Thursday, May 9, 2019

You Fool

Sorta long ramble here, but something to think about...

He said he was a self-made millionaire
"My father gave me a very small loan in 1975, and
I built it into a company that's worth many, many billions of dollars,"
Turns out the "very small loan" was, he said, $1 million.

Except that it turns out he lied about that.
He and his parents cheated on their taxes to give him millions of dollars
before he was an adult and
his daddy loaned him $60 million to start his business.

But THEN, he was a
self-made man
who built a company that's worth billions of dollars.

Except that it turns out he lied about that.
For a ten year period
the time he was "writing" his book about
the art of the deal
and boasting about how great a business man he was
he lost $1 billion
over a ten year period.

$1,000,000,000.

Lost it.
Mismanaged a billion dollars away.
In ten years.
I'm pretty sure I couldn't even spend a billion dollars
in ten years.

What would one buy?!

No, he was an awful business man during those years.
But he kept borrowing money and then
borrowing more money and then
getting more in debt and then
borrowing more money and then
when he got in trouble with his business being in debt
he'd go bankrupt
and get out of his debt.

All the while boasting (ie, lying) about his wealth and
using his boasts and privilege of wealth
to borrow more money and
get more in debt,
ultimately going bankrupt
six times
over 15 years

All the while boasting (ie, lying) about his great wealth and
using his boasts and privilege of wealth
to borrow more money
and get more in debt

and run for political office
based on his boasts (ie, lies, false claims, swindles, cons) of
what a great business man he was
(he wasn't)
and how wealthy he is
(we don't know, because he's very evasive about his money)

But as he was running for the office of president
he assured us he'd release his tax documents
so we could see where his money came from and
to whom he was indebted.

He didn't release this tax documents.
Refuses to do so.
Actively fights to keep them hidden.

This clever business man created a school and made
"millions"
(but we don't know how much because
Trump won't tell us)
off the school
which was eventually found to be a fraudulent university
and was shut down and Trump was sued over it.

At about the same time, Trump donated thousands of dollars to
Pam Bondi
who was in charge of deciding whether or not
to investigate Trump University for fraud/crimes.

Bondi and Trump said that there was no relation to that donation
and the fact that
she decided not to investigate Trump University.

At about the same time
Trump was found to have used his charity
A CHARITY
to enrich himself and his family.
The Charity, like the school, was
shut down as fraudulent
and Trump and his family were told they could
never run a charity again.

This man who was constantly in debt to the tune of
hundreds of millions of dollars
eventually started meeting with
Russians
to conduct
"business"
with them and various Russians have paid Trump
maybe hundreds of millions of dollars
we don't fully know
because Trump keeps his finances secret
and assures us we can trust this man
who cheated with his charities organization
and his university,
who was barred from being involved in charitable organizations,
who lied constantly about his wealth
who used his false claims about his wealth to get loans of
hundreds of millions of dollars, and
promptly "lose" $1 billion,
who has gone bankrupt
six times
in fifteen years

Who has used his wealth to raise
Large Gold TRUMPs everywhere he went
in tribute to his own name
and who built himself
Gold Toilets
on which to shit.

Who said to himself,
‘This is what I’ll do.
I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.
And I’ll say to myself,
“Self, you have plenty of grain laid up for many years.
Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

And he made himself merry
assaulting women
and boasting about it
and laughing about it
And used his money and privilege to
force his way into the rooms where
teen-aged girls
were changing their clothes
and he laughed about getting to
ogle half naked teen-aged girls.

Laughed about it on a public radio show.

And some might rightly note that God once said to a rich man

"You fool!
This very night your life will be demanded from you.
Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"

and...

"Depart from me, you who are cursed, 
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, 
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 
I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, 
I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, 
I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me."

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/02/trumps-small-loan-from-his-father-was-more-like-60point7-million-nyt.html

https://themoscowproject.org/collusion-chapter/chapter-1/

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/07/us/politics/donald-trump-taxes.html

9 comments:

Craig said...

These types of moral and ethical failings are why I couldn’t/won’t support or vote for Trump.

Dan Trabue said...

While Craig appears to recognize the very clear and indisputable moral and ethical failings of this conman-in-chief, Marshal (his spelling of that name, not mine...) appears to still be stuck in the scam, defending the cheater. He's complaining that I didn't do enough research.

While Marshal can't post here until he proves his claims (which he can't) or admits the nonsense about the press being the enemy of the people is, indeed, nonsense, I'll address his concern.

Trump has been reported to have lost over $1 billion. That's in the news. I wonder if Marshal doesn't believe the news or if he thinks a business man can lose $1 billion in ten years and still be a good businessman. Or if a reputable charity can be run by a man who benefits himself off the charity? Or if laughing about ogling teen-aged girls and grabbing women by the pussy and forcing kisses upon them is not sick as hell?

Not sure what problem Marshal has with the news source and why he's troubled by the news but NOT by the actions, themselves?

Go figure.

You're not going to use my blog to attack the media like your president does. Facts are facts and disgusting and disreputable are disgusting and disreputable.

Craig said...

Thank you ever so much for granting that I “appear” to recognize the reasons I’ve stated for years why I didn’t support or vote for either Trump or Clinton.

It’s so very generous of you to acknowledge the reality of what I’ve been saying for years.

Feodor said...

Craig supports Republican voters.

After Kendrick Castillo gave his life to save his classmates at the STEM School Highlands Ranch in Denver, Donald Trump was at rally with his supporters taking about shooting immigrants.

