Biden 2021 - "Listen, Jack."

[bobbie solo]

And now that there aren't fun videos of missiles firing every which way b/c of the "ceasefre", this story disappears from the traditional press. Pathetic lapdogs.

[Exocet]

I just saw a very embarrassing clip of Joe Biden today I dont think he will be president by 2023, I live in a country with an embarrassing leader too.
The power comes from the people the leaders are humiliating totems. They dont represent the country!

[BRoswell]

I dont think he will be president by 2023

Well, the election is in 2024, so unless he croaks or does such an awful job that he makes Trumpy look good, I think he'll still be in office.

[sweeterthan]

Biden wasn’t even my fourth choice
but what could be more embarrassing than admitting to assault on tape?

[allegate]

I just saw a very embarrassing clip of Joe Biden today I dont think he will be president by 2023, I live in a country with an embarrassing leader too.
The power comes from the people the leaders are humiliating totems. They dont represent the country!

so embarrassing that you can't post it. I understand.

also there's a , and two ' missing. I have a few spares if you need them.

[Patrick_Nicholas]

Biden has officially made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/17/p...ing/index.html

[allegate]

I'll have you know that making the day time cards are due a federal holiday (especially the day prior to said holiday!) caused quite a stir. Plus I'm training someone on how to do time cards and he's something of an idiot so getting him to make all the changes and contact supervisors quickly was a whole thing.

But I'm immensely grateful that the country is starting to recognize things that aren't just magical white man holidays. On top of that it's been 38 years since the last one was made, and even that took a couple years for the states to start recognizing it. Gee I wonder what the issue was.

[allegro]

Plus I'm training someone on how to do time cards and he's something of an idiot so getting him to make all the changes and contact supervisors quickly was a whole thing.

What?? Jesus, we had to submit billable hours every week; that guy would've had a stroke.

[M1ke]

I like this kind of controversy. This is nice.

[bobbie solo]

Good ol' Joe has had a bee in his bonnet about getting something, ANYTHING bi-partisan passed. So we have this meek-as-fuck-but-better-than-nothing bi-partisan infrastructure bill passed today, 69-30. You happy now Joe? And congrats, you gave the Republicans a political win almost as big as the win he and his admin perceive that it is for him as well.

So now is when the rubber is gonna hit the road with the House progressives and Bernie. They have stated numerous times they will not pass that bi-partisan bill until the MUCH better $3.5 trillion "human infrastructure" bill they are all gonna now hash out is passed first. You should read up on all the great things that are currently in the bill. It really would be a fantastic piece of legislation that would help out practically all Americans in some area of their life. It's not enough of course, especially on climate, but it's good.

So far, all the doddering old fools in charge (Biden, Pelosi Hoyer & Schumer) are all doing & saying the right things. It appears that this plan to NOT fully pass the bi-partisan bill until the human infrastructure bill passes via reconciliation is legit. But the progressives all better being willing to shoot the hostage on this one like they have stated they are. The corrupt pigs like Sinema, Manchin, Coons and the like are all gonna pick this thing apart now before they're willing to vote for it. If they go too far, the progressives better stick to their guns.

[ickyvicky]

Biden to return to the White House to address what's going on in Afghanistan

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/16/10280...on-afghanistan

[elevenism]

@bobbie solo that capital gains tax in the original plan would have been pretty damn rough on me, if it stuck around until i.inherit my slice of my family's land, though.

[r_z]

What's there to adress? 20 years, countless deaths, nothing gained. It's a second Saigon over there right now. Such a shame.

[elevenism]

What's there to adress? 20 years, countless deaths, nothing gained. It's a second Saigon over there right now. Such a shame.

Yeah and what's FUNNY is that the Trumpers are criticizing Biden for it. If TRUMP had done it, they'd be singing his praises.

They wanted "America First?" Joe gave them America First, and they bitched about it.

PERSONALLY, I think we should take our "middle east 'conflict' budget" and invest it in trying to help countries on our OWN continent, you know?

Throw THEM a little more aid. Make a go at seriously combating certain organizations in Mexico. Shit like that.

[allegate]

[Wretchedest]

Taliban didn't attack the capitol.

[allegro]

that capital gains tax in the original plan would have been pretty damn rough on me, if it stuck around until i.inherit my slice of my family's land, though.

It’s inheritance tax when you inherit it; it’s capital gains tax when you sell it.

The current inheritance tax exemption is $11.7 million for an individual.

The Biden capital gains plan affects those making more than $1 million per year in income.

[allegate]

I mean...

[allegro]

Regarding Afghanistan:

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/0...entagon-504469

Add to this the Military Industrial Complex: American companies that profit from contracts during these conflicts, leading to extending the contracts indefinitely.

[Swykk]

I know this may not go over so well but I kind of agree with Biden here. What else were we supposed to do?

