Welcome To Trump World

[Richard]

Shutting down the government does not leave anybody without a pay check.

Unless somebody can provide a link that shows while the government is shut down everybody goes into an unpaid status.

Such drama.

List of government shutdowns and durations.

• 2018 [[President Donald Trump): Jan. 20 to Jan. 23 - 3 days
• 2018 [[President Donald Trump): Feb. 9 – 1 day.
• 2013 [[President Barack Obama): Oct. 1 to Oct. 17 - 16 days
• 1995-1996 [[President Bill Clinton): December 5, 1995, to January 6, 1996, - 21 days
• 1995 [[President Bill Clinton): Nov. 13 to 19 - 5 days
• 1990 [[President George H.W. Bush): October 5 to 9 - 3 days
• 1987 [[President Ronald Reagan): December 18 to December 20 - 1 day
• 1986 [[President Ronald Reagan): October 16 to October 18 - 1 day
• 1984 [[President Ronald Reagan): October 3 to October 5 - 1 day

• 1984 [[President Ronald Reagan): September 30 to October 3 - 2 days
• 1983 [[President Ronald Reagan): November 10 to November 14 - 3 days
• 1982 [[President Ronald Reagan): December 17 to December 21 - 3 days
• 1982 [[President Ronald Reagan): September 30 to October 2 - 1 day
• 1981 [[President Ronald Reagan): November 20 to November 23 - 2 days
• 1979 [[President Jimmy Carter): September 30 to October 12 - 11 days
• 1978 [[President Jimmy Carter): September 30 to October 18 18 days
• 1977 [[President Jimmy Carter): November 30 to December 9 - 8 days

https://www.thoughtco.com/government...istory-3368274

[Maof]

Nothing but a photo op. "You stack 'em here really high. I'll take a seat, lemme grab my pen...hold on, how does my hair look, more spray tan? Do I look like I know what I'm doing?"


https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...56868190834689

[jcole]

Departments that work without paychecks and those that will be furloughed. Link follows:

Federal employees will work without pay

More than 420,000 federal employees across numerous agencies will continue to work even as the government shuts down. They just won't get paid for it immediately.

Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee said that number will include more than 41,000 federal law enforcement and correctional officers from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and thousands of other law enforcement and correctional officers.

The vast majority of Department of Homeland Security employees will also work without a regular paycheck. The nearly 90 percent of workers in the agency affected by a shutdown would include 53,000 Transportation Security Administration employees, as well as 42,000 Coast Guard employees.
As many as 54,000 employees from Customs and Border Protection — the agents who are currently working to secure the southern U.S. border — were also projected to work without paychecks. By forcing a shutdown over border security, Trump was expected to cause the agents he often lauds for their efforts to stop illegal immigration to temporarily go without compensation.
Up to 5,000 Forest Service firefighters and 3,600 National Weather Service forecasters will also keep working without paychecks, according to Senate Democrats.
The special counsel's office, which is investigating potential criminal connections between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, will continue operating.


Furloughed workers

Another 380,000 federal workers or more could be placed on temporary leave without receiving pay in the event of a government shutdown, according to the Democrats.
Furloughs will affect vast swathes of Department of Commerce and NASA staff. About 41,000 people, or 86 percent, could be furloughed from the Commerce Department, along with a staggering 96 percent of NASA employees.
Four-fifths of the Forest and National Park Services, totaling more than 44,000 employees, could be sidelined, as could approximately 52,000 staff from the IRS, and about 7,100 Housing and Urban Development workers — 95 percent of the total.
Thirty percent of Transportation Department employees, equaling about 18,300, could be furloughed, as well."

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/21/what...huts-down.html

[Richard]

Outside of Clinton,Carter,Obama [[D) the adverage shutdown has been a couple of days,the government pays every two weeks.

So unless they shut down on the friday of the pay cycle they could shut down for 13 days and it still would not stop those from getting their paycheck.

