Elections are close. As we can see, the GQP mouthpieces were released in the wild with their updated speaking points.
I'm happy to see progress!

We are now talking about the economy, instead of stolen elections, the great reset, pedophile rings or Jewish lasers... 👍

Quote from: Minsc on May 12, 2022, 15:35

For every Biden gaff, there are dozens of Trump gaffs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MyLwAokINc

Fixed that.  And what's even worse is the crap that comes out of Trunt's mouth that aren't due to speech issues and are just plain idiocy.

Actually, what's even worse is that Republicans will have had four years to find a sensible candidate who wasn't impeached twice and caused and insurrection and lied about the election.  But they're just like "No, this guy is good because he hates who I hate and has no filter like I wish I didn't".

Quote from: BK on May 11, 2022, 19:44
I love how conservatives complain about the evils of socialism and how free market capitalism solves all problems . Then when the law of supply and demand kicks in and the price of gas goes up 50 cents a gallon they complain that the government isn't doing enough. 😂

I'm more of a classical liberal more than anything else, thank you very much. I even support abortion.

When it comes so fiscial policy, modern leftists are completely illiterate when it comes to the economy.

You talk about supply and demand, so ask yourself this. Who stopped the Keystone pipepline and cancelled oil and natural gas exploration permits? Who artificially and intentionally constrained supply and caused the price of oil to go up?

And hyperbole doesn't make a good argument. The price of oil has nearly doubled since early last year, not gone up 50 cents. The price of food also nearly doubled. Maybe you're rich enough to not have it affect your bank account, but it's affecting everyone else and it's causing the US to barrel toward a recession. Sometime you need to step back and look it how it's affecting your bank account, microstock profits, your job and your children's jobs instead of looking for a little ideological win.

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on May 12, 2022, 15:39

Quote from: Minsc on May 12, 2022, 15:35

For every Biden gaff, there are dozens of Trump gaffs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MyLwAokINc

Fixed that.  And what's even worse is the crap that comes out of Trunt's mouth that aren't due to speech issues and are just plain idiocy.

Actually, what's even worse is that Republicans will have had four years to find a sensible candidate who wasn't impeached twice and caused and insurrection and lied about the election.  But they're just like "No, this guy is good because he hates who I hate and has no filter like I wish I didn't".

Have you heard about the new drug overdoes record in 2021? Only 107,000 people died from OD's, much of it attributed to Fentanyl.

After Biden opened the borders, Fentanyl "imports" from the southern border went up by 1,100%. But nobody cares, because Biden is "compassionately" letting druggies shoot themselves to death.

That's not a gaff, that's pure Biden idiocy. That's one top of what his incompetence on the economy. But let's about Trump's mean tweets instead.

Quote from: BK on May 11, 2022, 19:44
I love how conservatives complain about the evils of socialism and how free market capitalism solves all problems . Then when the law of supply and demand kicks in and the price of gas goes up 50 cents a gallon they complain that the government isn't doing enough. 😂

Well, if you look the green part as the market price, blue as the gas station profit and the red part is what governments are taking from the cake I wouldn't call this free market by any means 

Would you ?

Quote from: Lizard on May 12, 2022, 15:54

Quote from: BK on May 11, 2022, 19:44
I love how conservatives complain about the evils of socialism and how free market capitalism solves all problems . Then when the law of supply and demand kicks in and the price of gas goes up 50 cents a gallon they complain that the government isn't doing enough. 😂

Well, if you look the green part as the market price, blue as the gas station profit and the red part is what governments are taking from the cake I wouldn't call this free market by any means 

Would you ?

That pie chart is most likely valid for Europe. In the US, gas taxes are much lower.

For example, in Pennsylvania, the state with the highest gas tax in the US ($0,76/gallon) the tax percentage is only 16% of today's price ($4.57/gallon).

Quote from: Lizard on May 12, 2022, 15:54

Well, if you look the green part as the market price, blue as the gas station profit and the red part is what governments are taking from the cake I wouldn't call this free market by any means 

Would you ?

Needs to be even higher to properly price in externalities (global warming, pollution etc.).

Quote from: Minsc on May 12, 2022, 15:45
You talk about supply and demand, so ask yourself this. Who stopped the Keystone pipepline and cancelled oil and natural gas exploration permits? Who artificially and intentionally constrained supply and caused the price of oil to go up?

Nobody stopped the Keystone pipeline.

Oh, wait, you meant the KeystoneXL which was for garbage tar sands from which the oil would mostly be exported?  Is that what you meant?

Oh wait, nobody cancelled permits.  https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/new-data-biden-slays-trumps-first-year-drilling-permitting-by-34-2022-01-21/ "New federal data shows the Biden administration approved 3,557 permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands in its first year, far outpacing the Trump administration's first-year total of 2,658."

Oh, wait, you're talking about OPEC who constrains supply to make the price go up?

