President's Taxes "Fake News"?

[Caracal]

Really all that Biden has to do is to keep repeating "Are you better off than you were four years ago, before Trump gave his buddies a trillion dollar tax cut? How many of your relatives, friends, and neighbors have been killed by Trump's mismanagement and lies during the pandemic?"

Between January 2016 and August 2020, a portfolio invested in the S&P 500 has gone up 62% (with dividends reinvested). It's not a great question to ask, because for a whole lot of people, the answers are going to be "yes" and "none." Neither the economic harm nor the deaths are uniformly distributed across the population.

That's definitely true, but that's a very narrow way of thinking of the impact of COVID. I don't know about you, but the incompetent federal response to this crisis has had all sorts of direct negative effects on my life. Without any sort of federal coordination and leadership, you just have everyone making up their own plan as they go and the result is individuals are forced to try to figure out who they should listen to and how they should balance risks. The personal effects of this are disastrous, as all the people I know trying to do their own work while also supervising their 6 year old on Zoom could tell you.

[polly_mer]

Really all that Biden has to do is to keep repeating "Are you better off than you were four years ago, before Trump gave his buddies a trillion dollar tax cut? How many of your relatives, friends, and neighbors have been killed by Trump's mismanagement and lies during the pandemic?"

Between January 2016 and August 2020, a portfolio invested in the S&P 500 has gone up 62% (with dividends reinvested). It's not a great question to ask, because for a whole lot of people, the answers are going to be "yes" and "none." Neither the economic harm nor the deaths are uniformly distributed across the population.

Between January 2020 and now, the unemployment rate, depending on the state, has increased by 2-3 times. How many of the unemployed have a stock portfolio that they can use to feed and house themselves? I'm assuming that at least some of those who are unemployed typically vote in a presidential election, and that some of these live in MAGAland.

A reasonable response question is: What has Biden proposed that would actually fix individual situations that worsened in the past four years?

Sure, Trump's a bad leader in many aspects, but I have yet to see Biden make a case for why Biden that includes a positive, actionable plan that could work.  "Trump's a bad guy" is not a compelling reason to vote for Biden who has not shown himself to be a good guy, based on his record, but did somehow get several much better candidates to drop out early during the primaries.

[financeguy]

Not that Trump is clean on this, but the Hunter thing is a real controversy. I'm just tired of seeing every idiot spouse and and kid monetize their family member's elected office. Spousal hires and legacy admissions also rub me the wrong way. Are we even pretending to have a meritocracy as opposed to a dynastic environment? Every single person in politics has family that are either in government work they received through mom and dad or on the dole through some related activity in business or lobbying.

[kaysixteen]

Ok, but in a free country, how do you propose preventing those idiot kids of politicians from doing that?

[Parasaurolophus]

You'll notice that nobody is talking about Trump's taxes today.

I wouldn't be surprised if the story is effectively dead now, although I suppose there's still plenty of time to revive it.

[Kron3007]

Really all that Biden has to do is to keep repeating "Are you better off than you were four years ago, before Trump gave his buddies a trillion dollar tax cut? How many of your relatives, friends, and neighbors have been killed by Trump's mismanagement and lies during the pandemic?"

Between January 2016 and August 2020, a portfolio invested in the S&P 500 has gone up 62% (with dividends reinvested). It's not a great question to ask, because for a whole lot of people, the answers are going to be "yes" and "none." Neither the economic harm nor the deaths are uniformly distributed across the population.

Between January 2020 and now, the unemployment rate, depending on the state, has increased by 2-3 times. How many of the unemployed have a stock portfolio that they can use to feed and house themselves? I'm assuming that at least some of those who are unemployed typically vote in a presidential election, and that some of these live in MAGAland.

A reasonable response question is: What has Biden proposed that would actually fix individual situations that worsened in the past four years?

Sure, Trump's a bad leader in many aspects, but I have yet to see Biden make a case for why Biden that includes a positive, actionable plan that could work.  "Trump's a bad guy" is not a compelling reason to vote for Biden who has not shown himself to be a good guy, based on his record, but did somehow get several much better candidates to drop out early during the primaries.

I actually think that "Trump's a bad guy" is a pretty compelling reason to vote for Biden given the degree of "bad" that he represents.  When I say this, I am not referring to his policies.  While I dislike most of his politics, I can see why some people agree with them.  What I am really referring to is the threat he poses to the American democratic system.  He has started to dismantle it, and given a second term I am convinced that it may be too far.  The fact that he is laying the groundwork to contest the election is the most blatant manifestation of this, but it goes much deeper.   

I don't think Biden was the best choice for the democrats, or that he would be a great president, but he is the only choice to patch the leak in democracy that Trump has created.

[jimbogumbo]

Really all that Biden has to do is to keep repeating "Are you better off than you were four years ago, before Trump gave his buddies a trillion dollar tax cut? How many of your relatives, friends, and neighbors have been killed by Trump's mismanagement and lies during the pandemic?"

Between January 2016 and August 2020, a portfolio invested in the S&P 500 has gone up 62% (with dividends reinvested). It's not a great question to ask, because for a whole lot of people, the answers are going to be "yes" and "none." Neither the economic harm nor the deaths are uniformly distributed across the population.

Between January 2020 and now, the unemployment rate, depending on the state, has increased by 2-3 times. How many of the unemployed have a stock portfolio that they can use to feed and house themselves? I'm assuming that at least some of those who are unemployed typically vote in a presidential election, and that some of these live in MAGAland.