To say they could be furloughed,when it has actually never happened is like saying the federal government is going to lay off thousands because of belt tightening,odds are slim that it is going to happen,so no point of the drama.

They make it sound like the ones are working for the feds as day laborers who get paid at the end of each day.

Politics is about compromise and finding middle ground,for one party to just say no way,based on we hate you and everybody that supports you,so it is point blank no.

Even more so when it was a party of tighter border security in the past,which in turn shows that the liberal side has begun to override the conservative Democrats.

Which in itself is a bigger problem long term then a shutdown,and shows that the next two years is going to be about ramping up the hate instead of just doing what they were elected and paid to do.

Of course some will see it as they were elected to resist and only resist so that would be a plus,the thing is that the ones with means and the politicians can afford to ride it out and it is those at the lower end of the spectrum are the ones that always seem to get pushed back down into the abyss.

But at least they can say,see we stopped the orange one,remember that come voting time.

[canuck]

https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonal...y.php%3Ff%3D32

I thought Chump's good taste was limited to Home Depot style gold accents but he seems to have a soft spot for medieval spikey things.

[ABetterDetroit]

I didn't notice any part of the article suggesting "The Turks threaten Trump directly" but maybe you read or heard something to that effect elsewhere. It's curious that a foreign news font would be critical of the removal of U.S. troops when Britain or E.U. countries don't have 2,200 troops in Syria. The Guardian would do better drumming up support for sending 2,200 British or E.U. troops to take a turn at it. Syria is more in Europe's back yard than our own.

With all due respect oladub, why make stuff up about the article in question if you didn't read it?

The fact I was discussing is what the Turks where saying publicly prior to DEC 12 when this article was written. A full 7 days before the President said anything about pulling troops from Syria. That is the point. That is why he looks like a total wuss in the eyes of nations around the world in defending ground that American blood was spilled to fight and kill our enemy who was encouraging anyone they possibly could to decapitate [[with video to share with followers), mow down en mass with vehicles or shoot and kill every man, woman and child in the western word.

The Turks sure as hell were not doing a damn thing about ISIS with their military prior to U.S. involment. A NATO paid-for military, by the way. Now they want the ground we took. Fuck that.

Britain and the E.U. do not remotely have the capability to pull off the kind of operation that went down in eastern Syria. Not even close on their best day ever. Anyone who thinks that was an option might as well expect Martians to come down from flying saucers to solve the ISIS problem.

[ABetterDetroit]

In the last week, Trump has announced plans to remove all 2,200 troops from Syria and 7,000 troops from Afghanistan, half of all U.S. troops in Afghanistan, over a period of six months or more. That's certainly enough time for other concerned nations that choose to criticize the U.S. to bridge the gap.

Part 2

I apologize in advance, but the above is a subject all on its own.

Seriously? Is this some kind of joke? President Donald J Trump is announcing what he is going to do with troop numbers and movements fighting in wars in advance publicly and Trump loyalists are all good with it?

Do they enjoy being lied to directly to their face or are they just too dumb to know it’s happening?

This is craziness. It’s like they have fallen in love with him and do not acknowledge the lies he tells at the highest level. I guess I have to break the bad news. Dude, I hate to tell you but she is lying to you. You are not the only one. She is banging other guys when your not around and everyone knows about it but you.

[Maof]

He's not going to Mar-a-lago because of the shutdown but has all the time in the world for this nonsense.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5E serp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Not going to mar-a-lago because of the shutdown.... patting himself on the back and pretending like he's working. Doesn't know who Brett McGurk is.... "Your favorite president"...lololol. "I won the election, said to be one of the greatest of all time".

https://pics.me.me/what-does-the-j-s...p-37576730.png

[oladub]

With all due respect oladub, why make stuff up about the article in question if you didn't read it?

