Posts Made By: James Lacey

Originally Posted by James Brown

I listened to his speech last night, and it did have a welcome unifying tone.  He did not mention his enemies list last night of course, but he has during the campaign called for the prosecution and jailing of dozens, including the Bidens, Jack Smith, the judges in various cases,  Adam Schiff, Pelosi and more.  Usually he calls out for vengeance on Truth Social, according to media reports.  Surely you are not going to deny that he has made those threats on his social media platform?  If you were to argue that he made them, but they were more in the nature of unhinged rants that he really does not mean to implement, I'd certainly hope you were right.

Trump will abuse his power again and almost certainly spark a constitutional crisis. I don't care what kind of speech he gave. There is no way this guy has suddenly changed. He has shown us exactly who he is countless times, yet we still elected him. We will deserve whatever he dishes out, but Democrats won't just sit back and let it happen. They will provide opposition where they can.

It will be wild and chaotic for at least two years until the midterms when we can correct the course. Maybe we will get lucky, and Democrats will control the House, put Hakeem Jefferies in charge as speaker, and provide some check on the GOP. Assuming Democrats do get control of the House, I will not be surprised if they impeach Trump again due to some as-of-yet unknown offense.

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

"President Trump has said he plans to install a blanket tariff of 10% to 20% on all imports, with additional tariffs of 60% to 100% on goods brought in from China."

"Economists, however, tend to agree that such a plan would would have the effect of raising prices on everyday goods. "If President Trump raises tariffs on imported goods, it means inevitably that American consumers are going to pay more," Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, told CNBC."

"Ultimately, the cost of tariffs will be paid by us, the consumer," says George Ball, chairman of investment management firm Sanders Morris. "They'll be buying things at higher prices than they otherwise would."

"And effectively, what that does is create a situation where both impacted countries are seeing this government intervention. It tends to lead to higher prices for consumers in both countries."

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/business/money-report/trumps-tariff-plan-why-hes-pushing-for-them-and-how-they-might-end-up-raising-prices/3555581/

You think we're paying high prices now? Just wait until the Trump plan takes effect...

If Trump's team and the GOP are stupid enough to crash the economy in this way, then the electorate will punish them severely in the midterms. Another thing that will backfire on them is a wholesale repeal of the ACA. If they kick tens of millions of people off their healthcare without any viable replacement, they will get crushed in the midterms. Wildly popular provisions of the ACA are no annual or lifetime maximums, pre-existing condition protections, and the ability to insure your kids till age 26. It will be a monumentally stupid move if they mess with any of that.

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

Good!  Took 3 FULL YEARS didn't it?  

Care to discuss whether 3 YEARS of MASSIVE Inflation GIVEN to us by Biden and Harris, is considered Transitory?  

Do you want to take a shot at that now? 

Inflation was a global problem, and the truth is, the US faired far better than most of the world. You have to know this for several reasons. One, it's been reported widely. Two, lots of data shows it was global and that the US fared better than most of the rest of the world. Three, it's been pointed out on this forum many times. The real question is, why are you so obtuse that you can't acknowledge this? Biden and Harris didn't give us it. The pandemic and ensuing supply chain problems gave it to the world. Of course, Biden and Harris paid a heavy political price for inflation, but they did not give us it. Almost no economist would agree with your statement unless they, like you, had a partisan axe to grind. By the way, I realize having a good-faith discussion with you is impossible. You will deny all of this and possibly go on a screed and find some economist quoted on The Blaze or American Greatness, or some other hyper-partisan site to back up your claims. Still, the simple truth is that most non-partisan sources will completely disagree with you.

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

You're a monumentally ignorant person

There is no free lunch as Milton Friedman used to say for the economic illiterate out there.

Here is today's BRONZE deductible for the ACA:

https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/issue-brief/deductibles-in-aca-marketplace-plans/#:~:text=The%20deductible%20is%20the%20amount%20an%20enrollee%20must,deductible%20amount%20for%20medical%20care%20and%20prescription%20drugs.