And yes, without a doubt, it’s stupid to blame Trump or Biden for this. It 100% belongs at the feet of W and Cheney (Rummy is dead otherwise he’d be on the hook as well).

[Demogorgon]

It's a crazy world any time we agree on anything, but you're right. We never should have been there. The situation was never going to change and all we ended up doing was exactly what many middle eastern countries were accusing us of: squatting.

[allegate]

[bobbie solo]

The problem I am having is the lack of nuance & detailed discussion in alot of the coverage & punditry about the Afghan crisis. There are a massive amount of people, probably even a majority, that completely agree with the withdrawal (and probably wanted it years ago). I & I imagine many others are specifically angered right now by how these past few weeks have been handled. U.S. military should not have been withdrawn AT ALL until everyone else that needed to get out, both local citizens and foreigners, was safely gotten out of the country. Locals should have had alot more time to apply for such things. I'm not saying I want to be there for another year, but you keep our military in place so the Taliban couldn't continue to make such rapid inroads into more & more populous areas of the country.

[allegro]

There were only 2500 troops when Trump left. We increased troops in preparation for our departure.

The Americans who live there were given months warning, and even offered money to leave. They’re saying they couldn’t get to the airport, etc. but the airports were totally clear.

The SECOND the U.S. starts providing military planes or helicopters for exit, PANIC sets in, even when there’s lots of military.

It’s an automatic thing.

We have witnessed this. Most recently on a HUGE SCALE IN SAIGON.

Operation Frequent Wind. We all watched this live on television.

Helicopters CRASHED with people and children in them. It took months to evacuate everyone.

It will take several weeks to evacuate everyone in Afghanistan. But that initial panic is what you see when the U.S. goes into an area under these disingenuous circumstances which will ALWAYS end with an exit like this. Always.

Afghan residents are also being evacuated and will continue being evacuated. The problem is our SHIT visa application system, which the GOP refuses to change, under any circumstances. Those Afghan interpreters applied for visas MONTHS ago. Congress approved these allies being allowed to come here. But this does not circumvent the visa process. It’s ridiculous. Even when they are seeking political asylum, they are screwed. And now the Taliban is saying they are free to leave, which complicates asylum applications.

Laura Ingraham is on Fox saying “We don’t want the unvetted Afghan people coming here.”

In case you think this practice is new:
https://www.history.com/news/wwii-je...-st-louis-1939

[elevenism]

It’s inheritance tax when you inherit it; it’s capital gains tax when you sell it.

The current inheritance tax exemption is $11.7 million for an individual.

The Biden capital gains plan affects those making more than $1 million per year in income.

Yeah, but, i hope to sell it. And the way i heard it spun, (and, granted, this was some right wing cat doing the spinning: i watch everything to try to get the full picture,) was that "if grandma bought a brownstone in 1967 for $40k, and it's now worth over a million and 41 thousand, then, should grandson inherit it, he'd have to eat a huge tax, when he sold it."

If i have to eat some kind of nasty tax, i'm putting mustard on it, at least.

[elevenism]

I know this may not go over so well but I kind of agree with Biden here. What else were we supposed to do?

And yes, without a doubt, it’s stupid to blame Trump or Biden for this. It 100% belongs at the feet of W and Cheney (Rummy is dead otherwise he’d be on the hook as well).

I agree, but, fuuuuuuck. This does NOT look good on Biden.

[M1ke]

Yeah, but, i hope to sell it. And the way i heard it spun, (and, granted, this was some right wing cat doing the spinning: i watch everything to try to get the full picture,) was that "if grandma bought a brownstone in 1967 for $40k, and it's now worth over a million and 41 thousand, then, should grandson inherit it, he'd have to eat a huge tax, when he sold it."

If i have to eat some kind of nasty tax, i'm putting mustard on it, at least.

I mean....you might, but that's how we contribute to the common good.

Look, I get it, you might have had a hard time in your life, and a big windfall coming your way sounds sweet, so why should the government get some of it? Well, because when one person wins the lottery by being born into a family that can give them a windfall, they have to share part of it, because there are more people than just you who need help. And we need roads, and health care, and teachers, and all that shit too.

For a period of time, you're a millionaire. You might not always be, but at least for a little while you are. And either you paid your share of taxes, and helped everyone else out, or you hid it offshore, re-invested it and rode a fucking cock-shaped rocket into space.

I get it too. Last year I finally crawled out of a debt hole that I had dug by not making enough money to live on without going into debt for years. I did it by working two jobs and making $81k over the year. When tax time came, I had to pay $3,000 in taxes on top of what had already been deducted from my paychecks every two weeks, for a total of $18k (I'm Canadian, we pay more in taxes than you do).