The fact I was discussing is what the Turks where saying publicly prior to DEC 12 when this article was written. A full 7 days before the President said anything about pulling troops from Syria. That is the point. That is why he looks like a total wuss in the eyes of nations around the world in defending ground that American blood was spilled to fight and kill our enemy who was encouraging anyone they possibly could to decapitate [[with video to share with followers), mow down en mass with vehicles or shoot and kill every man, woman and child in the western word.

The Turks sure as hell were not doing a damn thing about ISIS with their military prior to U.S. involment. A NATO paid-for military, by the way. Now they want the ground we took. Fuck that.

Britain and the E.U. do not remotely have the capability to pull off the kind of operation that went down in eastern Syria. Not even close on their best day ever. Anyone who thinks that was an option might as well expect Martians to come down from flying saucers to solve the ISIS problem.

"Ground we took?" Congress never declared a war to take any land in Syria. As far as I know, it is still part of Turkey. We didn't take anything. How long did you want us to keep it? What are we going to do with it? Acting like four year olds saying, "that's mine" gets American soldiers unnecessarily killed. If the E.U. didn't "have the capability" when Obama the Idiot began our involvement in Syria, as you postulated, that was their choice. However, the situation with ISIS is now in hand. Britain and the E.U. do have the capacity to take over. That's another difference between Trump and past presidents. Trump's position is that the E.U. should do its share instead of the U.S. sending its kids to wars, often stupid wars, to protect U.S., Canadian, E.U., Japanese, and other allies' interests. You apparently would rather keep the status quo of filling Veterans' Hospitals with broken American young people. Unlike you, I don't care much about whether Trump, in your imagination, "looks like a total wuss in the eyes of nations". I care more about unnecessarily bleeding our military personnel dispatched on expensive fools' errands like the one you advocate.

[Richard]

We have been there 17 years and even Mattis has said there is no military solution in Afghanistan and Syria.

The CIA has been flipping dictatorships over there sense the 1950s and they have been fighting each other over religion for the last 1000 years,we have sent billions in weapons and cash,Maybe it is time they step up their own game.

Russia never went anywhere in Afghanistan and now we should fear a Russia and Iran partnership? Our so called alliances over there are based on money and weapons,whoever supplies them is who they align with.

Almost as bad as saying Saudi is our friend,if nothing has changed in 1000 years how are we going to change it now?

The original intent was 90 days and no boots on the ground,yet here we are.

I am pro military but sometimes we seem to like to get into situations where there is no end game,just a continuation of politics with the boots on the ground paying the price.

Here is a timeline of Syria with its supporters and non supporters through the years.

https://ballotpedia.org/United_State...ria,_2009-2017

[ABetterDetroit]

Again, with all due respect.

It is not possible to have a spirited discussion with you two, olobub and Richard, on Syria.

It takes a certain level of knowledge about the region. Particularly Geography. Syria is not Turkey and it is certainly not Afghanistan. Having the two of you not know that simple fact makes further discussion impossible.

Foreign policy based on a blanket approach of ‘this is what we do in every situation’ and not understanding geography, politics, history, economics of a country and the culture will not work. Even worse in this case of not understanding jack shit about who the enemy is, why they are the enemy and current status of that enemy is just ignorant foreign policy.

Really ignorant foreign policy. If you put in the hands of people not motivated to learn the facts of every situation individually, any nation would be doomed to massive failure that relied on such a stupid system.

[Richard]

Again, with all due respect.

It is not possible to have a spirited discussion with you two, olobub and Richard, on Syria.

It takes a certain level of knowledge about the region. Particularly Geography. Syria is not Turkey and it is certainly not Afghanistan. Having the two of you not know that simple fact makes further discussion impossible.

Foreign policy based on a blanket approach of ‘this is what we do in every situation’ and not understanding geography, politics, history, economics of a country and the culture will not work. Even worse in this case of not understanding jack shit about who the enemy is, why they are the enemy and current status of that enemy is just ignorant foreign policy.

