Campaigning is done. Time for the bad news.

[Iowa Mels]

The United States with far larger and superior resources has been unable to slow the flow of fentanyl into the US. So Trump thinks a much poorer Mexico will be able to do so with a far more corrupt government? It's nice Mexico will sort of try to avoid becoming poorer. Demand remains. It will be satisfied. That will be true until we solve that part of the puzzle. Not saying every bit doesn't help I just don't see much benefit in bullying allies for marginal if any gains. I'm still have no idea what is expected of Canada or why.

Close to 90% of those on the terrorist list we have found came through Canada to get here illegally.

And Canada will close the border we can't?

Have we even been trying?

[3rdgensooner]

The United States with far larger and superior resources has been unable to slow the flow of fentanyl into the US. So Trump thinks a much poorer Mexico will be able to do so with a far more corrupt government? It's nice Mexico will sort of try to avoid becoming poorer. Demand remains. It will be satisfied. That will be true until we solve that part of the puzzle. Not saying every bit doesn't help I just don't see much benefit in bullying allies for marginal if any gains. I'm still have no idea what is expected of Canada or why.

Close to 90% of those on the terrorist list we have found came through Canada to get here illegally.

And Canada will close the border we can't?

Have we even been trying?

We can't, trying or not. Check a map. Or are we going to build a wall along the 49th parallel and around the Great Lakes?

[P1tchB7ack]

So Musk, unelected and unvetted, and his crew of barely post-highs chool tech geeks now have access to every piece of personal information for government employees?

Exclusive: Musk aides lock workers out of OPM computer systems

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials.
...............................

The systems include a vast database called Enterprise Human Resources Integration, which contains dates of birth, Social Security numbers, appraisals, home addresses, pay grades and length of service of government workers, the officials said.

"We have no visibility into what they are doing with the computer and data systems," one of the officials said. "That is creating great concern. There is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications."

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/musk-ai...025-01-31/

[zigbee]

So Musk, unelected and unvetted, and his crew of barely post-highs chool tech geeks now have access to every piece of personal information for government employees?

Exclusive: Musk aides lock workers out of OPM computer systems

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials.
...............................

The systems include a vast database called Enterprise Human Resources Integration, which contains dates of birth, Social Security numbers, appraisals, home addresses, pay grades and length of service of government workers, the officials said.

"We have no visibility into what they are doing with the computer and data systems," one of the officials said. "That is creating great concern. There is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications."

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/musk-ai...025-01-31/

I’d bet zero is at risk.  What they worry about is uncovering what has been wasted in tax money and to whom.

[Soupcity Kid]

If we replaced the income tax with a consumption tax, that would be awesome. Replacing it with tariffs is pretty silly and short sighted. Making other countries angry is an odd choice. I could rationalize tariffs on Mexico maybe, and China. But, Taiwan, Canada and the EU just seems dumb.

I’ve liked the consumption tax idea for a while now.  

I’m taking a wait and see attitude with the tariffs. I’m hoping there’s a second layer idea here, but I’m afraid that he’s just doing it because he said he would. And not because there’s a strategy to it

I would imagine he would have a plan B but would never reveal any inkling towards such.

[Soupcity Kid]

If we replaced the income tax with a consumption tax, that would be awesome. Replacing it with tariffs is pretty silly and short sighted. Making other countries angry is an odd choice. I could rationalize tariffs on Mexico maybe, and China. But, Taiwan, Canada and the EU just seems dumb.

I’ve liked the consumption tax idea for a while now.  

I’m taking a wait and see attitude with the tariffs. I’m hoping there’s a second layer idea here, but I’m afraid that he’s just doing it because he said he would. And not because there’s a strategy to it

"I’m hoping there’s a second layer idea here"

Apparently he don't need no stinkin plan B.

[Soupcity Kid]

So Trump wants Mexico to do a better job on the border, with drugs and human trafficking, and he wants Canada to take more $control$ of their own defense.  These are the large goals that Trump has in mind, right?  My guess is that tangible steps taken would lower the tariffs.  

If this isn't what this is all about then what is it about?  

Well for you and me that is what it is about but for others  it is not what it is about!  This is about people who are so conditioned that they need govt to be their parents.  Yes they may want to rebel a little and talk trash about them on the internet.  Yes they want to complain they are made to do their chores but they are looking for someone to tell them what to do.  Only the govt can be smart enough to tell them about the next upcoming crisis and how to prepare for it. This way when they are paying their taxes and get some of their allowance back, they have someone to blame.

Look at the responses!  Why the only way we could enforce our borders is by the bill a republican pushed forward that was bi=partisan.  The people who believed this are now angry Trump is showing them how you control the border.  Crossings right now are lower than they were in his first term lol.   But but we really need that bi=partisan bill to do that.

[Soupcity Kid]

So far, wins over:

Denmark
Panama
Mexico
Canada
Hamas

Soon the EU then Ukraine/Russia. What a refreshing feeling it is to have authentic leadership with the US and the World's best interest in hand.