It stung, because I worked really fucking hard to make that money, and it felt like a new debt after having just crawled out of debt. But you know what else happened last year? Millions of people lost their jobs because of COVID and needed government assistance to not lose their houses, and to feed their families. So I paid what I owed, because I don't want those people to lose their houses or to go hungry, even though it cost me $18k.

I've been on EI before, I've been on the verge of bankruptcy, and not knowing how I'm going to pay my rent before. I'm not there anymore. Instead I just pay taxes now. That's about a million times better.

You've probably worked hard before, and had a rough life, but for the moments when you inherit that land, you're not in that place anymore. In that moment, you're a millionaire and you need to pay your taxes like it.

This pill is a lot easier to swallow than others. You'll be alright here.

[elevenism]

I hear you @eskimo , and I appreciate the respect with which you're addressing me, here.
Trust me: I've been one of the loudest voices when it comes to taxing the rich, so maybe I sound a bit hypocritical. But, when I think of my own inheritance, well...what with my health issues and my wife's health issues making income REALLY, REALLY hard to come by...I'm just...it would hurt to give up half of it, or 40% of it, or however it works out.
How long would half a million, or $250k, last two people who are mostly unable to work, you know?
It just doesn't seem like in a case like ours, where we're hoping for a million MAX, minus taxes, to last us twenty YEARS, if we live that long...that's not what I think of when I think of taxing the "wealthy," ESPECIALLY in a country that continuously makes people in our situation jump through metaphorical flaming hoops to receive ANY healthcare, or help for disability.
Ultimately, we're not looking at, or hoping for, giraffe money. We're looking at "live in an RV and eat TV dinners and afford healthcare" money. Like, SURVIVAL money.
I want to believe that we're going to be alright, though. I really do.
We probably won't sell the land, anyway: I'm not the only person involved in this inheritance.
Anyway, that's enough over sharing and drift.

The bottom line, though, is I could see these capital gains tax increases hurting poor and disabled people who've been planning, for years, on eventually using a relatively small amount of generational wealth, to carve out a modest existence.

[allegro]

Yeah, but, i hope to sell it. And the way i heard it spun, (and, granted, this was some right wing cat doing the spinning: i watch everything to try to get the full picture,) was that "if grandma bought a brownstone in 1967 for $40k, and it's now worth over a million and 41 thousand, then, should grandson inherit it, he'd have to eat a huge tax, when he sold it."

If i have to eat some kind of nasty tax, i'm putting mustard on it, at least.

Capital gains tax is one of the cheapest tax rates available, and it’s been here forever.

That Fox News story is is total bullshit. If you receive a house via inheritance that's worth $150,000, then your "basis" is $150,000" (the value of the property at the time you either buy it or receive it) and then if you turn around and sell it for $150,000, there is no capital gains so you would pay ZERO capital gains tax. If you turn around and sell it 50 years later and then it's worth a few million, then you pay the capital gains tax on the stepped-up difference between your basis and your sale price.

Rich people have been trying to come up with tricky ways to pass down money and assets to their kids while avoiding Uncle Sam for centuries, and people have gone to prison for it. (Donald Trump and his siblings may be facing criminal charges.) So this isn’t some new boo hoo lament. It’s still free money.

[Space Suicide]

I know this may not go over so well but I kind of agree with Biden here. What else were we supposed to do?

And yes, without a doubt, it’s stupid to blame Trump or Biden for this. It 100% belongs at the feet of W and Cheney (Rummy is dead otherwise he’d be on the hook as well).

Not alone. I hate Joe Biden but I'll give him credit here for having the balls to actually do this withdrawal, something the prior two presidents never had the guts to do and instead actually escalated conflict continuously.

Hate to say it but this Afghan Invasion (I'm not calling it a war) was always the case of just cutting the cord. We should have years (probably a decade) ago. This was never going to end well, this was a broken conflict that was destined to fail with a horrible ending from day one. No instillation of governments by the US military intervention have EVER helped a nation we invaded. I compare this to a modern day Vietnam where it was fruitless, ugly for people involved fighting it and was never going to have a clean outcome for either entity involved.

In my own personal philosophy, the Taliban and Al Qaeda or any other extremist Islam terrorist cell is basically an idea and not actually people. You can kill people, bases and vehicles but you cannot kill ideas. The anti-American ideology and hatred for all things western was only intensified by extended occupation of US military forces in their country. This was an enemy that was never going to be defeated and never will. Why else do people think Nazism is still around in 2021? The Nazism ideology didn't die when The Third Reich was ended in 1945, it was an idea that remained. Ideas never die. There's always someone to pick up where the prior person left off. There will always be terrorism in the Middle East in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

As for anyone else who said we could have left the area better, sure but using that as a reason we're back to the "How long are we gonna stay there for?" question again. 20 years is long enough.