Really ignorant foreign policy. If you put in the hands of people not motivated to learn the facts of every situation individually, any nation would be doomed to massive failure that relied on such a stupid system.

Well returning the with all due respect,have you ever been there?

I was 35 years ago,nothing has changed.

If you think that you understand who the enemy is,then you are the only person in the world who does.

We train,fund and arm this group in order to fight that group then a year later we train,fund and arm another group to fight the first group.

We pick dictatorships to support only to remove them when they get to big for their britches,then we train,fund and arm the next group in order to remove them,so we can put another one in.

There is not a country over there friend or foe that we have not trained their fighter pilots,friend one year,foe the next.

What facts would you like to learn on each situation individually?

By the time you learn the facts,they have already changed,friend or foe 90% of them would perfer that we did not exist,they are only friends as long as the flow of weapons and funds continue,when that flow stops they form new alliances.

We do not back out by pulling our troops out,we fund private armies to operate in our place,it is a multi billion dollar business,anybody with military expirence can join.

Where are you going to get your intel from in order to say we cannot have a spirited discussion? The CIA?

How,when intel is like the news over here,24 hour cycle if you are lucky.

Do not like somebody? Tell the intel they are hiding fighters in the building poof gone.

We pair up with a group that are happy to fight another group because they have a different religion,you could pick either group to pair up with because they both want to wipe each other out.

Our mission there is not the same as their mission or objective,it’s a zero sum game,always has been always will be,no matter what we do over there,nothing will change it.

Not hard to understand that.

Russia is a shell of their former threat,who cares if they team up with Iran,nothing will change just the outsiders faces.

They could not beat Afghanistan after years of full commitment what makes anybody think they will control the Middle East.

The only people that control the Middle East is the Middle East,for us it is just a live training grounds to gain experience and test weapons and readiness.

China is the real threat long term,between them and Russia they have already teamed up with Saudi to remove the US dollar from the petro markets and are pushing to remove the US dollar from the markets and go into a trade system not based on monies.

China has also been buying up complete cities in Africa in order to control the minerals,Cobalt is needed for batteries and advanced technologies used in driverless cars etc.

A couple of years and they can put the brakes on all of that with total control.

The only reason we still exist is because of our nuclear deterrent,for the moment,technology and wiping out the currency values can destroy us without fireing a shot.

We have bigger fish to fry then to be playing around in a sandbox where we are only welcome because we bring the toys.

The only foreign policy over there is to kill everybody else before they kill you,always has been.

[rb336]

Well returning the with all due respect,have you ever been there?

We train,fund and arm this group in order to fight that group then a year later we train,fund and arm another group to fight the first group.

We pick dictatorships to support only to remove them when they get to big for their britches,then we train,fund and arm the next group in order to remove them,so we can put another one in.

There is not a country over there friend or foe that we have not trained their fighter pilots,friend one year,foe the next.

.

Must be a Christmas Miracle - I agree with Richard.

Remember, we funded and trained the Taliban and Al-Qaeda to fight the USSR in Afghanistan. We sent weapons and gave intelligence to Saddam during the Iran-Iraq war. We famously supported Noriega.

[Bham1982]

Wishing a Mueller Christmas to all, even the paid Russian trolls.

Let the New Year bring America the promise of Dotard in federal prison.

[oladub]

Again, with all due respect.

It is not possible to have a spirited discussion with you two, olobub and Richard, on Syria.

It takes a certain level of knowledge about the region. Particularly Geography. Syria is not Turkey and it is certainly not Afghanistan. Having the two of you not know that simple fact makes further discussion impossible.

Foreign policy based on a blanket approach of ‘this is what we do in every situation’ and not understanding geography, politics, history, economics of a country and the culture will not work. Even worse in this case of not understanding jack shit about who the enemy is, why they are the enemy and current status of that enemy is just ignorant foreign policy.