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on May 12, 2022, 16:47

Quote from: Minsc on May 12, 2022, 15:45
You talk about supply and demand, so ask yourself this. Who stopped the Keystone pipepline and cancelled oil and natural gas exploration permits? Who artificially and intentionally constrained supply and caused the price of oil to go up?

Nobody stopped the Keystone pipeline.

Oh, wait, you meant the KeystoneXL which was for garbage tar sands from which the oil would mostly be exported?  Is that what you meant?

Oh wait, nobody cancelled permits.  https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/new-data-biden-slays-trumps-first-year-drilling-permitting-by-34-2022-01-21/ "New federal data shows the Biden administration approved 3,557 permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands in its first year, far outpacing the Trump administration's first-year total of 2,658."

Oh, wait, you're talking about OPEC who constrains supply to make the price go up?

You're right, it's not the permits, it's the leases. That was my little mistake, but the point still stands.

Biden paused all new oil and natural gas leashes, effectively slowed production. They only recently resumed in April because out of desperation, only to cancel even more leases. Want proof, here it is:

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/24/biden-administration-pausing-new-oil-and-gas-leases-amid-legal-battle-.html

Biden continue to cancel leases, this on in the last 24 hours:
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/biden-admin-cancels-oil-gas-lease-sale-record-high-prices

And you want to talk about OPEC? They won't pick up the phone because they don't respect Biden, kinda like the rest of the world.

Quote from: Minsc on May 12, 2022, 16:58
...they don't respect Biden, kinda like the rest of the world.

I can assure you, the 'rest of the world' (I can't speak for everyone, but from what I'm hearing and reading) respects Biden.
We didn't respect Trump, recognised him as an idiot ("does China have hurricane guns?") and couldn't imagine why anyone would vote for him.
I'd vote for Howling 'Laud' Hope before I'd vote for Trump.

They want us fighting each other so we are distracted. That is what I see now. 2 wings of the same bird ...

Quote from: ShadySue on May 12, 2022, 18:26

Quote from: Minsc on May 12, 2022, 16:58
...they don't respect Biden, kinda like the rest of the world.

I can assure you, the 'rest of the world' (I can't speak for everyone, but from what I'm hearing and reading) respects Biden.
We didn't respect Trump, recognised him as an idiot ("does China have hurricane guns?") and couldn't imagine why anyone would vote for him.
I'd vote for Howling 'Laud' Hope before I'd vote for Trump.

Trump is completely senile, always repreating the same old stuff over and over again. The GOP should find someone who is not completely corrupted or weird. Their party is cangrened with Qanon followers.. and russian trolls.

There are no taxes on the price of crude. That's market driven. And no matter how much drilling the US does, it's still a global market price for crude that's impacted by production of OPEC+. As for Keystone, those tar sands are the most expensive to extract, so it's not profitable below like $100 per barrel. And the oil companies already have tons of leased land that they're not producing from. Partly because it takes time to ramp up production after the low prices during Covid. And partly because they're enjoying the record profits. And you're right, I'm not really impacted by inflation because I'm a micro stock photographer 😉

Quote from: eyewave on May 11, 2022, 12:53

Quote from: Minsc on May 10, 2022, 22:27
Thanks to the incompetent idiots in charge, we're on our way to a recession.

I anticipate that many companies with either start downgrading or cancelling their microstock accounts from sites like SS and AS.

My SS sales has dipped in the last few weeks. Less big sales and less daily downloads.

Just brace yourselves for what's to come and stop supporting people who are economically illiterate.

It's funny how conservatives worldwide always claim recession and inflation are the fault of the current government and never based on the mistakes of the former one.

And funny that the Liberals in power always blame the former people, instead of the current government in power, for all the problems.

Quote from: Diana Herrmann on May 13, 2022, 12:54

Quote from: eyewave on May 11, 2022, 12:53

Quote from: Minsc on May 10, 2022, 22:27
Thanks to the incompetent idiots in charge, we're on our way to a recession.

I anticipate that many companies with either start downgrading or cancelling their microstock accounts from sites like SS and AS.

My SS sales has dipped in the last few weeks. Less big sales and less daily downloads.

Just brace yourselves for what's to come and stop supporting people who are economically illiterate.

It's funny how conservatives worldwide always claim recession and inflation are the fault of the current government and never based on the mistakes of the former one.

And funny that the Liberals in power always blame the former people, instead of the current government in power, for all the problems.

And funny how everybody is blaming someone else for something they did...

Quote from: Minsc on May 12, 2022, 15:45...  The price of oil has nearly doubled since early last year, not gone up 50 cents. The price of food also nearly doubled

neither is true

WTI Crude Oil Prices - 10 Year Daily Chart | MacroTrendshttps://www.macrotrends.net › wti-crude-oil-prices-10-...
Year   Average; Closing Price   Year Open   Year High   Year Low   Year Close   Annual; % Chan...
2022   $97.43   $76.08   $123.70   $76.08   $106.13   41.11%
2021   $68.17   $47.62   $84.65   $47.62   $75.21   55.01%


and oil prices have been dropping -

food prices have gone up < 10%

Quote from: Minsc on May 10, 2022, 22:27
Thanks to the incompetent idiots in charge, we're on our way to a recession.