Can you read a chart?

I don't expect you to know this, but high deductibles are typical nowadays, even with healthcare sponsored by your employer. If you choose a plan with a high deductible and a low premium, that is your choice. You can also choose to have a lower deductible and pay a higher premium. As you said, there is no free lunch. And high deductibles do not change the fact that certain protections under the ACA are highly popular. You are in no shortage of ignorance, as you have just demonstrated.

Originally Posted by James Brown

I may be naive, but because you are 100% correct on all of this, I personally do not believe Trump/Congress will be inclined to deliver on Trump's poorly though out campaign promises.  Congress will not want to get kicked to the curb in 2026.

I agree with you. There is no way the GOP will deliver on most of Trump's campaign promises.

Originally Posted by Russ Carroll

I talked to the guy who manages my assets at JP Morgan wed morning. He has been telling me for some time Trump would win, and the market will roar. He actually is not at all naive about Trump when I ask him specifics about how Trump will impact the economy. Yes, ANY self-respecting expert/advisor worth ANYTHING will tell you tariffs are inflationary and a tax. What he said was that Trump's not likely to do nearly what he said about tariffs in practice, and even if he did, the tax code changes will more than make up for it in terms of growth. Yes, he said there will be winners and losers in all of this, but he's very confident that the market has got a bull run in store over the next few years. Obviously, no market is without volatility, but the trend will be significantly up in his view. He could put our money to work on pretty much anything, but US equities are a favorite of his right now. This is a guy that will soon become President of JP Morgan Wealth Management, so ignore him at your own peril.

Coincidentally, I also met with my portfolio manager on Wednesday to discuss where my 2025 income stream will come from and how it will be managed. She said almost the same thing. She's an independent wealth manager who owns her business and has been doing it for 27 years. Luckily, we have enough money to set up a safe and stable income stream and have plenty left to invest in growth equities, which is precisely what we will do.

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

You wrote:   but high deductibles are typical nowadays, even with healthcare sponsored by your employer.

Gee, NO SHIT Sherlock.  Are you for real.  That is the point of talking about the ACA.

And what is the advantage then Of having the ACA you buffoon, if tbe deductibles are so high that these policies are almost useless?

You cannot be THIS stupid, or can you?  

I guess you can, because I just read your words. 

This is what has been spoken about for the last f'in decade.  Welcome to the party meathead.  

It is CALLED the AFFORDABLE CARE ACT you jackwagon.  It was SUPPOSED to be AFFORDABLE jackwagon.

So if one doesn't have a lot of money jackwagon, then one can only afford the BRONZE plan of the ACA you buffoon.

It is pretty GD easy to understand, unless you're a leftist meathead I suppose.  

And if one CAN ONLY AFFORD THE BRONZE ACA PLAN jackwagon then having a $7250 deductible doesn't help much does it you buffoon?

Back when I had an employer in 2000, when I also worked for someone, I had a COBRA plan after I left, and the deductible was $1000.  That was a Catastrophic plan and I paid a whopping $110 per month for COBRA.   

I never used it but even back then it was affordable.  

In 2004 I was self-insured, broke my leg at my cabinetshop and went to the emergency room.  I paid out of pocket and then had all my follow ups out of pocket, and it wasn't even 2 grand for everything.  

The wife of one of my friends tore her knee out on the ski slope and had to go to the emergency room and his out of pocket expense was $6800

So that's the point, OBAMACARE has been out there for well over a decade now and it Is NOT affordable, so what is the point of getting it, if you're a poor person?

Its not the AFFORDABLE Care Act if it isn't affordable. 

Just like the jackasses in the gov't on the left who gave us this Inflation REDUCTION ACT it didn't REDUCE Inflation.  It CAUSED inflation due to the massive gov't spending it caused.

I guess you think that the right side of the political aisle are as DUMB as the leftist Democrat party.  

We aren't .

Haha. And you have the gall to accuse us of being triggered.

