services and more taxes.

but anyone who has ever gotten into too much credit debt knows that paying interest eventually leaves you with less buy what you need. The interest on the debt already consumes as much tax revenue as the amount taxes would have had to go up to prevent the most of the debt.

Edited yesterday at 06:47 PM by gehringer_2

[RatkoVarda]

1 minute ago, gehringer_2 said:

but anyone who has ever gotten into too much credit debt knows that paying interest eventually leaves you with less buy what you need. The interest on the debt already consumes as much tax revenue as the amount taxes would have had to go up to prevent the most of the debt.

you are 100% correct.

and any politician who runs on reducing services and/or raising taxes will lose. Americans don't want to pay that bill.

[gehringer_2]

18 minutes ago, RatkoVarda said:

you are 100% correct.

and any politician who runs on reducing services and/or raising taxes will lose. Americans don't want to pay that bill.

I think the outcome will have to be a 'new' tax added to the mix - something like some variation on a VAT that people will not see directly. Maybe a grand deal where we trade adding a VAT for flat no-deduction income tax and/or annual 'assets' tax. If you made the public an offer that eliminated the 1040 and all its attendant schedules it might have enough appeal to slip in a net overall increase. If you wanted to be clever you could tie the VAT rate to the size of the debt - have the tax fall as the debt falls.

Edited yesterday at 07:10 PM by gehringer_2

[Screwball]

5 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

I think the outcome will have to be a 'new' tax added to the mix - something like some variation on a VAT that people will not see directly. Maybe a grand deal where we trade adding a VAT for flat no-deduction income tax and/or annual 'assets' tax. If you made the public an offer that eliminated the 1040 and all its attendant schedules it might have enough appeal to slip in a net overall increase. If you wanted to be clever you could tie the VAT rate to the size of the debt - have the tax fall as the debt falls.

A tax we don't see which will be paid by us serfs like we always do. Brilliant!

[gehringer_2]

13 minutes ago, Screwball said:

A tax we don't see which will be paid by us serfs like we always do. Brilliant!

IDK SB, If the public is so stupid that they keep voting for people who promise to give them something for nothing, then what other choice is there other than national bankruptcy? At some point there has to be an adult in the room!

Edited 20 hours ago by gehringer_2

[Screwball]

3 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

IDK SB, If the public is so stupid that they keep voting for people who promise to give them something for nothing, then what other choice is there other than national bankruptcy? At some point there has to be an adult in the room!

An adult wouldn't steal from us or teach us how do do so, but that horse left the barn years ago.

We are at FUBAR. 🙂

[chasfh]

7 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

but anyone who has ever gotten into too much credit debt knows that paying interest eventually leaves you with less buy what you need. The interest on the debt already consumes as much tax revenue as the amount taxes would have had to go up to prevent the most of the debt.

Yes, but those who got the most tax cuts got to privatize the gain while socializing the losses.

[1984Echoes]

6 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

I think the outcome will have to be a 'new' tax added to the mix - something like some variation on a VAT that people will not see directly. Maybe a grand deal where we trade adding a VAT for flat no-deduction income tax and/or annual 'assets' tax. If you made the public an offer that eliminated the 1040 and all its attendant schedules it might have enough appeal to slip in a net overall increase. If you wanted to be clever you could tie the VAT rate to the size of the debt - have the tax fall as the debt falls.

The VAT is a flat tax. Everyone pays the same rate (once companies have paid and then passed through the higher cost to their customers...).

Sales taxes are flat taxes, everyone pays the same rate.

This is what the oligarchs want. It reduces the burden on themselves whilst they slash taxes for themselves.

And usually the tax cuts for the rich come first. Starting? with Reagan or even before him? But definitely since then. Slash taxes at the top, and states and everyone else tries to make up for the lost revenues with flat taxes.

In other words, regressive.

Estate or inheritance taxes are not regressive.

Which is why Trump and his sycophantic Republicans slashed them. (By boosting the exemption threshold up to $14 mill single $28 mill married couple).

I have ideas...

Put the max tax rate for individuals back up to 40% applicable at the highest salary level, and use an incremental catch-up rate (42%) to bring prior taxed salary up to the max rate (IE: 35% below $626K, so 42% tax rate above $626K) until taxes on all wages for that person reach 40%, at which point all subsequent salaries higher than that are at the max 40% rate.

Businesses ASKED for a 24% rate in 2017. Trump FORCED that rate down to 21% (to benefit himself of course) for C Corps. I would state that "BASED on businesses prior recommendation, we are agreeing to their 24% rate".

Eliminate the SSN salary cap threshold and reduce the rate by 2%. Everyone (including employer's matching) pays less taxes. Until the new breakeven threshold (not a salary cap but the breakeven point with the new rate) which now: fully funds SSN. What do higher wage earners get when they won't really need Social Security? Less homeless on the streets. Less suffering in the US (they might not give a **** about that but... tough beans...).

Create a "Windfall Tax" for all salaries above $5 million per year. INCLUDING stock benefits, as well as paid wages. But the employee does NOT pay the windfall tax, the company does. 20% windfall tax. Paid by the company to the IRS. For any "golden parachutes: stock or stock option benefits, and for all salary above $5 million for each and every executive, partner, director, or any other employee making over that amount.

Fix the Federal Estate Tax. Drop the exemption threshold back down to $6 mill for singles, $12 mill married. They use progressive rates over the threshold from 18% to 40%; so that seems fine.

Cost cutting...? Where do we find anything to cut in the budget nowadays?

Just a few thoughts I have...

[1984Echoes]

7 hours ago, RatkoVarda said:

you are 100% correct.

and any politician who runs on reducing services and/or raising taxes will lose. Americans don't want to pay that bill.

And I know this as well...

Which sucks.

I'm not a "balanced budget amendment guy"...

But I am a "We need to balance this ****ing budget NOW!!!" guy...