I anticipate that many companies with either start downgrading or cancelling their microstock accounts from sites like SS and AS.

My SS sales has dipped in the last few weeks. Less big sales and less daily downloads.

Just brace yourselves for what's to come and stop supporting people who are economically illiterate.

Right wing troll.

Quote from: Trippy on May 14, 2022, 18:17

Quote from: Minsc on May 10, 2022, 22:27
Thanks to the incompetent idiots in charge, we're on our way to a recession.

I anticipate that many companies with either start downgrading or cancelling their microstock accounts from sites like SS and AS.

My SS sales has dipped in the last few weeks. Less big sales and less daily downloads.

Just brace yourselves for what's to come and stop supporting people who are economically illiterate.

Right wing troll.

You're not wrong - funny how government responsibility for external events varies based on who's in power - quote from the OP on another thread below.


These folks have a different opinions / core beliefs that depend on the wind direction on any given day


"A lot of economies were hit far harder than the US. To say that the US was hit disproportionately harder is a lie. Look at the chart below. The UK was hit far harder.https://ourworldindata.org/covid-health-economyThe dollar is the currency which all other currencies measure to. If the economic activity in the US is low, it's going to fall. The fall of the dollar is directly tied to US economy, which has been greatly affected by the pandemic. It's a black swan event.The national debt will always rise to unprecedented levels. Even rising a dollar from yesterday is unprecedented. The rise of the national debt in 2020 is also directly tied to the pandemic. The economic stimulus plan didn't come out of nowhere and it was supported by both Republicans and Democrats. The 2nd stimulus plan, which is being discussed right now will further add to the debt. The Republicans has proposed a conservative plan, while Democrats propose a plan loaded with pork. They want to include hundreds of billions of dollars as a blank check to poorly run Democrat-controlled cities. They want to include billions in free handouts to unions. They want to bail out failed cities like Detroit, Chicago and Baltimore. And when the bill hits home, they're going to point the finger at Trump, and say "The national debt rose to unprecedented levels under Trump." and pretend they're angels.https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/10/12/pelosis-stimulus-bill-an-unhelpful-spending-spree/I'm also paying roughly the same price for food that I did in March. If some food prices rise, it's because of supply and demand, not because of the something Trump did. You're reaching far too much to blame black swan events on the president."

Nice "symmetry"! 

Obviously, critical thinking is more challenging than being a Hannity, Carlson, Pirro or Ingraham mouthpiece. 

Quote from: ShadySue on May 12, 2022, 18:26

Quote from: Minsc on May 12, 2022, 16:58
...they don't respect Biden, kinda like the rest of the world.

I can assure you, the 'rest of the world' (I can't speak for everyone, but from what I'm hearing and reading) respects Biden.
We didn't respect Trump, recognised him as an idiot ("does China have hurricane guns?") and couldn't imagine why anyone would vote for him.
I'd vote for Howling 'Laud' Hope before I'd vote for Trump.

I am from EU country and i can say that I will always respect any President from USA. I like Biden but had difficulty to understand Trump.

Quote from: angelawaye on May 12, 2022, 18:45
They want us fighting each other so we are distracted. That is what I see now. 2 wings of the same bird ...

Agreement. 1) Divide and distract from the real and important issues. (which would at least be moderated, less polarized by honest negotiations while trying to resolve the actual problems.)   2) Blame the other side.

My question for years is, who do these politicians really represent? Not the people or the honest long term good of the country. Which leaves, themselves and their party.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 20, 2022, 03:45


My question for years is, who do these politicians really represent? Not the people or the honest long term good of the country. Which leaves, themselves and their party.

It leaves a bit more options.

Quote from: Lizard on May 20, 2022, 06:36

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 20, 2022, 03:45


My question for years is, who do these politicians really represent? Not the people or the honest long term good of the country. Which leaves, themselves and their party.

It leaves a bit more options.

Yes, money, lobbyists, special interest groups, pandering to a social cause, and still number one, Themselves!   

Quote from: Minsc on May 10, 2022, 22:27
Thanks to the incompetent idiots in charge, we're on our way to a recession.

I anticipate that many companies with either start downgrading or cancelling their microstock accounts from sites like SS and AS.

My SS sales has dipped in the last few weeks. Less big sales and less daily downloads.

Just brace yourselves for what's to come and stop supporting people who are economically illiterate.

Lets Go Brandon

Quote from: Diana Herrmann on May 30, 2022, 15:46
Lets Go Brandon

Hey, in a cutesy code way, Diana tried to say "Fuck Joe Biden". She doesn't like Joe Biden!

See Diana?  Nobody cares.