I don't care if they call it the Unaffordable Care Act. The deductibles on the ACA health markets are typical for the market today, even if you are getting your health insurance through your employer. It's always been the case that even if you have health insurance, that doesn't mean you can afford health care. Paying the premiums merely gives you the privilege of having insurance, and you have to fork out more money to use health care, and it has always been that way. Where the hell have you been, you ignorant, stupid, saw-dust breathing, jackwagon, right-wing meathead? Oh, and by the way, it's not 2000 anymore, and a lot has changed in the health insurance world, especially concerning pushing the increasing cost to the consumer. What is wrong with you anyway? You are seriously the most broken person I have ever come across in my lifetime. Amazingly, you can't have a civil back-and-forth, much less write a complete paragraph.

Originally Posted by Chris Pagan

I'm glad there was such a spread in the results that there was no reason to drag out the outcome. I want to reassure those who voted for Kamala that you will not experience a negative impact on your lives as a result.  You will benefit from reduced crime from his implementation of boarder policies.  You will benefit from lower energy costs from his freeing up energy production.  For those who  killing babies was an issue, you will continue to be able to kill babies.  You will not see his political enemies  put in jail.  You might even see a Hunter pardon from Trump.  I'm confident Trump will end conflict overseas.  He will make policy to embarrass Putin for invading Ukraine.

Chris

First, crime is already incredibly low. I know there has been a constant drumbeat in the right-wing press that crime is rampant, but all the available data tells a much different story.

Second, for Trump to lower energy costs by reducing the cost of gasoline by half, oil would have to go to at least $20/barrel and possibly lower. If oil went to $20/barrel, domestic oil and gas production would collapse and cease to exist. Companies could not profit at $20/barrel, and tens of thousands would become unemployed. We would soon become utterly dependent on oil imports alone. Doesn't that contradict another of Trump's promises to make us energy-independent? The economic damage done by energy costs being that low is incalculable. Trump has lied to you again. 

Third, no one wants to kill babies. I know that it is a common rumor, no outright lie, that Democrats want to kill babies, but it's simply not true. What many people do want is safe and legal abortion that is accessible when it's medically vital to the health care of a woman. But don't worry, under the current situation, those who want to keep killing women and forcing them to endure unimaginable and unnecessary pain and sorrow can continue to do so.

Fourth, I'm sure that Trump will use the power of the executive office to go on a revenge tour. Grievance, spite, and revenge are some of his core character traits, and if you are honest with yourself, we all know he has not changed. Heck, he tried to use the power of the executive office to ruin the Biden family already and got impeached for it. What makes you think he's not going to do it again? It seems to me to be incredibly naive to believe that Trump has suddenly become a good guy who is a President for all Americans. 


Lastly, I'm confident that Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Xi are all emboldened by Trump's election and that Ukraine will likely have to cede lots of territory to Russia. Trump deferred and praised all of these dictators during his first term, and nothing has happened to make us think he will do anything to try and deter them in his second term. Trump said on the campaign trail he would end the Ukraine war in 24 hours but has never provided any details regarding how that would work. Trump noted that Zelensky never should have started the war, even though Putin is the one who started it. Trump has called Zelensky a thief because every time he comes to Washington, he walks away with $100Bn. All available evidence points to Trump drying up military aid to Ukraine, which would cause them to have to surrender. I'm sorry, but Trump has lied to and misled you again.

Originally Posted by James Brown

Hi James:  In my opinion, you have diminished a thoughtful post by grossly mischaracterizing the motivation of pro-life citizens.  J

Chris grossly mischaracterized the motivations of pro-choice citizens, so I was returning the favor in kind to make a point. My apologies if it offended you; that was not my intent. I have great respect for you.

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

What causes inflation in all nations, I don't care where you are located on the world map, is Gov't OVERSPENDING, PERIOD! 

Rich, this single quote, right here, is wrong in so many ways it's laughable. All inflation in all nations is only caused by government overspending? Really? And you have the nerve to accuse anyone else of being illiterate? All I can say is good luck in your quest to become and educated person, because you have a lot of ground to cover and you are too old to make up the defecit.