A reasonable response question is: What has Biden proposed that would actually fix individual situations that worsened in the past four years?

Sure, Trump's a bad leader in many aspects, but I have yet to see Biden make a case for why Biden that includes a positive, actionable plan that could work.  "Trump's a bad guy" is not a compelling reason to vote for Biden who has not shown himself to be a good guy, based on his record, but did somehow get several much better candidates to drop out early during the primaries.

I actually think that "Trump's a bad guy" is a pretty compelling reason to vote for Biden given the degree of "bad" that he represents.  When I say this, I am not referring to his policies.  While I dislike most of his politics, I can see why some people agree with them.  What I am really referring to is the threat he poses to the American democratic system.  He has started to dismantle it, and given a second term I am convinced that it may be too far.  The fact that he is laying the groundwork to contest the election is the most blatant manifestation of this, but it goes much deeper.   

I don't think Biden was the best choice for the democrats, or that he would be a great president, but he is the only choice to patch the leak in democracy that Trump has created.

+ Avogadro

[spork]

If elected, Biden will likely be the equivalent of Gerald Ford: a single-term transitional figure as the national nightmare ends. I'm fine with that. Though I would love to see Trump and his family members do prison time for their financial crimes, it probably won't happen, like it didn't happen to Nixon even though he used the CIA, IRS, etc. against people he considered his enemies.

[Vkw10]

If elected, Biden will likely be the equivalent of Gerald Ford: a single-term transitional figure as the national nightmare ends. I'm fine with that. Though I would love to see Trump and his family members do prison time for their financial crimes, it probably won't happen, like it didn't happen to Nixon even though he used the CIA, IRS, etc. against people he considered his enemies.

I'm fine with Biden for a single term. He was not my first, second, or third choice, but he's the best chance I have of a president that doesn't make me cringe on a daily basis. At this point, I'd vote for the Democratic nominee if he were in a coma.

[little bongo]

If elected, Biden will likely be the equivalent of Gerald Ford: a single-term transitional figure as the national nightmare ends. I'm fine with that. Though I would love to see Trump and his family members do prison time for their financial crimes, it probably won't happen, like it didn't happen to Nixon even though he used the CIA, IRS, etc. against people he considered his enemies.

I'm fine with Biden for a single term. He was not my first, second, or third choice, but he's the best chance I have of a president that doesn't make me cringe on a daily basis. At this point, I'd vote for the Democratic nominee if he were in a coma.

+1

[Anselm]

Not that Trump is clean on this, but the Hunter thing is a real controversy. I'm just tired of seeing every idiot spouse and and kid monetize their family member's elected office. Spousal hires and legacy admissions also rub me the wrong way. Are we even pretending to have a meritocracy as opposed to a dynastic environment? Every single person in politics has family that are either in government work they received through mom and dad or on the dole through some related activity in business or lobbying.

Yes, like Billy Beer

[dismalist]

Not that Trump is clean on this, but the Hunter thing is a real controversy. I'm just tired of seeing every idiot spouse and and kid monetize their family member's elected office. Spousal hires and legacy admissions also rub me the wrong way. Are we even pretending to have a meritocracy as opposed to a dynastic environment? Every single person in politics has family that are either in government work they received through mom and dad or on the dole through some related activity in business or lobbying.

Yes, like Billy Beer

Seems Ben Franklin got on everybody's nerves trying to get jobs for his many illegitimate sons. Don't know about the girls. Anyway, this has a long and venerable tradition in the US of A, not necessarily founded by one of its Founders! :-)

[spork]

Not that Trump is clean on this, but the Hunter thing is a real controversy. I'm just tired of seeing every idiot spouse and and kid monetize their family member's elected office. Spousal hires and legacy admissions also rub me the wrong way. Are we even pretending to have a meritocracy as opposed to a dynastic environment? Every single person in politics has family that are either in government work they received through mom and dad or on the dole through some related activity in business or lobbying.

Yes, like Billy Beer

Seems Ben Franklin got on everybody's nerves trying to get jobs for his many illegitimate sons. Don't know about the girls. Anyway, this has a long and venerable tradition in the US of A, not necessarily founded by one of its Founders! :-)

A tradition that led to the creation of the civil service after the assassination of President Garfield.

[Kron3007]

Not that Trump is clean on this, but the Hunter thing is a real controversy. I'm just tired of seeing every idiot spouse and and kid monetize their family member's elected office. Spousal hires and legacy admissions also rub me the wrong way. Are we even pretending to have a meritocracy as opposed to a dynastic environment? Every single person in politics has family that are either in government work they received through mom and dad or on the dole through some related activity in business or lobbying.

Trump is not clean on this?  I would say he is much, much dirtier than the Biden's.  He literally has his family in official government positions while running his business.

So even if there is something fishy with the Biden's, the choice is between something a little fishy or a big pile of rotten fish.

[financeguy]

kaysixteen, I don't know of any way to stop it if the public doesn't care. Obviously there's no political price to pay which would be the obvious solution, but if no one thinks it a big deal, people will continue to do it. That doesn't stop it from being totally bizarre to me that they don't. In an academic environment, legacy admissions are rampant, for example. The fact that people are not constantly bringing this up is surprising to me, but it's just accepted. I know several academic who were totally incompetent and were hired because of a spouse, many for positions that didn't even exist until the other was recruited. No one seems to care that Kamala was able to get a 70k no show job for sleeping with sleazeball Willie Brown. These situations are like mayonnaise. I find it totally disgusting but yet I see people put it on everything.