Really ignorant foreign policy. If you put in the hands of people not motivated to learn the facts of every situation individually, any nation would be doomed to massive failure that relied on such a stupid system.

I was sort of hoping you would enlighten us with what you were going to do with, as you put it, "the ground we took" in Syria. If "Syria is not Turkey and it is certainly not Afghanistan", then what is "the ground we took"?

My "sense of geography" is that Syria is closer to the E.U. than the U.S.. The E.U. has a larger population and a similar GNP relative to the U.S. I know of no reason why the E.U. cannot take a shift in Syria if keeping ground is so important. Let the E.U. take its turn risking its young peoples lives for a change. The E.U.'s supply lines wouldn't be as long getting back to geography. My sense of history is that the U.S, under Obama the Idiot, tried to undermine the Assad government as it did Khaddafi's government; leaving both countries in shambles with Pentagon funded "freedom fighters" fighting CIA funded "freedom fighters" in Syria and, according to John Kerry, allowing ISIS a limited free hand to weaken Assad. Trump campaigned on getting out of these wars while Hillary Clinton suggested shooting planes out of Syrian airspace. Russian planes were operating in Syrian airspace. In 2016, we had a choice on that issue. Trump won.

I previously asked you, "How long did you want us to keep it? What are we going to do with it?. " You are not obligated to answer any questions but I am curious about your answers as you claim enlightenment.

[aj3647]

Individual 1 goes to Iraq to visit U.S. troops, immediately fucks everything up with his own carelessness and stupidity and creates an international incident. Let's start with:

Fuck Up #1: Dotard reveals the location and identities of SEAL Team 5.
https://nypost.com/2018/12/27/trump-...in-video-post/

Trump poses with members of SEAL Team 5 in Iraq and posts a video of it to Twitter...without blurring the faces or name tapes of these Special Operators [[Big No No) and also inadvertently revealing their current deployed location [[Big No No). DoD policy is that the deployed locations of Navy SEAL teams are to remain secret. Good Job Dotard!

Fuck Up #2: Trump lies to the faces of the troops and tells them they are getting a massive pay raise that they aren't actually getting.
https://thehill.com/homenews/adminis...give-to-troops

Trump tells the deployed troops that after not receiving a pay raise in nearly 10 years [[which is a total lie, the military got a pay raise every single year for like the last 30 years), he's giving them a 10% pay bump [[another total lie). They're actually getting a scheduled 2.6% raise in 2019, which isn't even the largest raise they have received in the last decade [[troops got a 3.9% raise in 2009 under Obama). So Trump just straight up fucking lied right to the faces of our deployed men and women in uniform to make himself look better in the moment. Any of you cultists care to defend this one?

Fuck Up #3: Trump doesn't coordinate his visit with the Iraqi government or ask their permission first, leading to an international incident.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/27/iraq...ump-visit.html

Iraqi lawmakers called the surprise visit "arrogant" and said it not only violated diplomatic norms, but also Iraqi national sovereignty. Many lawmakers are now calling for a vote in Parliament to kick all U.S. troops out of the country. Some Iranian-backed militias have also pledged to resume attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq should they not leave the country.

[Maof]

Because he's an idiot! He likes to be seen and brag but doesn't know what he's actually doing, doesn't care either. "Proud to be an American" blaring in the video. He thinks it's a t.v. show.


“I had concerns for the institution of the presidency,” he told reporters. “Not for myself, personally. I had concerns for the first lady, I will tell you. But if you would have seen what we had to go through, with the darkened plane, with all windows closed, with no lights on whatsoever, anywhere — pitch black. I’ve never seen it. I’ve been in many airplanes — all types and shapes and sizes. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

[Maof]

But what I want know is what knucklehead [[drumpf aside) in the white house, let him get away with it.