“A roar rose from the crowd of thousands of Trump supporters in Panama City Beach on Wednesday night, as President Trump noted yet again that Border Patrol agents can’t use weapons to deter migrants. “How do you stop these people?” he asked. “Shoot them!” someone yelled from the crowd, according to reporters on the scene and attendees. The audience cheered. Supporters seated behind Trump and clad in white baseball caps bearing the letters “USA” laughed and applauded.”

Craig said...

Craig supports voters. I don’t agree with DFL voters, but I support them and their participation in the political process.

Just thought I’d set the record straight.

Dan Trabue said...

Marshal asked how he can "prove" his claims if I won't let him post. I was pretty clear what I needed from him before he can ever post here again. Marshal...

before you EVER COMMENT HERE EVER AGAIN, you...

MUST PROVIDE DATA and
proof that SOME PERCENTAGE
(you can give your number)
of the media is deliberately lying or twisting Trump's words
(not merely reporting on the words he used and then Trump later saying that isn't what he meant) and
provide proof for that percentage.
Back up your idiotic false claim
(and you can't, you idiot, because it IS A STUPIDLY FALSE CLAIM) or admit that it's not a real data-based claim.

I'm telling you the reality is that it is a stupidly false claim to say "the media" is an enemy of the people. It is stupidly false because...

1. Trump and his supporters haven't defined "the media" but by stating it like that, it sounds like he's suggesting it's a major problem that "the media" is an enemy of the people.

2. When pushed, Trump threw out an "80%" of the media is an enemy of the people, so prove that. Provide some support for THAT number. He can't.

3. So, if you can't support that number, NAME YOUR PERCENTAGE. What percentage of the media is an "enemy of the people..."? Then support it. He can't, because he doesn't know and doesn't have any proof that 1% of the media is an enemy of the people.

4. This is, in part, also due to the term "enemy of the people." The way Marshal's been downwardly defining it is to suggest the media becomes an "enemy of the people" when they do a bad job on reporting... when "they" (or some percentage of "them") are "too biased" against Trump (without providing support for what IS "too biased" and what makes that unknown amount of "bias" cross over from being "too biased" to "enemy of the people..."

5. So, Marshal will also have to give SOME HARD and specific definition for "enemy of the people." and it can't merely be "too biased," and it can't merely be "some reporters have done a bad job at reporting..." because, Lord knows, Fox News does a bad job of reporting and is too biased, but they get a pass from Marshal/Trump as not being an "enemy of the people" in spite of their mistakes and biases.

6. So, some specific definition of EOP AND why that definition makes one an "enemy." in any meaningful sense.

The thing is, there have ALWAYS been biases in reporting. You should have seen the early newspaper reporting in this country... it was, by and large, just partisan reports and attacks. EVEN IF "the media" (i.e., 80% or 24% or WHATEVER the hell percentage is being claimed) were strictly Democratic mouthpieces... HOW would that one make a press an enemy of the people? At best, they'd be an enemy of The Other Party... but we've had that in the past. Simply doesn't reasonably rise to the level of "enemy of the people."

Marshal/Trump's argument falls apart because it can't stand the pressure of being exposed to fresh air. It's just a foul bit of spoiled egg fart gas.

To speak here, you have to support your claims with hard data (not mere anecdotal stories where you think a given reporter did a bad job... in YOUR opinion) OR (since you CAN'T support your claims), admit the whole "enemy of the people" is just bullshit and apologize for having bought into Trump's bullshit and partaken of it for dinner, and apologize for wasting our time here in defending bullshit.

No matter how much you may eat that BS, you're not serving it up here.

Dan Trabue said...

Marshal responded with more of the non-answers and was deleted.

Trump HAS said repeatedly that the media is an enemy of the people.

The media is not, in any sense, "an enemy of the people."

So Marshal, just because you say, "He doesn't mean what he says" doesn't relieve you from the responsibility to denounce it as false, since it IS false. Stupidly false.

Just because you say, "we who like Trump know what he means is... something else..." doesn't relieve you from the responsibility to denounce it as false, since it IS false. Stupidly false.

Yes, you DO need to support the claim if you're going to defend it. It's not enough to say, "I don't need to defend it... people will know he meant.... something else... that the media is not perfect or that the media is (in my opinion) too biased... but NOT an enemy of the people."

Nor is it enough to say that "enemy of the people" can mean merely "I think they are too biased and that some stories have some inaccuracies in them. That is NOT an enemy of the people.

Dan Trabue said...

I'll give you ONE last chance to answer ONE question: What definition are you using for "enemy of the people?"

It can't be a batshit crazy answer, though. Or you'll just be laughed at.

Feodor said...

Trump's Family Trips Cost Taxpayers Nearly As Much In A Month As Obama's Cost In A Whole Year

"Donald Trump's regular jaunts to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida appear to be costing taxpayers a small fortune. The president's three trips have probably cost the federal Treasury about $10 million, the Washington Post estimates, based on an October 2016 Government Accountability Office analysis of White House travel.

By comparison, Barack Obama's travel expenses averaged just $12.1 million during each year of his presidency. In total, Obama's eight year travel bill came to $97 million and unbelievably, Donald Trump is on pace to outspend him in less than one year. The Washington Post says "the elaborate lifestyle of America’s first family is straining the Secret Service and security officials, stirring financial and logistical concerns in several local communities, and costing far beyond what has been typical for previous presidents."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/02/22/trumps-family-trips-cost-taxpayers-nearly-as-much-in-a-month-as-obamas-cost-in-a-whole-year/?fbclid=IwAR1-9jsRlgX917BRZTyynKQnMvSSM4WWS4AgFq0Is_IX9kUQYMVIk-SA5WQ#360af7c536e4