It is great to have "wins" over allies friendly to us. Hope it works out in the long run. And I don't think the Hamas thing was a win. Israel wasn't done effing them up.
In case anyone is getting the wrong impression I'm supportive of most of what's going on. Some is too ham fisted and some is insane.
Deportations and remain in Mexico? Applying for asylum outside the US? Closure of USAID? All for them. Reducing bureaucracy and regulation? Go.  Stopping the leftist culture appropriations and mandates? Fun stuff.
But why not see if our allies will cooperate without beating them into line because we're the biggest kid on the block? Especially given what we're trying to force them to do will likely fail to have a meaningful effect.
Cabinet positions for departments we do need should be staffed with competent people who will be able to improve the functioning of those aspects of government. Not bomb throwers and people not qualified except they kissed the ring. The Democrats nominated are insane choices.

First I would guess this is as close you would ever get to giving Trump a compliment.

Second you use the term friends allies?  Let's see friends who allow anyone to cross over their border to come to the US?  Friends who allow illicit drugs to flow through the border killing about 100 k US citizens per year.  Friends who would have trade deficits in the billions equivalent to someone saying to you I will trade you this shiny new Josh Naylor card for the Babe Ruth rookie card.

I would imagine the missiles he lobbed into Somalia yesterday morning was a message sent to our non allies letting them know what  awaits them.  Last time our actions against Iran by killing Gen Solomani and tanking the price of oil had them broke.  So he does have a recordagainst our adversaries.

As far as our ability to enforce the border I remember just a few months back the federal govt sued Texas for trying to enforce it's border lol.  FOrusto control our border with physical resources it would be quite more costly.

[Soupcity Kid]

So, word is that Panama has agreed to let the US Navy traverse the Canal for no charge.

Additionally the Mexican President is saying that she’s received assurances that the tariffs are being ruled back because an agreement on how to handle the fentanyl crisis has been reached.

Not seen anything “official”

Do you have any other terms of this?  I am hearing they are ending their lease or agreement with China and Panama is giving us access to some island??

My question to you is this a good thing?

[Dzone1]

The United States with far larger and superior resources has been unable to slow the flow of fentanyl into the US. So Trump thinks a much poorer Mexico will be able to do so with a far more corrupt government? It's nice Mexico will sort of try to avoid becoming poorer. Demand remains. It will be satisfied. That will be true until we solve that part of the puzzle. Not saying every bit doesn't help I just don't see much benefit in bullying allies for marginal if any gains. I'm still have no idea what is expected of Canada or why.

Close to 90% of those on the terrorist list we have found came through Canada to get here illegally.

And Canada will close the border we can't?

Have we even been trying?

We can't, trying or not. Check a map. Or are we going to build a wall along the 49th parallel and around the Great Lakes?

Or stop letting your country get overrun by Muslims.

[Dzone1]

The United States with far larger and superior resources has been unable to slow the flow of fentanyl into the US. So Trump thinks a much poorer Mexico will be able to do so with a far more corrupt government? It's nice Mexico will sort of try to avoid becoming poorer. Demand remains. It will be satisfied. That will be true until we solve that part of the puzzle. Not saying every bit doesn't help I just don't see much benefit in bullying allies for marginal if any gains. I'm still have no idea what is expected of Canada or why.

Close to 90% of those on the terrorist list we have found came through Canada to get here illegally.

And Canada will close the border we can't?

Have we even been trying?

We can't, trying or not. Check a map. Or are we going to build a wall along the 49th parallel and around the Great Lakes?

Or stop letting your country get overrun by Muslims.

[maize]

So Musk, unelected and unvetted, and his crew of barely post-highs chool tech geeks now have access to every piece of personal information for government employees?

DOGE: One of the 'journalists' who decided to doxx members of Trump's DOGE team is a Mashable reporter a couple of years out of UNT who likes to sleep in his free time with his orange cat. He reviewed the background of the DOGE team and found them lacking. Let me tell you a… pic.twitter.com/AyKGI8tcZP

— @amuse (@amuse) February 3, 2025

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[P1tchB7ack]

So Musk, unelected and unvetted, and his crew of barely post-highs chool tech geeks now have access to every piece of personal information for government employees?

DOGE: One of the 'journalists' who decided to doxx members of Trump's DOGE team is a Mashable reporter a couple of years out of UNT who likes to sleep in his free time with his orange cat. He reviewed the background of the DOGE team and found them lacking. Let me tell you a… pic.twitter.com/AyKGI8tcZP

— @amuse (@amuse) February 3, 2025

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That changes nothing, but okay.

[3rdgensooner]

Close to 90% of those on the terrorist list we have found came through Canada to get here illegally.

And Canada will close the border we can't?

Have we even been trying?

We can't, trying or not. Check a map. Or are we going to build a wall along the 49th parallel and around the Great Lakes?

Or stop letting your country get overrun by Muslims.

I don't really see the relationship of that post to anything posted so far. Personally I wouldn't be for muslims even traveling here much less moving here. But the White House hasn't made any demands about who Canada allows to immigrate to Canada. If he wants them to shut out muslims maybe he should start here first.

[Alabuckeye]

So, word is that Panama has agreed to let the US Navy traverse the Canal for no charge.

Additionally the Mexican President is saying that she’s received assurances that the tariffs are being ruled back because an agreement on how to handle the fentanyl crisis has been reached.

Not seen anything “official”

Do you have any other terms of this?  I am hearing they are ending their lease or agreement with China and Panama is giving us access to some island??

My question to you is this a good thing?

I haven’t seen any yet. It’d be a very good thing if china were kicked out of that relationship