[oladub]

Fuck Up #2: Trump lies to the faces of the troops and tells them they are getting a massive pay raise that they aren't actually getting.
https://thehill.com/homenews/adminis...give-to-troops

Trump tells the deployed troops that after not receiving a pay raise in nearly 10 years [[which is a total lie, the military got a pay raise every single year for like the last 30 years), he's giving them a 10% pay bump [[another total lie). They're actually getting a scheduled 2.6% raise in 2019, which isn't even the largest raise they have received in the last decade [[troops got a 3.9% raise in 2009 under Obama). So Trump just straight up fucking lied right to the faces of our deployed men and women in uniform to make himself look better in the moment. Any of you cultists care to defend this one?

Although the troops received a 3.9% pay raise in 2009 "under Obama", the 2009 budget was Bush's last budget; not Obama's. The 2017 budget was authored by Obama. The fiscal year is from October 1- September 30 in either case.

Pay raises for troops under Obama's budgets averaged 1.6875%/year.

Now you can't complain that Trump never visited the troops. The standing ovation Trump received from the troops must have disappointed you too. My disappointment is that we are still in Iraq. Trump should issue a deadline to get out. If the E,U., Canada, or other countries want to criticize such an announcement, they are welcome to take their turn.

[Richard]

Individual 1 goes to Iraq to visit U.S. troops, immediately fucks everything up with his own carelessness and stupidity and creates an international incident. Let's start with:

Fuck Up #1: Dotard reveals the location and identities of SEAL Team 5.
https://nypost.com/2018/12/27/trump-...in-video-post/

Trump poses with members of SEAL Team 5 in Iraq and posts a video of it to Twitter...without blurring the faces or name tapes of these Special Operators [[Big No No) and also inadvertently revealing their current deployed location [[Big No No). DoD policy is that the deployed locations of Navy SEAL teams are to remain secret. Good Job Dotard!

Fuck Up #2: Trump lies to the faces of the troops and tells them they are getting a massive pay raise that they aren't actually getting.
https://thehill.com/homenews/adminis...give-to-troops

Trump tells the deployed troops that after not receiving a pay raise in nearly 10 years [[which is a total lie, the military got a pay raise every single year for like the last 30 years), he's giving them a 10% pay bump [[another total lie). They're actually getting a scheduled 2.6% raise in 2019, which isn't even the largest raise they have received in the last decade [[troops got a 3.9% raise in 2009 under Obama). So Trump just straight up fucking lied right to the faces of our deployed men and women in uniform to make himself look better in the moment. Any of you cultists care to defend this one?

Fuck Up #3: Trump doesn't coordinate his visit with the Iraqi government or ask their permission first, leading to an international incident.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/27/iraq...ump-visit.html

Iraqi lawmakers called the surprise visit "arrogant" and said it not only violated diplomatic norms, but also Iraqi national sovereignty. Many lawmakers are now calling for a vote in Parliament to kick all U.S. troops out of the country. Some Iranian-backed militias have also pledged to resume attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq should they not leave the country.

Lol,you like making it up as you go along.

There is nobody in Iraq outside of a few CIA moles that the opposition does not know about,so the seal team being there in secret is not a subject of distain.

Trumps security is not as dumb as some show themselves to be,the president is going to go into hostile territory making his flight plan known?

Who do you think he is,Obama with his 2 o’clock missle strike tomorrow warning?

He does not need their permission,we have troops on the ground,he is their commander in chief.

Why is it that you are quick to call others out with puck ups but yet you seem to not have a clue how things really work,just following what somebody wanted you to hear to suit your agenda,weak mind.

Of course they are going to say they want US troops out of there,they miss the days of total control with mass killings of those who oppose,if one wants to fluff up Iraq and Iran then they should jump on a plane and go over and support them.

While we are at it we need to stop paying everybody in the Gaza Strip to stay home,kill that funding,let them all fight and destroy each other.

[aj3647]

Although the troops received a 3.9% pay raise in 2009 "under Obama", the 2009 budget was Bush's last budget; not Obama's. The 2017 budget was authored by Obama. The fiscal year is from October 1- September 30 in either case.

Pay raises for troops under Obama's budgets averaged 1.6875%/year.

Now you can't complain that Trump never visited the troops. The standing ovation Trump received from the troops must have disappointed you too. My disappointment is that we are still in Iraq. Trump should issue a deadline to get out. If the E,U., Canada, or other countries want to criticize such an announcement, they are welcome to take their turn.

Fair enough, although all I said was that it occurred under Obama [[just like the 2.4% pay raise for the troops in 2017 occurred under Trump but credit according to you would therefore go to the previous administration), but hey, credit to GWB for his generosity.

Now, Oladub, care to address the fact that Trump lied to the troops about a non-existent 10% pay raise? Care to defend that? What are your thoughts on the President lying right to the faces of the troops and telling them they are getting a massive pay raise that they aren't actually getting? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Now you can't complain that Trump never visited the troops. The standing ovation Trump received from the troops must have disappointed you too.

I would cheer too if just told I was getting a 10% raise. That's what Trump does, that's his MO, he lies. A lot. He tells whatever crowd he's in front of at the moment whatever he thinks they want to hear so they will lavish him with praise and applause, it doesn't matter to him if he has to tell a bunch of egregious lies. It's all about feeding his own ego.

But hey, credit to Trump for FINALLY being publicly shamed into going to visit the troops after two years in office. Obama, by this point in his Presidency, had taken THREE trips to visit U.S. troops overseas, including two separate trips to visit troops in Afghanistan.

What's disappointing to me is that Trump took two years to go visit the troops and only after he was publicly shamed into doing so, made the visit all about him, turned it into a big campaign rally, lied to the troops' faces about a fictional pay raise, outed the identities and location of SEAL Team 5, created an international incident with Iraq, and you want to seemingly give him credit for it. It's disappointing, but not surprising in the least, since you are a Trump apologist. If Obama had done half of what I just described above in one of his overseas visits to the troops, your head would have exploded with rage. But in your cult-like eyes, it's a good thing that Trump did all of that stuff. WINNING!

[bust]

Spot on, AJ.

Trump is a cancer we must remove.

The good news is we are strong. We'll survive and repair stronger once he's gone.

[oladub]

Fair enough, although all I said was that it occurred under Obama [[just like the 2.4% pay raise for the troops in 2017 occurred under Trump but credit according to you would therefore go to the previous administration), but hey, credit to GWB for his generosity.

Now, Oladub, care to address the fact that Trump lied to the troops about a non-existent 10% pay raise? Care to defend that? What are your thoughts on the President lying right to the faces of the troops and telling them they are getting a massive pay raise that they aren't actually getting? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?



I would cheer too if just told I was getting a 10% raise. That's what Trump does, that's his MO, he lies. A lot. He tells whatever crowd he's in front of at the moment whatever he thinks they want to hear so they will lavish him with praise and applause, it doesn't matter to him if he has to tell a bunch of egregious lies. It's all about feeding his own ego.

But hey, credit to Trump for FINALLY being publicly shamed into going to visit the troops after two years in office. Obama, by this point in his Presidency, had taken THREE trips to visit U.S. troops overseas, including two separate trips to visit troops in Afghanistan.

What's disappointing to me is that Trump took two years to go visit the troops and only after he was publicly shamed into doing so, made the visit all about him, turned it into a big campaign rally, lied to the troops' faces about a fictional pay raise, outed the identities and location of SEAL Team 5, created an international incident with Iraq, and you want to seemingly give him credit for it. It's disappointing, but not surprising in the least, since you are a Trump apologist. If Obama had done half of what I just described above in one of his overseas visits to the troops, your head would have exploded with rage. But in your cult-like eyes, it's a good thing that Trump did all of that stuff. WINNING!

No, I don't care to defend Trump claiming to have given a 10% pay raise and have already given Obama credit for giving 13.5% of collective pay hikes over his 8 years. However, according to the link I previously provided, "Our current estimate of the upcoming 2019 military pay raise is 2%."

Trump hasn't provided a 10% pay hike and it is impossible to know if Trump will give a 10% pay raise since Federalpay.org didn't provide the 2018 information, my federal pay link suggests a 2% pay hike in the 2019 budget, and I can't predict the future. If all Trump pay hikes were 2%, we have no reason to believe they will be, then Trump is on track to raise pay 16%, more than Obama.

Trump was given a standing ovation when he walked into the air base assembly not after talking about pay raises at that venue so your spin is a little off.

Although you can no longer complain that Trump hasn't visited the troops, we see you can still complain that Trump hasn't visited them as often as Obama. That's fair. But if you want to talk about lies and Obama, how about the whopper Senator Obama made in his first campaign. He said that if elected, the first thing he would do was remove our troops from Iraq. Glad that you are at least content that Obama at least visited them three times.

What international incident with Iraq? Some Iraqi politicians used Trump's visit as Commander in Chief to promote their wish that the U.S. leave. I say 'great'. I hope Trump uses their rhetoric to do what Obama promised: get out. Getting out would be even better than keeping score of presidential visits to troops on fools' errands.

[bust]

Trump was given a standing ovation when he walked into the air base assembly...

Have you ever found yourself sitting for the national anthem at a brewers game?

[aj3647]

No, I don't care to defend Trump claiming to have given a 10% pay raise and have already given Obama credit for giving 13.5% of collective pay hikes over his 8 years. However, according to the link I previously provided, "Our current estimate of the upcoming 2019 military pay raise is 2%."

Trump hasn't provided a 10% pay hike and it is impossible to know if Trump will give a 10% pay raise since Federalpay.org didn't provide the 2018 information, my federal pay link suggests a 2% pay hike in the 2019 budget, and I can't predict the future. If all Trump pay hikes were 2%, we have no reason to believe they will be, then Trump is on track to raise pay 16%, more than Obama.

Jesus Christ Oladub, the military pay raise for 2019 is exactly 2.6% as approved in the FY19 Defense Budget. It took me literally three second to find that information using Google. You're bad at this.
https://militarybenefits.info/2019-military-pay-charts/

The basic pay rates reflect a 2.6% pay raise, effective January 1, 2019. The pay increase has been approved by Congress [[August 1, 2018) and President Trump is signed into law on August 13, 2018.

So you can stop right there with your whole "Oh it might be more than 2%, I can't predict the future" bullshit. It's not. It's 2.6% and it's been 2.6% since Trump signed it into law on August 13th. No more, no less.

Also, here's the direct quote from Trump:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...227-story.html

"You haven't gotten one in more than 10 years - more than 10 years," he said Wednesday. "And we got you a big one. I got you a big one. I got you a big one."He continued:
"They said: 'You know, we could make it smaller. We could make it 3 percent. We could make it 2 percent. We could make it 4 percent.' I said, 'No. Make it 10 percent. Make it more than 10 percent.' "

So what part of that makes you think that Trump's 10% number was somehow him referring to all collective raises the troops will receive during Trump's entire tenure as President, including future budgets that haven't even been written yet? Because for those of us who are literate [[excluding you apparently), it sure as fuck sounds like he's speaking in the current and past tense. He "got them" a 10% raise, not he's "going to get them" a 10% raise. Understand?

And there's the part where he told the troops that they didn't receive a pay raise in the last 10 years, which is a lie, because they got a pay raise every single year over the past 10 years. Got a creative spin on that one too, Oladub?

He lied and there's no defending that. Why can't you just admit that instead of trying to put your usual bullshit spin on it or without trying to change the subject away from Trump towards Obama or Hillary?

Also, no opinion on the outing of SEAL Team 5's identities and location? Hey I'm sure if Obama did that, you'd have nothing to say about it. Hypocrite.